Has anyone gotten a puppy which grew up to be much larger/smaller ...

[Lisa]

... than expected?

The reason I ask -- my landlady's getting a puppy next month, at the urging of her pre-teen daughter. The girl's convinced her mom that the puppy (a Labrador/standard poodle cross) will not grow to be more than 18" high. Her mom's major concern (beside getting stuck with all the feeding, walking, and cleanup duties) has been the dog's size. (That's why they aren't getting a pup from the SPCA -- my landlady decided that all the ones there this month were too big.)

Apparently the dog breeder has reassured them that this particular breed is "fairly small". They've chosen a female, who is also the "runt". But I still think that they should brace themselves just in case things don't turn out as planned! My landlady told me she was entirely certain that her daughter and the breeder were right. I was curious if anybody else has had a dog which ended up being larger or smaller than the breeder's or vet's estimate.

My concern is that they might send the dog to the pound if they feel it's too big or rambunctious to handle. I often end up getting drafted to help take care of the family pets -- I wouldn't call myself a dog person (or I'd likely have one of my own by now), but I don't mind lending a hand with this new acquisition. However, as an SPCA supporter, I would mind if the family gets rid of the pup later because it turns out to be "inconvenient".

[JimmyJazz]

1. I had a dog that the breeder assured me would be about

35 pounds or so. And, the initial papers I reviewed turned out that the puppy was 4 weeks younger than I thought. I was comparing him (a mix breed) to a german shepherd I thought was the same age. Seeing how much bigger the german shepherd was than this pup, I had no reason not to believe the dog would be about 35 - 40 pounds. He was 80 pounds and way to big for the townhouse in which I was living at the time.

It turned out to be disasterous and I did have to give him to another family. It was unfair to the dog to keep him. :( But, my heart was absolutely broken.

[hickman1937]

2. We had a dog when I was a kid.

The person we got it from said that the mother was a cocker spaniel and didn't know what the father was. The puppy grew up to look like a tall thin black lab. A standard poodle is bigger than a lab. Tell them to pass unless they're willing to keep and love whatever they get.

[madmom]

3. Yes, we had a cocker spaniel that ended up...

twice normal cocker size. He looked just like a normal cocker but we were informed that there is a throw back line in the breed called cumberian or something like that. It is bigger in statue and has a more squarish head. Also that the British aristocracy would destroy these particular dogs trying to "clean-up" the breed. BTW he was a great, loyal,loving dog. He was registered also.

[hickman1937]

21. Probably a Clumber spaniel, but they're kind of short.

http://images.google.com/images?q=clumber+spaniel&hl=en&lr=&sa=N&tab=ii&oi=imagest

[AnarchoFreeThinker]

4. I've never had a dog of any size. Hope that helps.

[MuseRider]

5. We got our little Scully

from the pound. Shepard/Chow cross. Cute little thing with BIG paws. We were looking for a big dog since we also have a Lab and a Golden. She now looks like a cross between a Beagle and a Dachshund. Love her but at 30 pounds she is not what we expected. She is the boss of the three however, queen bee and the tattle tale. She has issues but I simply adore her.

Edit for spelling

[Dr.Phool]

9. I have a Lab-Golden mix

And he tips the scales at 130 lbs.

Our female a Golden-Newfie mix only came in at 85 lbs.

[MuseRider]

12. WOW!

Our lab is male and somewhere around 85 I think but our female golden is only about 65 pounds. That is some dog you got there. Who would have ever thought the golden/newfie mix would have been smaller?

[Commie Pinko Dirtbag]

6. Emily Elizabeth. (You have to have a 4yo to get it.) (nt)

[wideopen]

17. Got it. n/t

[Lisa]

18. weirdly enough, the kid's name IS Emily ...

And I'm pretty sure she read the book. She may be a bit young for the concept of irony, though! Personally I will laugh like anything if the situation is anything similar (and be prepared to help out) ... though I'm not sure how her mom will feel!

[mikehiggins]

7. My father in law gave my wife a puppy when we first bought a house

I should have known something was up when I found out the dog's sire was named Bear. He started growing and then it was like something out of a Stephen King story. When the dog outweighed my pregnant wife I got rid of him, though we really did care for him a lot. It was just that if he jumped up on you he could literally knock you flat.

He wound up with a friend's family in upstate New York and by the time he finished growing he looked like the main actor in the Hound of the Baskervilles. A sweeter natured dog I don't think there ever was, but so big...

[trof]

8. Labs and standard poodles are medium-large dogs.

18" high (at the shoulder is standard measurement) ain't small.

[DODI]

10. We got a 3 week old puppy -- she had been abandoned and we were

told she was a boston terrier cross and wouldn't be any bigger than 25 lbs. She is now 55 lbs. and a pit bull -- but a very lovely dog. She just celebrated her 12th birthday.

[LeftyMom]

11. I suspect the dog will be bigger than they expect

both labs and standard poodles are decent-sized dogs.

They shouldn't have any problem getting a smallish dog from the shelter or a rescue. I'd try to steer them toward a dog that was at least partway grown rather than a puppy so they have a better idea of how big it's going to be and since dog novices tend to underestimate the amount of work that goes into a puppy.

[GreenPartyVoter]

13. A lab/standard poodle cross? 18 inches high? at what, the knee?

Ok it won't be that big, but I think you are right in guessing the dog will be larger than your landlady anticipated.

[Corgigal]

14. dog breeder ?

Why are they allowing the dogs to be bred to begin with? Are they trying for the pet fad? Those are large dogs and they should do research before they get that dog. They are called Labradoodles. Here's some info.

http://www.rutlandmanor.com/Site/Home.aspx

Tell them to go adopt a dog who is a year old. You will know what you actually have at that time. The best dogs I own were both over a year old when they came home.

Edit:typo

[friesianrider]

15. Tell the landlady to stop listening to her daughter...

Who will lose interest in the dog within 2 years TOPS.

This "breeder" doesn't sound very reputable in any event (who breeds labs and standard poodles besides people wanting to make money from a fad breed of dog and/or from an accidental breeding?). The dog WILL be big, guaranteed. Have you seen a standard poodle? Those things are ponies, and MOST labs aren't anywhere near small either.

Tell this lady (I use that term lightly) to go to petfinder.com. There's thousands of wonderfully healthy dogs on there (many purebreds) who will be killed if not adopted. Does this moron think that the dogs she saw at the SPCA are the only ones they will EVER have?

Breeding or buying is, IMHO, stupid while so many wonderful and healthy pets die everyday. I'd try and dissuade her from buying for the above mentioned reasons. She will get stuck with all the dog's care within a few short years. The daughter will lose interest VERY quickly in this dog, I'd bet my house on it. Chances are you'll get stuck with it or it'll get shipped to the pound.

[Mutley]

16. Several people in my neighborhood have Labradoodles.

They look to be around 50-80 lbs. They are very cute, though.

[Lisa]

19. thanks for all the information and advice, everyone!

I've never encountered this type of dog before, although I've been around Labs and some similar-sized poodles which must be the standard type. So it's good to have some extra background on potential sizes, etc.

This weekend, I think I will suggest they do a bit more research into the breed -- and maybe look around town for "Labradoodle" owners to talk to, rather than just relying on Emily's "spin"! And the breeder, even if she has the best of intentions, is also in a conflict of interest. As various posters indicated, their own experiences suggest that breeder estimates aren't always accurate. (I suspect that the person with the puppy might be a friend-of-a-friend, so I can't actually come out and accuse her of fibbing like a military recruiter -- but one thing I could do is ask whether she's got a policy on taking the puppy back if her guesses turn out to be off the mark.)

I once used to work at a vet clinic/animal shelter, plus I looked after their ailing cat (including twice-daily medication) for a whole month this spring, while they were out of the country -- so I hope that this will give me some more credibility in their eyes.

Something tells me that they will probably get the puppy anyway. Just about the only thing I can do is to be nice to my landlady, since I suspect that she's probably going to end up doing most of the work. She's had to put up with months of begging already, and she likely still has misgivings even though her husband likes the idea. (He's out of town a lot so he's clear of the chores.) I know that there are plenty of responsible 11-year-olds out there -- I've met some of them. And I want to believe that the daughter has grown up quite a bit since 2 years ago, when she asked to help look after a couple of abandoned ducklings, and her mom and I ended up doing the messy stuff. (I told Emily straight out that she wasn't making things easier for her mom, and letting down the ducks too by making them wait until I came home, before they got their dinner. I noticed that she's been a lot cooler towards me since then, after she realized that I would only cut her so much slack.)

If I have to pitch in so my landlady doesn't end up a nervous wreck, or help with the training so the dog isn't completely uncontrollable (like the one across the street from us, which regularly outwits its owners and has started biting people) -- I'll do that. But I'm going to start looking around for new lodgings, too. One of my friends has already put money on the possibility that I will be moving out and taking the dog with me, rather than seeing it go to the pound!

p.s. the same friend points out that this would also give me the incentive to get my own place, on the edge of town, "with plenty of room for American visitors in case things get really nutty down here". Hah!

[ScreamingMeemie]

20. Get a Sheltie. They always turn out exactly as expected 13-17 inches

and max out at 25 pounds. And, they're like potato chips. You can't have just one. ;)

[hickman1937]

22. LOL. My SIL has had them for years.

Her first one was a wedding gift. I can't remember any time after the first year that she had less than 2. Original Poster, beware of this breed. My little sister now has 2, and looking at a third. My youngest brother is considering getting one. We tried an intervention, but I think he's going for it, OR THEM! They take you over and it never stops.

edit for yet again, more crappy spelling.

[XemaSab]

23. Our administrative assistant has a lab/poodle cross

and it's a BIG dog.

It's also a very, very mellow dog. She brings it to work all the time and it just lays quietly under her desk all day.

Smart too.

They're really good dogs, but not small at all.