Dwarf puppies don't stay small. In fact, when the puppy is fully grown (between 6 and 18 months), you'll have no idea it was the smallest. Within 6 to 8 weeks, the dwarves will begin to reach the weight of their siblings. The term “dwarf” is given to the smallest and weakest puppy in a litter.
However, puppies born small are not necessarily carriers of birth defects. Puppies with low birth weight can develop into normal, healthy dogs. Dwarves who survive until weaning are no more likely to have medical problems than their littermates. Over time and with proper nutrition, these puppies will catch up and be the same size (or at least reach their genetic potential).
As we already mentioned, a dwarf puppy may be small due to an underlying congenital problem. In addition to this, their small size makes them vulnerable to additional health problems outside the womb. A dwarf puppy may not have developed quickly enough because of a birth defect that prevented its growth. In most cases, if the dwarf in a litter reaches six or eight weeks, it will likely survive and will likely grow close to its full size, experts said.
It is estimated that around one in fifty puppies are stillborn or die in the first six weeks of life because they are too small. By definition, a dwarf puppy will be one (or more) of the litter whose weight is abnormally low, below the healthy level of that specific breed. That's why we've created this comprehensive guide so you know everything you need before making an important decision. Not all dwarf puppies will make it, but those who do will have a special story for the rest of their lives.
However, there is no evidence to suggest that being the smallest in the litter influences in real life a dog's temperament or disposition as it grows. A puppy born in a litter of many puppies can be labeled as the dwarf simply because it is the smallest of several or more puppies. Newborn puppies are completely dependent on their mother for at least the first three weeks of life. In the natural selection process, there is competition between newborn and nursing puppies for access to milk and access to warmer places near the dam.
The genetic roll of the dice that resulted in an initial small size may have endowed the dwarf with the marks and characteristics of a dog intended for distinction in the show ring. If a dwarf puppy doesn't get the nutrients he needs, he can put on gloves and squeeze some of the mother's milk into a bottle, and then give the puppy the bottle. When the youngest of the litter is still with his mother and siblings, they will have to develop a certain level of courage and “fight in them to survive, there is a possibility that they will take him with him to adulthood”. It can be a risk to choose a dwarf puppy, as there are many health problems, especially early in their life.
