New Puppy, How Big you think, and other ?'s

[Capita08]

Well, im adopting a puppy (98.9%), and hope to get it within the next few days.

Shes a small 9week old Pitbull/black Lab Cross.
Atm she has the gorgous bully head, but im curious if shell outgrow her cute stage and lose her bully look as she grows?

Im in love with pitbulls, but all the steriotyping out there has my better half all sketched out, along with having a 3 year old son to worry about.
So we compromised on having a X.

Im also curious to how big, (more lab-like?) they get, and if docking is ugly?
Either Way, shell get a good home.

So anyone with a similiar dog have anything to offer, be appreciated.

[Karen]

It is always a guess how big they'll get - you never know if they'll take more after one parent or the other. I would say, though, don't dock her ears. I adore floppy ears, and she'll still have that bully face. A lot of people who are afraid of pitties key in on docked ears as an identifier, and I have seen ear docking badly done as well. Spare her the ouchies, and many people probably won't even guess her heritage!

Plus, as you have a three-year-old, it'd be better for the pup not to have "sore places" - training a 3-year-old and a puppy to respect each other is enough of a challenge!

I bet she's completely adorable, by the way. What's her name? Have you decided? And I am betting that, if she's got the blocky "bully" head now, she always will! Nothing like that block-headed grin, is there?

[Jessika]

Unless you've seen the parents its nearly impossible to tell... and even then it's still questionable! That's the beauty with mixes, they're always a surprise

Here's a tip I learned from an ASPCA lawyer who is heavy into BSL (against it, of course) -- anything you fill out anywhere at any time for any reason that asks you your dog's breed, DO NOT speculate what "mix" he might be, always always always write down "mixed breed", even if you KNOW he is X and X. I know people who have written down "shepherd mix" or something like "australian shepherd mix" on applications for things like homeowner's insurance and the company dropped them because they had a "shepherd", and when one sees "shepherd", they think "German Shepherd", and they think "aggressive, destructive dog".

Especially with BSL with pitties being so rampant, even if you go to the vet and write down "lab/pit mix", if you have BSL in your area the vet HAS to, by law, report that you have a "pit mix", and you could have your dog taken from you. Now I obviously don't know about your specific area, but I do know of someone who was unaware of BSL laws in her area, went to the vet and wrote down she had a pit/whatever mix, next thing you know the cops were at her front door saying she had 7 days to get rid of him or he would be euthanized.

I'm not saying you should hide his breed, but for legal purposes and even for other purposes (insurance policies are huuuge on BSL with coverage), always just write down "mixed breed", not even "lab mix", just plain "mixed breed". It may save your butt in the long run!!


Sorry this turned into a novel, I just learned of this recently and I think it's a good idea to save not only your butt but your dog's butt, too.

Good luck, and if you have any pictures PLEASE post them!!!

[Capita08]

Thnxs for the responses,
More so tail Docking then ears was my thought....I luv floppy =p
But a Lab with a docked tail is fugly imo.

As of now shes a 'small lapdog' (she fits in my lap)

And her names not been decided yet, but i got 'Tsunami' stuck in my head?
If everything works out, ill def be posting a pic.
Gotta introduce the rest of the family to her tomorrow b4 the SPCA makes there final decision.

[Karen]

Keep the tail! It is a dog's primary method of communication with strangers! And people are often won over by a happily wagging tail!

[Suki Wingy]

Neither breeds traditionally have their tails docked, so I don't see a reason to dock yours' tail, especially if she's just going to be a pet.
What annoys me is places that insist on having a breed down. I have written "unknown mix" because anyone who's seen my dog knows he really is an enigma, but I've had people tell me to "make a mix up"

[Giselle]

Pit bulls and Labradors vary immensely in size. Some Labs are as small as 40 pounds. Other Labs are bred to be as big as 100+ pounds. Some pitties are appropriately 30-40 pounds. Others, again, can be as big as 100+ pounds. It totally depends on the parents.

Also, some terminology: Ears are cropped. Tails are docked.

Please, do not dock. Docking is done at a very very early age (i.e. before the puppies' nerves have fully developed). If you dock your dog's tail now, you will be subjecting her to a lot of unnecessary pain.

Whether or not she will look more Pittie or Lab is a shot in the dark. Nobody can tell you, except for her genetics (but we can't talk to her genetics ).

[Spicy_Bulldog]

Well, im adopting a puppy (98.9%), and hope to get it within the next few days.

Shes a small 9week old Pitbull/black Lab Cross.
Atm she has the gorgous bully head, but im curious if shell outgrow her cute stage and lose her bully look as she grows?

Im in love with pitbulls, but all the steriotyping out there has my better half all sketched out, along with having a 3 year old son to worry about.
So we compromised on having a X.

Im also curious to how big, (more lab-like?) they get, and if docking is ugly?
Either Way, shell get a good home.

So anyone with a similiar dog have anything to offer, be appreciated.

Congrats on your new pup.

Not sure how she will look as an adult, they can go through stages of growth where they look awkward or much different from the time they were pups. It is likely that she will look similar to what she looks like now full grown but there is no guarantee.

How much does she currently weigh? With that info a general idea can be given for her adult size. Again no guarantees though, just my best guesstimate.

If docking is ugly or not is a matter of your opinion. If she is docked I don't think anyone will think she is ugly even if they think docking is ugly. I have 2 that are docked and I think they are just as beautiful. If she isn't docked then I'm not sure why the question came about. She is already 9wks, docking is done about a few days old. She is too old for your standard dock and it would be a surgery now, some vets probably would not do it anyway if she doesn't have a tail injury that requires it. Since neither breed is a "docked breed" there really isn't any reason to do it and even if they were its still not a must.