What is your opinion on the runt of the litter?

[CaneRocco]

Rocco was the runt of his litter. He doesn't have any health problems, he was just the smallest of the bunch.

He won my heart when I went to check out all the pups with his spunk. Right when I got there we ran full speed across the pen and bulldozed his brother onto his back. Then he let out a little puppy roar and dashed across the pen to tackle his sister. He is very high energy and a great match for me. I don't like to sit down for long and neither does he!

The breeder was very surprised when I picked him. She thought I would pick the biggest male. The biggest male was all black and very calm. I feel like he will make somebody else a great pet but I love my hyperactive runt!

Anybody else have experience with the runt of the litter?

 

[Smart_Family]

My girl was the runt but she's an EM. She was picked for me by the breeder but she's always been my "little girl". I often call her a mini mastiff because she's just now filling out at 2 but she's also incredibly active which I attribute to her BFF/sister being a neurotic energizer bunny of a German shepherd.

 

[Cody]

The runt does not always turn out to be the smallest adult dog . My male recently sired a litter of pups, and there was definitely a runt in the litter, almost a 1lb smaller at birth. However at 8 weeks she has almost caught up and is one of the nicest pups in the litter. Her structure is great and she is a very solid girl. I have no doubts that she will be a decent sized CC when fully developed and I cannot wait to see her in the ring Sometimes the runts stay small... sometimes they catch up. But just because they are smaller at birth does not mean that there is any issues structurally that they can't develop into great dogs.

 

[AKBull]

My previous BM was the runt of the litter, she turned out to be the largest of the bunch as an adult.

 

[DennasMom]

Denna was one of the larger puppies in her litter - and the only one left when we got our "pick". The breeder said everyone wanted the smaller puppies first. She had no idea why - she had done her best to rotate pups around the mom during meal time, so there wasn't that much size difference, anyway. If they were thinking they were getting 'mini' mastiffs... many of them will be disappointed, based on this thread!

 

[LizB]

I've had the runt and he was rather aloof and somewhat skittish when we picked him up, an intact male that at 3 was still at the bottom of the range for males. I don't think you can predict how things will turn out!

I've heard a lot of stories of the runt turning out to be the giant of the litter in maturity.

 

[jersey girl]

I wouldn't be too concerned...as long as you love him and you think he's great, that's all that matters. It's about the connection you felt with him. Crickett is the smallest in her litter, but she wasn't really a runt at birth, but now she's almost 2 and has been holding steady at 83lbs for almost a year now. She is light in bone and people do comment that is she small for a corso....but I remind them that a corso is a medium to large dog.

 

[glen]

We had a runt of a litter it was a rottie she was the most stunning amazing dog.Size doesn't matter and she grew to a nice size iv seen the runts of litters grow larger than some of there litter mates.

 

[BlackShadowCaneCorso]

Runts can often mature larger than others in the litter (not always so can't say that it is a consistent rule) but it does not mean there is anything wrong with them, just they were the smaller one in the litter.

 

[taisa899]

My girl is the runt of the litter and she currently weighs 100lbs and it's all muscle

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[Bailey's Mom]

We were told Bailey wasn't the runt, but she is 10% smaller than the one sister we see. I think they just didn't want us not to take her. Her features are finer than her sister and she's lighter and shorter. Her dad, we were told was an unbelievable 175 lbs....? Mom is presently 115. I can't see her getting bigger than mom. She just looks more dainty...more girly girl. So, I don't mind the runt...I think this little girl is The Pick Of The Litter, even if she was the last one to find a home. I guess they saved the best for last.

 

[Willowsmommy]

When I went to choose my mastiff, I went in with full intentions of coming home with the runt. I was glad to see that the runt was a female brindle. I didn't even bother looking at the other pups. I picked her up and held her for over an hour. At 4 weeks she was small enough to fit in the palm of my hands. Love at first sight. She made a little piggy grunting sound the entire time. Willow has been apart of our family since she was 8 weeks old, she is now 9 months. She has been a fantastic addition to our family. I will always choose the runt, I have with my cats and my ferrets. I wouldn't change it for the world.

 

[wilken63]

On our way to look

Morning all..new to this forum..
My son, etc are all on their way to Long Island to check out a Cane Corso Mastiff pup of 5 months and 10lbs so we are told via phone calls from the rescue..She is the "runt of the litter" I have been reading here and there through posts, but 10lbs seems incredibly small even for a runt of 5 months of age...
Before he arrives there are there ANY questions he should ask the rescue about her before deciding to get her?
List of questions would be fantastic. And in everyones opinion who currently own "runts" at what age did they begin to gain weight and GROW.
She is so adorable..and we have been wanting a pup so she can bond with our little dog before she gets to the full grown size.
Thanking you all in advance for assistance with this.

 

[musicdeb]

Is this your first CC? One suggestion, make sure the CC picks your family not the other way around. I hope they spend at least 1-2 hours with her so see her interaction with the family.

Questions to ask rescue:

How long did she remain with her mom and siblings before brought into the rescue?

What are they feeding her?

Do they know her history?

10lbs does sound small for a 5 month old, did she have parvo?

Has she been checked for worms?

When was her last vet check? Has she had all puppy shots?

Does she have behavioral issues?

Has she had any OB training? If so, what?

Hopefully, the will allow you to not spay her since mastiffs should not be spayed until at least 18-24 months to prevent health issues, i.e. spay incontinence.

That's all I can think of right now. Hope that helps.

 

[wilken63]

music deb, thank you for your quick reply,,,
The listing for her states she is already spayed....what does this mean for her health?
She is the last of a litter of 5 to be born,
Petfinder Adoptable | Dog | Cane Corso Mastiff | Wantagh, NY | June

 

[musicdeb]

Check out this video re: spaying and neutering so you can make an informed decision. She is adorable.

It blows my mind that rescues neuter and spay young pups. The norm used to be as early as 6 months now they are doing it at 4-5 weeks.

A lot of vets are changing their minds about neuter/spay at such an early age but a lot still believe 6 months is the magic number. I get it, it helps with reducing rescue and animal shelter population because of idiots. As a responsible owner, if your dog is not neutered/spayed, you take the necessary precautions so your dog can have a healthy life. JMO

[video=youtube;enPCZA1WFKY]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=enPCZA1WFKY[/video]

 

[wilken63]

and yes, they will be arriving at the rescue 2 plus hours before adoptions begin, so plenty of time to get aquainted and see if she takes to the family ...

 

[musicdeb]

Cool...I hope it works out! Keep us posted as to whether or not you add to your family.

 

[Siloh]

I always gravitate to runts as well. We found out that Hamlet had been the runt of the litter after already agreeing to take him. Junot was the runt by far in his litter of three and I assume still is since he is smaller than his father (mother 6#, father 4.5#). Annie was the smallest at the rescue between her and her sister, but she was also obviously more aloof and seemed to have a good temp.

I really wonder if Hamlet is still the runt. He does seem petite for a maybe/probably bullmastiff mix, but he seems huge for a pit mix to me.

10 lbs for a 5 month old CC sounds tiny to me, but that pup sure is adorable. Did the rescue say they were CC puppies? I didn't think I saw it on the listing.


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