We're back in the delightful position of watching puppies grow! We kept 2 pups from our bitch's litter: one because I'd selected her nad one because we had reservations about selling her to anyone because she was developmentally so far behind the others. They are now just over 6 months old.

Well, the tiddler is a tiddler no more! She is a lovely shape, but has a more petite frame than her sister. Her temperament is just like her grand-dam's - very loving, very biddable and craving contact and cuddles. She looks like a more petite version of her dam.

The 'pick of the litter' is a different kettle of fish all together. She's still my choice (OH has claimed the tiddler) but she's doing some funny things in the growing department. She's very solid, with lots of bone in her legs and still has 'puppy' paws and knots of bone in her forelegs. In fact, she looks like a giant puppy (which, or course, she is!) From having lovely proportions as a small pup, she now appears to be quite short in the leg. She is about 3 to 4 inches shorter than her dam at the shoulder.

I was talking to a trainer who took on a 6 month springer (a rescue) who was built along similar lines at 6 months and by 10 months had morphed into a much taller, less squat animal. I'm fascinted now how my pup will turn out. Our vet also picked her out when they had their 2nd jabs as the one to go for and there was no indication that she'd be so short legged! Could it be just a phase? She's shaping up well in her basic training and there is no chance of me parting with her - I'm just curious about other people's experiences of growth rates and patterns in dogs. Have any dogs really surprised you?

We're looking forward to finding out if my pup is going to end up shaped like a Sussex Spaniel, or if she's still got lots more shape-shifting to do :)