Puppy Growth Chart: How to Know When Dogs Are Fully Grown

It might not feel like it when you're in the middle of dealing with razor-sharp teeth, 2 a.m. potty breaks and cleaning up accidents, but puppies grow up fast. While keeping track of their growth won't tell you when your puppy will exit their chewing stage, it can give you key insights into their health and development as they grow.

A puppy growth chart is one way to monitor your puppy's growth and make sure they're on the right track.

What Is a Puppy Growth Chart?

A puppy growth chart helps you track your puppy's weight as they grow and see how it compares to where they should be, according to their age, sex and breed or size. This lets you know whether your pup is growing normally, as well as whether you're feeding them correctly. It also lets you quickly spot abnormal growth patterns so you and your veterinarian can ascertain and treat the cause.¹

Many variations of puppy growth chart PDF documents can be found online with a simple search. You can also find online apps for both your phone and your computer, as well as online puppy growth calculators. Or, you can simply create your own in a spreadsheet. It can even be as low-tech as using pen and paper.

Most growth charts for puppies use a simple X-Y axis graph. The vertical Y axis charts the puppy's weight in pounds or kilograms, and the horizontal X axis charts age in weeks or months. Placing a dot on the graph where age and weight correspond will, over time, provide a picture of your puppy's growth curve that can tell you if your puppy is growing normally.¹

Puppy growth chart (by percentage)

Below is the approximate percentage of their adult weight puppies should weigh by the time they're six months and older, according to their size group.²

When Do Puppies Stop Growing?

Puppies grow fastest during their first eight weeks.³ They still experience rapid growth until they're about six months old, after which their growth rate slows and begins to taper off.² Depending on their breed and ultimate size, they may be nearly full grown by this point, reaching their adult size by the time they're a year old.² But some large and giant breeds may continue to grow until they're 18 to 24 months old.²

Factors that impact your puppy's growth

With as much as dogs can differ in size, from Chihuahuas that fit in your pocket to 150-pound Anatolian shepherds⁴ and many sizes in between, there is no one-size-fits-all puppy size and weight chart. Even within breeds — and even within the same litter — variations can happen. When you factor in mixed breeds with parents of vastly different sizes, determining how much your pup should weigh at a certain age can get very tricky.

Besides breed and genetics, these factors can also influence your puppy's growth rate:¹

• Sex
• Neutering
• Illness
• Diet
• Environment

Nutrition may be one of the biggest factors that impact puppy growth. Aside from the chances of overfeeding potentially leading to obesity and subsequent health and joint issues, nutritional imbalances or deficiencies could cause a number of serious health issues, including:⁵

• Bone deformities
• Brittle bones
• Anemia
• Stunted growth
• Skin problems
• Heart disease

Tracking your puppy's growth will make it easier to see if they're gaining weight too fast or not fast enough. In either case, you'll be able to take steps quickly to identify and correct the issue before it can develop into lasting health problems.

How to Calculate Your Puppy's Growth

Whether you create your own puppy growth chart using a basic X-Y axis graph as described above or use an online version, here are the basic steps for charting your puppy's weight over time.

1. Determine your puppy's adult size and weight

The American Kennel Club® has four main size categories for dogs:²

• Small dogs: 0 to 20 pounds
• Medium dogs: 21 to 50 pounds
• Large dogs: 51 to 100 pounds
• Extra-large dogs: Over 100 pounds

Knowing which size category your pup will fit into once they're grown will help you determine what percentage of their adult weight they should be throughout their growth stage.

For a more precise estimate of how much your pup should weigh as an adult, you can research your dog's breed, ask your breeder how much the parents weigh or ask your vet. As you do, keep in mind that males often grow faster than females, especially in larger dog breeds.¹

However, things may not be so simple if you have a mixed-breed pup. In this case, if the parents are about the same size, your puppy will probably be roughly the same size as its parents, or somewhere in between.

2. Determine how much your pup should weigh as they grow

A puppy's projected growth rate largely depends on their breed and adult size. Knowing which size category your pup will ultimately belong to will help you determine what percentage of their adult weight they should weigh at certain age milestones in their development. The table earlier in this article can help you with that.

Based on the percentages, you can calculate your puppy's target weight for each milestone and enter that on your chart. This will give you a point of comparison to help you know whether your puppy's weight is on the right trajectory.

3. Weigh your puppy regularly

Your puppy should be weighed at least once a month until they're six months old. If their weight is on a healthy track at that point, you can taper off to weighing them every two or three months. Ideally, they'll be weighed at a vet's office for the most accurate measurement. But you can also use a digital scale that's made for pets or babies to weigh your pup at home.⁵

It's not advisable to set your wiggly puppy on a human scale, or to hold them while standing on it and then subtract your own weight. This will not give you an accurate weight for your pup.⁵

4. Chart your puppy's weight over time

Each time you weigh your pup, enter their weight on the chart where it corresponds with their current age. If you've already plotted out their target weight based on percentages from their size category, it would be helpful to use a different color for your pup's actual weight.

Over time, as you connect the dots, you should see a curve that goes mostly up for the first six months and then gradually levels off. As they reach certain milestones, the curve should line up with the target weights you've marked for those ages. If your puppy misses the mark or if you see any sharp ups or downs in their growth trajectory, you should talk to your vet about possible causes and solutions.⁵

Using a Puppy Growth Chart to Monitor Health

Tracking your puppy's developing weight with a growth chart will provide a visual aid to help you see whether they're developing normally. Puppies need specialized nutrition to support growing bones and muscles, and their weight as they grow can be a cue as to whether they're getting the right nutrition. A growth chart can not only tell you whether you're overfeeding your puppy (that could lead to obesity), but also whether your puppy isn't growing fast enough.⁵

If your chart indicates that your puppy is overweight, here are a few tips for getting them back on track:⁵

• Check the amount of food you're giving them to make sure it's not too much.
• Make sure treats don't make up more than 10% of their daily diet.
• Switch to a puppy food that has fewer calories per cup.

If your puppy is underweight, you should check to make sure you're not underfeeding them. But you should also talk to your vet about potential health or development issues that could be slowing their growth.⁵

Another advantage of a growth chart for puppies is that it can tell you when your pup has finished growing. Why is this important to know?

Throughout their puppyhood and adolescence, puppies' legs have growth plates — sections of soft bone tissue that continue to produce new tissue until they reach adult size. At that point, the bone hardens and the growth plates are said to be closed. While the growth plates are still soft, your pup's bones are more susceptible to injury or damage that could result in bone or joint issues later in life.²

Particularly in the case of large breeds that take much longer to finish growing, you should avoid prolonged or high-impact exercise to protect those soft growth plates.² So if you'd like a jogging buddy, your puppy growth chart can tell you when it's safe to take your big pup on your daily runs.

In any case, a growth chart for puppies is an invaluable tool that you can take with you to your puppy's vet visits so you and your vet can discuss whether your pup is on the right track. It will also let you see any abnormalities that you should bring up with your vet between visits. Growth charts are a great tool for helping your puppy get a healthy start on what will hopefully be a long and happy life.

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Author Bio

Jean Marie Bauhaus is a freelance writer and novelist who has been writing pet content since 2013. Her work has appeared on Forbes.com, Hill's Pet, Chewy, AKC.org and more.