There is nothing more exciting than bringing a newborn puppy home! Anyone can be easily mesmerized by their tiny and cute look. After all, their small paws, silky soft ears, diminutive noses, and cute faces are extremely joyful to watch. It’s hard to imagine them getting any bigger than their current adorable puppy state; however, they will become adult dogs one day. The best thing is that you can watch them grow every single day with the help of a puppy growth chart.
As a responsible pet owner, you should have to know the various stages of your puppy’s development. Like human babies, puppies also grow each day, so it’s vital for us to know, understand, and enjoy their developmental process and witness how they become adorable adult dogs! Tracking the growth of your puppy can also help you determine if your dog is healthy or not.
Have you recently adopted a puppy, and are excited to know how big your puppy will get when fully grown? Or Does your puppy grow at an alarming rate? To get all these answers, keep on reading. Today in this blog, we’re going to tell you everything about puppy growth and development.
We’ve explained everything in detail, from the puppy’s average weight chart to each week’s progress. Using these charts, you can easily track their growth and development.
The first thing that you need to do is to ask yourself a few questions:
- What is your puppy’s breed?
- How big are your puppy’s parent dogs?
- Is your puppy a male or female?
Yes, these things are essential to know because a puppy’s growth depends on these factors. So let’s know more about them in detail.
What Factors Impact Puppy’s Size?
Well, there is no way to predict your puppy’s exact size; however, some factors may help you to know your dog’s height and weight:
- Breed size
- Gender
- Genetics
The American Kennel Club (AKC) breaks down breed sizes into five categories:
- Toy Dogs – Under 12 Pounds
- Small Dogs – 12 to 25 Pounds
- Medium Dogs – 25 to 50 Pounds
- Large Dogs – 50 to 100 Pounds
- And Giant Dogs – Over 100 Pounds
Toy Dogs
Source: petbasics.com
The size and weight of Toy dogs stop growing somewhere between 6 and 8 months of age. These cute dogs weigh around 4 to 12 pounds and have a delicate skeletal structure.
Toy dogs include purebreds like :
- Yorkshire Terriers
- Chihuahuas
- Pomeranians
- Toy Poodles
Small and Medium Dogs
Source: petbasics.com
Source: petbasics.com
Small to medium-sized dogs tend to complete their growth by six and eight months.
Small breeds include:
- Pugs
- Chihuahuas
- Boston Terriers
On the other side, medium breeds typically reach their full-sized framework between 12- 15 months old.
Medium breeds include:
- Border Collies
- Standard poodles
- Pit Bulls
Large Dogs
Source: petbasics.com
Large dog breeds are slower in growth as compared to toy and small breeds. They complete their growth somewhere between 18 and 24 months.
Large breeds include:
- German Shepherds
- Weimaraners
- Labradors
- Saint Bernards
- Newfoundlands
- Mastiffs
Giant Dogs
Source: petbasics.com
You’ll be surprised to know that there are some giant breeds that continue growing for up to three years. Yes, typically, their growth cycle is till 18 months old, but it can take until age two or three for them to reach their full weight and muscle mass.
The giant breed includes:
- Scottish Deerhound
- Black Russian Terrier
- Bernese Mountain Dog
Puppy Growth Chart: 6 Stages Week By Week
Source: doggiedesigner.com
Stage 1: The Neonatal Period (0 to 2 Weeks)
The first two weeks of a newborn puppy is considered a neonatal period. In this stage, puppies are blind, deaf, and neurologically underdeveloped. So, they are entirely relying on their mother and spend most of the time sleeping or eating. Here you can also read about Best Roomba for Your Pet Hair.
Newborn puppy’s body:
- Puppies can touch and taste.
- Their eyes and ears are closed, so they cannot hear or see.
- They can’t stand or support their body weight, but they can pull themselves towards their mother
- Their eyes start to open at around ten to fourteen days.
- They continue to grow rapidly, adding 5-10% of their body weight (see puppy growth chart here)
Stage 2 – The Transitional Period (2 to 4 Weeks)
The period two to three weeks after the puppy is born known as the transitional period. In this time, the puppy begins to finally open its eyes and starts gaining strength, and learns to walk. Puppies look extremely cute when they try to stand and walk.
Around 5 to 10% they grow each day during these weeks and up until they are about eight weeks old. During this time, puppies will develop a sense of smell and hearing, and social skills. Their teeth start coming in, and they’ll even start to bark.
A lot is happening during the second stage of puppy development because the brain develops quickly. It’s a crucial time when they start using the bathroom on their own, just like plants and animals learn to take care of their own bodily needs.
Puppy’s body
- Puppies can stand, sit up and even start walking.
- They can wag their tails and start to respond to sound.
- Puppies become much more active and stronger on their legs.
Stage 3 – The Socialization Period (4 to 12 Weeks)
This period is one of the important stages in your puppy’s life. Not only do they start to develop into adult dogs, but they also start to develop fundamental ideas about the world. That’s why this period is known as the Socialization period.
Now, puppies are more aware of their surroundings and start really enjoying playtime. When your puppy is about seven weeks, you can start house-training.
As per the vet guidelines, the true training “golden time” is from 9 to 12 weeks. The reason is that now your pup is actively working on social skills and paying attention to both people and littermates.
So, leverage this truly wondrous period and play and teach your puppy. It’s also imperative to socialize your little friend by introducing it to new people, dogs, noises, and environments.
Puppy’s body:
- Puppies can bark properly.
- A small breed puppy may gain around 140 grams per week in weight, whereas a large breed puppy may put on around 9 to 10 kg per week.
- At eight weeks, the puppy’s brain is curious and ready to grasp the information.
Stage 4 – The Ranking Period (3 to 6 Months)
From three to six months of the puppy’s growth is known as The Ranking Period or The Juvenile Period. This is the time where they start growing both physically and mentally. Therefore, you can consider this stage as the “pre-teen” years.
You should be more careful about the environment at this stage. For example, if you have another pet in the home, your puppy will start to make friends or want to know them. Also, at this time, puppies get highly influenced by their human family. This means training and socialization are very important during this time.
Some teething and chewing issues happen around this time. So, consult your vet if your puppy is facing any major difficulty.
Puppy’s body
- Teething and related chewing (and chewing issues!) occur.
- Toilet training becomes much easier.
- For small breeds, the growth plates are starting to close.
- At this stage or by the end of the fourth month, the medium to large breeds will reach about half their adult height.
- Whereas the toy and small breeds almost complete their growth by the end of the sixth month.
Stage 5 – The Adolescence Period (6 to 18 Months)
Just like humans, this time is considered as the teen period for dogs. This is because they start blooming and becoming an adult in this period. For most pet owners, this is the most annoying stage.
Most adolescent puppies get easily distracted and more prone to testing boundaries, and which means they don’t follow your rules. To help curb wild behaviors, you will have to train them consistently, and you’ll also need lots of patience!
After some time, you’ll know what to expect and at which times, so you can prepare yourself to deal with specific behaviors. This way, you can handle them positively, which will also encourage the kind of behavior you want.
When a puppy reaches puberty, the adolescence stage begins between six months to one year of age. The smaller the breed, the faster they grow or reach puberty. However, in larger breeds, it can start as late as 9 or 10 months.
Puppy body
- A female puppy will come into season in the second half of her first year in which she can mate and have puppies. However, breeding at such a young age could harm your puppy.
- Male dogs will also start showing an interest in females in this developmental stage.
- When your puppy reaches about seven months, his or her adult teeth will replace the milk teeth.
- The adolescent puppy’s brain is fully developed and contains the learning capacity of an adult dog.
- By the end of this stage, dogs will reach their full body weight and height.
Stage 6 – Adulthood (18 Months On)
Yes, this is the final stage in a puppy growth chart. So give a pat on your back because you’re a great dog owner, and now your pup has successfully crossed the wild teen phase and has moved on to adulthood.
Most of the canines over the age of two will reach their full size and weight, and now they’re much more calm, relaxed, and predictable. Good for you! However, before stage 6 on the puppy growth chart, your pup had undergone a lot of developmental changes. This will ultimately build his personality, and your dog will be more disciplined and active.
You can calculate your puppy’s growth by calculators such as puppy weight calculators, dog weight calculators which are available online.
Also Read: How to Care for a New Puppy: A Guide for First Time Pet Parents
The Bottom Line
Source: vetbabble.com
Getting a puppy is a huge responsibility. So, it is vital to know which dog breed will fit your home, lifestyle, and size of the family. Even with the puppy growth chart, you can’t exactly predict when your puppy will stop growing or how big they’re going to end up; however, you can keep them happy and healthy throughout the journey.
Believe me, watching your puppy grow and develop will be one of the best moments of your life. When it comes to dog training, I know it’s a bit challenging, but you get out what you put in. Give them the appropriate diet with proteins and meat and also ensure that they’re getting some exercise.
Lastly, give them lots of cuddles and play with them. Also, keep in mind that every breed’s growth rate is different, so they vary in the stages in which dogs develop and mature.
So this is all about the puppy growth chart. I hope you enjoyed and found this blog helpful and interesting. For more information on pet care, breeds, or pet foods, visit PetsNurturing.
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