How much will my puppy weigh when he’s an adult?  Where can I find a puppy growth rate chart?

You can try to make puppy weight estimates based on a variety of things, but certain factors will prove better indicators than others.  As a first-time labradoar owner, weight was a constant issue on my brain (well, it still is, since ours will continue to grow/fill out for the next 12-18 months!).  Unfortunately for me, I was unable to locate any really useful data like a labrador growth rate chart to help me really get great estimates.  However, there are definitely some useful tools and data for every dog owner.

Hills’ Puppy Growth Rate Chart

Pictured above (click on the image to see the full size version) is Hill’s typical growth rate chart for different breeds of dogs.  It will help you understand a bit more about where your pup is for his breed/size/age.

Google for Puppy Growth Rate Charts

There are hundreds of dog breeds in existence, so it would be ridiculous for me to even attempt to find every growth chart and give it to you.  But here are just a few examples of growth charts I found simply Googling “puppy growth charts”:  Chihuahua Growth Rate Chart, German Shephard Growth Rate Chart, and Dalmation Growth Rate Chart.

Factors Affecting Growth & Weight

• Parents and genetics. If you have the fortunate opportunity to learn about your pup’s parents, definitely do so!  It’s good to know what kind of dogs have been in your pup’s history.  You can often look to the parents to see comparable weights for you pup, but you should understand that this alone doesn’t determine weight.  Just like your parents didn’t have blue eyes, but your great-great-grandmother Sally did, and somehow you wound up with them–this can happen to dogs.
• Mixed breeds. When your pup is a mix between breeds, it can be often difficult to assess any sort of final weight.  Sometimes you can look for the dominant breed or even the largest of the potential breeds in your mix to help you gather some understanding of their adult weight.
• Nature makes sense. If your dog has saucer-sized paws, he is not going to be the size of a Chihuahua.  If your dog is a Chihuahua, you know it shouldn’t weight 80 pounds.
• Loose skin. Loose skin can indicate that there is “more growing” to do.  Your pup has to grow into his skin.

16 Weeks & Double It Formula

Many pet owners and veternarians (including ours) have suggested taking your pup’s weight at 16 weeks and doubling it, and it will represent their adult weight.  I wish I could tell you how our experience with this formula worked out, but alas, our pup is still growing.  He has considerably slowed down his growth–at 16 weeks, he weighed about 36 pounds, suggesting he will weigh 72 pounds at adulthood.  He is currently around ~60 at 6 months, so it is plausible that 72 pounds may be his final weight. All my previous dogs have been adult-sized when we adopted them.  I think the double-it formula is helpful, but I wouldn’t take it as a hard number.

Be Prepared For Your Puppy’s Adult Weight

Big breeds weigh a lot.  100 pound labradors aren’t the standard, but they aren’t necessarily uncommon.  It is important that you only choose a big breed when you are comfortable with having a dog that may easily weigh 60-100 pounds.  (Just like when you adopt a Mastiff, you shouldn’t expect a dainty dog at 80lbs!)  You can always hope for light-weight big breed dog, but you just need to be prepared for your dog to be on the larger side of his breed(s)!