” How to tell what size the puppy will become ” is the million dollar question. When they are small, all dogs are adorable and manageable, however, as they grow up, some may grow to be real giants . So, before giving in to the temptation to bring your puppy home, you have to consider and reflect on some important factors: only in this way will you be able to guarantee a peaceful and happy life for your family and your new four-legged friend.
What you need to know to care for large dogs
If the dog grows to unsuspected limits, you need to be sure, for example, that you have enough space in the house to ensure a certain degree of comfort for both the people and the animals that live there .
Not only that, you must also take into consideration that the costs of maintaining a large dog increase. You must be willing to spend more to meet “basic” expenses such as:
- Food
- Accessories
- Veterinary
- Transportation (especially if you don’t have your own car)
Having said that, we want to talk to you now about how to understand what size a puppy will be when it reaches adulthood.
How to know what size a puppy will be when it reaches adulthood?
If it is a purebred dog, or if you know the parents, it is easy to get a general idea of the size, weight and height the puppy will reach in adulthood . For example:
- Females will surely resemble the mother and the males the father.
- If the parents have different characteristics and are not the same size, the children will probably be of an intermediate size.
- Find out about the average weight and height of your puppy’s breed. You can get yourself a chart that shows your weight and height in the various stages of growth and compare it with the changes you notice in your little friend.
If you notice any major differences, you may already be starting to think that your puppy will likely be smaller or larger than the standards of the breed to which he belongs.
- If the animal is a mixed breed, calculate the average of the standard size of the parents.
Calculate the adult size of a mixed breed puppy
The matter becomes complicated when you are faced with a beautiful dog without a breed and you do not know the parents. Don’t worry, there are always ways to figure out a puppy’s size.
For example, if the puppy has very large ears and paws compared to the rest of the body, as an adult it will almost certainly be a dog of considerable size.
You can also make a rough calculation of the weight that your puppy will reach when he is one year of age (remember that growth generally ends at this age). Let’s see how to do it:
- Check the weight of the puppy.
- Divide this figure by the puppy’s age, calculated in weeks.
- Multiply this result by 52 (a year consists of just over 52 weeks).
However, remember that small dogs grow much faster than large dogs. In principle we can say that small dogs grow up to 12 months, while large dogs can grow up to two years of age .
Puppy weight and height tracking
You can always monitor your puppy’s growth month by month if you want . It is a good way to get a general idea of the size he will reach as an adult.
Just like all animals, dogs also have growth curves that can give us an idea of how much they will grow.
There are specific formulas to make this calculation: you can consult the standard growth curves and compare them with the weight of the puppy in relation to its age .
However, you must consider that:
- Most dogs, by the time they turn 6 months old, have already reached 75% of their final height.
- Nutrition, health and other factors can affect the animal’s growth.
Size is not important
If you love animals, surely your puppy’s height, weight or breed are of little importance to you.
You will love it and it will love you. You will take care of your new four-legged friend beyond the size.
However, it is never superfluous to take into consideration the physical characteristics of the puppy. Reflecting on your dog’s size is a good starting point for taking proper care of it.
