If you are an owner to medium breed dog or are looking into adopting one, the first question that you might have is “how big will my dog be when he grows up?”
The best way to be able to predict your dog’s final size is through the use of a medium dog growth chart.
A growth chart works by allowing you to take the information that you have about your puppy and following the averages from a growth chart to be able to determine how big your dog will be one he has finished growing.
We have broken down everything that you need to know about growth charts and growing puppies.
Is A Medium Breed Dog Full Grown At 12 Months?
You can use a medium dog weight chart to answer many questions, including “is a medium breed dog fully grown at 12 months?” The truth is that this really varies from breed to breed and there is not a simple answer.
Some medium breeds will reach their final size when they are around 10 months old.
They may continue to gain weight up until 2 years old, but some dogs do stop getting taller before their first birthday.
Most medium breed dogs will hit their final size around their first birthday. This is the case for a lot of breeds in other sizes as well, but you will find that whether you have.
Border collie or a Dalmatian, it is likely that your dog will reach his final height at 12 months old. These dogs are likely to be at their full at adult weight at this age as well.
Medium Breed Puppy Growth Chart
The pool of medium breed dogs is pretty large. Breeds that fall under this bracket include: poodles, bulldogs, cocker spaniels, collies, shelties, terriers, and shepherds.
Medium breed dogs can gain as much as 10% of their body weight each week up until the point that they reach their first birthday.
Since they don’t start out very large, this might seem like a large number, but it is not really.
Compared to larger breeds, medium breed dogs will taper off their growth speed at an earlier rate. The biggest burst of growth for a medium breed is between 5 and 6 months old.
But for a larger breed, they will grow steadily until they are 9 months old, while a smaller breed will be done growing completely by 6 months old.
To use the medium breed growth chart, you will need to take your dog’s weight at his current age and note where he is in the range.
If he is on the smaller side, he will remain on the smaller size as the growth chart changes. Using that knowledge, you can follow his weight up until he is a year old.
Medium Dog Weight Chart
| Age | Weight | Weight | Weight | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 Months | 5 lbs | 7 lbs | 11 lbs | |||
| 3 Months | 7 lbs | 9 lbs | 18 lbs | |||
| 5 Months | 15 lbs | 18 lbs | 26 lbs | |||
| 6 months | 17 lbs | 20 lbs | 30 lbs | |||
| 7 months | 19 lbs | 22 lbs | 35 lbs | |||
| 8 months | 21 lbs | 25 lbs | 40 lbs | |||
| 10 months | 26 lbs | 32 lbs | 55 lbs | |||
| 1 Year | 32 lbs | 40 lbs | 70 lbs |
Calculating The Adult Weight Of A Medium Breed Puppy
If you are unaware of your puppy’s birth weight, as most dog owners are, there are still ways that you can calculate your dog’s final adult weight, using set formulas.
You might want to use calculations if your dog is in-between sizes as well. One way that you can do this is to use your dog’s weight at 14 weeks:
Step 1: Weigh your dog when he’s 14 weeks
Step 2: Multiply the weight by 2
Step 3: Add the above total to half the weight at 14 weeks
For example: Based on a puppy that weighs 13lbs at 14 weeks.
Step 1: Weigh your puppy at 14 weeks = 13lbs
Step 2: Multiply that by 2 = 26lbs
Step 3: Add the above total to half the weight at 14 weeks = 26+6.5= 32.5lbs
You can also use your dog’s current weight in pounds and divide it by his current age in weeks.
If your puppy weighs 15 lbs at 5-months (22-weeks), his growth rate would be 15/22 = 0.68.
Multiply the growth rate by 52, which would be 0.68 x 52 = 35.36. So the puppy would weigh around 35.36 pounds as an adult.
Factors That Affect Your Puppy’s Size
Breed Size
There are a few factors that will affect how big your puppy is. A medium breed growth chart is pretty general, so it will not always be able to explain a pup’s size.
The first factor is the dog’s natural breed size. Even in medium breeds, there is a huge size range. They can weigh anywhere from 25 to 65 pounds and easily still be called a medium breed.
If your puppy is on the lower end of that spectrum, naturally, you will have a smaller puppy, while if your medium dog is pushing more toward a large breed, the puppy will naturally be bigger.
Genetics
Breeds aside, another factor that will affect your puppy’s size is simple genetics. There are size ranges even within breeds that can determine whether your puppy is going to be large or smaller.
If you have the opportunity to see your puppy’s parents, or maybe you know the puppy’s parents, you will be able to see where they are on the size range.
Larger parents will of course have larger puppies. Puppies will mimic the appearance of their parents, so that is a good guide to go off of.
Gender
A dog’s gender will also determine how big your puppy is. By nature, male dogs are bigger than female dogs.
They usually are larger in size and weigh more, from puppyhood through adulthood.
With puppies, the difference is not super noticeable at first, but the difference will really start to show as time goes on.
Puppies often weigh the same at birth, regardless of their gender, but as they grow, males will grow faster and the difference between the two will become more obvious.
For some breeds, the difference is slight and might not be noticeable.
Health & Nutrition
Health and nutrition is really important for all mammals and puppies are no exception.
Unfortunately, some puppies do not receive the care and nutrition that they need to be or stay healthy. In these cases, a puppy might not be as big as other dogs from the same breed.
For example, if you have a puppy who has contracted the deadly virus known as PARVO, your puppy will not have the ability to absorb the nutrients that he needs to be able to grow healthy and strong.
Even if he recovers, he is not likely to make up for that deficit.
Medium Breed Puppy Development Stages
Neonatal Period: Birth – 3 Weeks
A medium breed puppy will likely weight less than a pound at birth, but he will gain weight quickly.
Puppies are born with their eyes shut and it will take a week or two before they will open their eyes.
They are not likely to move anywhere the first week or so, but will begin to wander away from their mom as the weeks go on. They will be entirely reliant on their mother in the beginning.
Socialization Period: 3 Weeks – 12 Weeks
The socialization period happens between 3 weeks and 12 weeks. This is when puppies will really begin to develop a personality as well as some independence.
They will be weaned off their mother’s milk by the time that they are 8 weeks old.
Puppies are also rehomed around the 8-week mark, and this is the time to introduce them to other dogs and children to build their social skills and manners.
Juvenile Period: 3 Months – 6 Months
The period between 3 and 6 months old is known as the juvenile period. This is usually when puppies of all breed sizes will begin to get into a lot of mischief.
They will be naturally curious and begin to explore and chew on whatever they can.
They will be losing their puppy teeth so chewing will be a necessary and normal action, so pay attention to what you have around that he might get his mouth on.
Sexual Maturity: 6 months – 16 months
A puppy will reach sexual maturity between 6 months and 16 months old.
A female will go into heat during this period, so you will need to really keep an eye on whom your dog is interacting with at this point and to make sure that you don’t wind up with any surprised pregnancies.
This will be a good period of time that you should have your dog spayed or neutered for his own health and safety.
Transition To Adult Period: 16 Months – 36 Months
For some medium breeds, it can take as much as 36 months before the dog reaches maturity and stops with the puppy antics.
Your dog will be on adult food and will need to have an active and healthy lifestyle. You will want to make sure that your dog has annual vet visits and is as healthy as he should be.
There may still be some puppy energy and behaviours but it will really slow down at this point.
How To Predict Your Medium Breed Puppy’s Weight?
If you are looking at your medium breed puppy and wondering if you will be able to tell how much he will weigh when he is fully grown, there are.
Few ways that you can predict that. The first thing to do is to look at the pup’s parents.
If you have access to the dogs or know the dog’s parents, you can see how big they are. Their offspring should be around the same size.
Another good tip to try to predict your puppy’s final size is to look at his paws. Puppies that have a lot of growing left to do will look like their paws are oversized.
They will need to grow into their paws for them to look more in proportion.
Following a medium breed weight chart will also be a great way to help you determine your dog’s adult weight.
The way that that works is that you look at where your dog is at on a weight chart based on his current weight and then follow the chart to where he will be when he is done growing.
Finally, DNA test might be another good method to see how big a dog’s ancestors were to get an idea how your dog will be at his final weight.
At What Age Do Medium Breed Puppies Reach Their Full Adult Height?
Looking at a medium dog growth chart will be the best and easiest way to get an idea of when your dog will reach his final full adult height.
Normally, dogs should stop growing height-wise between 9 and 12 months old. A larger dog may continue growing up to 18 months, but that is not the case with a medium breed.
You can get a good idea of when your dog will reach his final height by following his size at his current age and see where, on average, he will be at the end, and when his growth should stop.
Does The Smallest Puppy In A Litter Stay The Smallest?
In larger breeds, it is not uncommon to see that there is one puppy in the litter who did not reach the same size as the other puppies.
Commonly called the “runt,” the smallest puppy did not receive the same amount of nutrients as the others.
Fortunately, most of the time, the puppy will catch up or even pass his siblings. As long as he receives proper care, he will grow fast and easily catch up to the others.
If it is a larger litter, you might need to pay more attention to the littlest dog to make sure that he is getting adequate milk and not fighting with the other pups for survival.
What If My Puppy Grows Too Fast Or Too Slow
If you have been following your medium dog growth chart and are seeing that your dog is not growing at the same rate as the dogs are on the growth chart you might be concerned.
The growth chart works by following averages of dogs that are the same size. Taking your dog’s current weight you can follow the chart to where your dog will be throughout development.
The first thing to know is that dogs do grow at different speeds and the growth chart is made up of averages.
Your dog might deviate slightly from the chart as he grows. If it seems like he has totally fallen off of the growth chart, then you might be more comforted by speaking to your vet.
Can Spaying & Neutering Affect My Puppy’s Growth
New science has shown that there is a correlation between spaying or neutering your dog young and their joint and mobility health.
In previous years, the thought was that you should spay or neuter your dog before the onset of sexual maturity.
The goal of this way to prevent unwanted pregnancies by ensuring that it cannot happen. Dogs in heat or dogs that scent a female in heat, are likely to do anything to mate, which can put them into danger.
When dogs on the larger side are spayed or neutered before they have finished growing, it can actually affect their growth.
The consequences of fixing your dog too early will not show up until your dog ages and it will appear as large joint issues, such as arthritis in the knees and hips.
The best thing that you can do is speak to your vet and find out what she recommends.
Medium Breed Dogs Genetics And Common Health Problems
Genetic conditions and health problems in all breeds can be passed drown from one dog to another pretty easily.
This is more common in purebred dogs that do not have as large of a genetic pool as mixed dogs do.
While some conditions are more breed specific, there are some conditions that are common among medium breeds in general.
These conditions can include skin issues. Many medium dog breeds are more prone to skin issues than other sizes are.
These conditions can include allergies, mange, skin infections, ear infections, and even skin cancer. Skin cancer occurs mostly with shorter coats.
Other problems that can occur are joint issues, such as hip dysplasia, elbow dysplasia, and patellar luxation.
These conditions will ultimately affect how your dog is able to move but will not show up until your dog is older.
Some medium breeds are more athletic, such as border collies, so when these joint problems occur, you will be able to see the downsides right away.
Speak with your vet to help you screen from any potential health issues and if any are found, you can work on preventative care to stop them from affecting your dog in the long run.
Final Words
Adopting a puppy of any breed is a task that you need to thoroughly consider before going into it.
Dogs live about a decade in general and medium breeds can live as much as 15 years, so it is a commitment to make sure that you are on board with.
To help you raise your puppy right, you should use a medium dog growth chart for guidance.
With this, you can effectively make sure that your dog is growing at the right speed and to help you be on the lookout for any potential health issues that might occur.
Combined with good care and routine vet checks, a medium breed growth chart can help you raise a healthy puppy that will be around for many years to come.
