At what age do puppies start to grow rapidly? At what age does a dog stop growing? Decoding tabular data

If you take a puppy from a professional and honest breeder, then you can confidently count on the fact that he sold the dog of the agreed breed and it will not present any surprises to the owner. In this case, you can easily review the literature and get an accurate calculation of how it should develop depending on age. The question of how old dogs grow is more important to people who have taken home a stray puppy. Owners of pets who continue to gain weight, turning into a small “calf,” are also interested in similar problems, although sellers at the market promised them that they were selling a lap dog.

When does a dog stop growing?

Almost all puppies actively increase in size up to six months. But the important factor here is the breed of the animal. If Yorkshire terriers, dachshunds, and Pekingese stop growing at about 8-10 months, large dogs continue to gain muscle mass after a year. German Shepherds or Rottweilers take up to two years to develop their body. Caucasians are dogs that grow up to 12 months, but the development process does not end there, and they continue to gain weight for another year. Other important conditions that greatly affect growth are nutrition, care, training, and possible complications after an infection or surgery in childhood.

How fast do dogs grow?

By six months, your puppy will almost triple in size, and at the withers it will become twice as large. The development of different bones occurs according to different scenarios. The proportions of the body depend on the tubular bones, which are formed in the first six months. After this, up to a year, the intensity of growth still does not fall; there is an active increase in the flat bones of the dog’s skeleton. It grows in width (the sternum becomes noticeably larger). The animal's skeleton finally reaches adult size at 2.5-3 years; before that, your pets can still be considered young. Typically, final growth stops in dogs after the first. Therefore, do not rush into this matter in order to give the pet the opportunity to fully develop normally.

If you are seriously interested in the question of how many months do dogs grow, then we recommend that you keep a special notebook and take control measurements of your pet. You can not only measure it with a tape measure (chest girth, height at the withers, etc.), but also weigh the puppy. It never hurts to know what age dogs grow to. Each breed has its own characteristics, and you will quickly identify possible deviations when suspicions arise that the breeder is dishonest.

Immediately after birth, the most important period in a puppy’s life begins - increased growth of the body. This is not only weight gain, but also the overall development of all organs. When does this period end?

To what age do Chihuahuas, Shepherds and other breeds grow? About this and much more in a detailed review below.

It is very important for any dog ​​owner to know the correct rate and duration of growth of the pet, as well as how the proportions change in each individual time period.

Until what age is a dog considered a puppy? Here main stages of dog development:

• embryonic(while the embryo is in the womb);
• sucker(starts immediately after birth and lasts approximately 30-45 days);
• puppies(from one and a half months to six months);
• young animals(from six months to a year);
• juveniles(from one to two and a half years).

Attention! The most important foundations are laid during the prenatal period and during feeding.

At this time, the greatest acceleration of growth occurs. For example, the weight of an embryo on the fortieth day of the mother can be about a few grams, while a puppy appears already weighing from 300 g. up to 600g. In total, we have an increase in weight literally hundreds of times.


After birth, within a month the baby increases its weight by about five to six times.

At this age, the puppy already has all the typical signs of its breed, appearance, proportionality of the skull, ears, coat color, as well as bright constitutional features characteristic of the breed.

Males and females also differ in appearance. When the puppy reaches one month, the baby is weaned from mother's milk.

After three months, the growth rate decreases, although it remains at a fairly high level. And upon reaching the age of 6 months, the pet can no longer be considered a puppy, but transferred to the conditional category “young animals”.

How old do dogs grow?

We can say that the tubular bones are finishing their growth, also The development of the sternum slows down significantly by six months. Proper care and proper diet during puppyhood approximately doubles the height and body weight.

In the period from six months to a year, the growth rate usually decreases significantly. The dog's weight increases by about a quarter, and the height at the withers - by one tenth.

So we see that The fastest period of growth for a dog is the first six months, depending on the breed. In large individuals this period lasts approximately two to three months longer.

How old do dogs grow? Most growth virtually stops between 6 and 12 months. But this does not mean that the development and formation of the exterior ends; it lasts for about another year and a half.

Attention! In bitches, the formation of the exterior is completed after the first whelping. For males - a little later.

The growth of a small puppy is completely uneven. At each period, certain organs and parts of the body grow; for example, a newly born puppy has short legs and a rather long body.

At first, the dog grows upward, and only after that - in breadth.

The typical proportions of the breed are acquired only towards the end of development. It is often observed that most puppies have disproportionately large ears. This happens because they reach their normal size when the rest of the body is in the process of growing.

Important! Timely anthelmintic therapy is extremely important.

The end of growth depending on the breed

How long do dogs grow? When assessing the development and growth rate of a puppy, Breed and constitution must be taken into account.

How old do toy terriers grow? Small breed dogs develop much faster, while large dogs stop growing later.

Let's give some typical examples.

To what age do small breed dogs grow? They develop rapidly and complete their growth in about six to nine months. To what age do Yorkies, Chihuahuas, and Toy Terriers grow? and grow until about eight months, and then only “get stronger.” In the toy terrier (that's right - Russian toy) growth ends earlier - already at 6 months.

How old do large breed dogs grow? Their development takes longer, up to about eight to ten months. For example, for a representative of the remarkable, the active growth phase ends at nine months.


To what age do medium breed dogs grow? Large pets take the longest to grow. For example, a puppy completes its growth only at 12 months and after that it gains muscle mass for about a year.

However, If the diet is not followed, the physical development of the pet can slow down significantly. Proper diet in the first eight months is extremely important, as this time is crucial in order to raise a healthy and strong dog.

What to feed a puppy for growth?

It is of greatest importance to prepare it together with a specialist. It is imperative to take into account the characteristics of the breed, size and physiology.

In the period from one and a half to three months, the puppy needs quite frequent feeding: about six times a day. Gradually, the number of feedings should be reduced to four, and after two months to three times.

When the puppy reaches six months, he is transferred to two feedings a day, morning and evening.

It is worth noting that after six months, puppies are actively gaining muscle mass, so they need sufficient amounts of protein, calcium and vitamins.

So, per 1 kg of weight required:

• nine grams of protein;
• two and a half grams of fat;
• fourteen grams of sugar and starch;
• one and a half grams of fiber;
• five hundred milligrams of calcium;
• as well as vitamins A, D and E.

What to feed a puppy for growth? There are two types of feeding: natural food and factory feed.

Pet food at the premium level and above has quite great advantages. For example, they contain all the necessary macro- and microelements, vitamins, and are fully balanced for a specific breed, age and characteristics of the dog.

If the puppy eats natural food, then follow the general recommendations.

Important! Salty, smoked, fatty, and spicy foods are prohibited for dogs.

Raw meat is given with caution, as it may be contaminated with helminths. You should completely exclude flour, sausages and various sweets from your diet!

All this is poison for the dog’s gastrointestinal tract. Her teeth may become damaged and her eyes will water. Small bones that can pierce the esophagus or stomach are dangerous.

It is extremely important to meet your dog's water needs. So, For one kilogram of weight you need to give from forty to one hundred milliliters of water.

A properly balanced diet and adequate mineral intake even affects the development of the dog's skeleton. A tendency to pathology of the skeletal system is more common in people such as,.


Thus, scientists studied the effect of nutrition on the growth process and identified two main factors:

• overfeeding;
• excessive calcium intake.

It follows from this: it is extremely important to maintain a balance of this mineral in food, since an increase in the rate of calcium intake causes deviations in cartilage tissue, and a reduced intake increases the risks of developing a weak skeleton and an increase in the incidence of fractures.

Speed ​​and rate of growth are the most important indicators of a dog’s development. We highly recommend getting a special notebook and taking control measurements of your four-legged friend. This information will be useful to your veterinarian and will make it easier for you to monitor the correct development of your puppy.

Additionally, check out the video about how puppies grow:

As soon as a four-legged pet of unknown origin appears in a house, a lot of questions arise about how it will grow up, who it will look like, whether it will become big or remain small. If we are talking about a purebred puppy, then there are no particular difficulties about the future exterior - you can look at its parents or other representatives of the breed. But for any dog ​​there are certain rules and canons of growth at different age periods. So, to what age do dogs grow?

In most cases, puppies grow rapidly up to 6 months; in representatives of small breeds, growth slows down earlier than in larger ones.

Puppies of large breeds grow and develop after six months of age, although not so quickly. Let's look at the growth of some breeds:

• Pekingese - these small dogs grow on average up to 9 months, males often up to a year.
• – their growth continues up to 7-8 months.
• – very small and fragile puppies grow up to 8 months, and after a year they become much stronger.
• – the growth of puppies stops at 8 months, after which they continue to grow, but only in width.
• – the growth of these puppies varies – it can stop at six months or continue up to 9 months, while they rapidly gain weight.
• Rottweilers are a powerful and large breed, puppies grow up to 12 months, and the development of the muscular corset occurs until 2 years of age.
• – active growth is observed up to a year, and the dog is fully formed by two years.

But it is worth considering that the above data are only average figures, because in addition to the ratio to the breed, there are also a lot of equally important factors that influence the growth and development of a dog:

• proper, balanced nutrition;
• absence or presence;
• conditions for keeping the pet;
• hereditary predisposition to diseases.

Stages of dog development and growth

A healthy, normally developed puppy should grow in accordance with a certain pattern. The concept of growth includes several stages:

• changes in the puppy's weight;
• body growth;
• external changes (exterior);
• physiological characteristics.

The concepts of growth and development have different meanings, but if the pet is healthy, then they occur in a timely manner. There are several stages of growth and development of puppies:

• The first stage is considered to be the period when the puppy is still in the womb. This period is very important, since this is where the main qualities of the future dog are laid. And here it is worth choosing a future family member more carefully, based on information about his parents and the reputation of the breeders.
• The second stage is considered to be the time when the baby is breastfed, the so-called suckling period, which lasts from birth to one and a half months. At this time, the breeder is responsible for the well-being and growth of the babies, and he also bears full responsibility for the small pets. If the puppy is strong and the future owners have experience in feeding one-month-old puppies, then you can wean him from his mother a little earlier to be completely sure of his proper feeding and further growth.
• The third stage is longer, lasting from 1.5 to 6 months. Most often, during this time period, puppies end up with new owners. At this time, the puppy is growing very rapidly, his milk teeth are changing. Here, the owner is solely responsible for all processes.
• The fourth stage - from 16 to 12 months, is quite varied and depends on the breed of the puppy. It can be accompanied by active growth, its slowdown, or a complete stop.
• The fifth stage is no longer the growth of a puppy, but the processes of formation of an adult, albeit young, dog. Its duration is on average 2-2.5 years. While stopping in growth, the animal continues to gain muscle mass.

It is important to have an idea of ​​what measurement data corresponds to the norm in a given period. Of course, there are no exact figures, but a certain trend can still be observed.

Period from birth to 6 months

From birth to six months, a healthy, active puppy should increase in weight by three times, and grow at the withers by two times. At this time, dogs only grow in height.

This stage is characterized by the cessation of growth of tubular bones. Therefore, it is very important that at this time everything is formed according to the norm. Improper, unbalanced nutrition, serious illnesses can negatively affect the development of the bone frame, resulting in deformations and obvious disorders that cannot be corrected.

In this case, the adult will have incorrect body proportions, which will put an end to exhibitions and participation in competitions.

In puppies, from the age of six months, the growth of flat bones occurs, that is, the chest bone actively develops, the pets grow, but already in width. These processes last intensively for about 6 months, and after a year growth continues, but at a slower pace.

A dog's bone structure is fully formed by the age of three. Small breeds finish developing much earlier than large ones.

The growth of the pet is affected by the first mating, after which the animal’s growth stops completely. This is one of the reasons to avoid early ones, so as not to disrupt the development and growth of the dog.

To record metric data, it is necessary to measure the dog at certain periods and record all data. To weigh the puppy, you can use household scales, but if the pet is a large breed, then large commercial scales will be needed.

In addition, the following parameters are measured:

• sternum girth;
• height (height at withers);
• length of hind and front legs.

To remove them, measuring tapes, tape measures and rulers are used.

Proper feeding of a puppy

Nutrition plays a big role in the growth and development of a dog. Ideally, a diet, including the number of feedings, the composition of the diet, based on individual and breed characteristics, should be developed by a dog handler.

On average, a puppy up to 3 months old should eat at least 5-6 times a day. An older pet is gradually transferred to four feedings a day. From 6 months, the number of feedings can be reduced to two, as for an adult dog.

Do not forget that from six months the pet experiences an intensive gain of muscle mass, so the diet must be enriched with proteins.

Dog owners have a choice - to feed their pet with natural products or ready-made food - dry or wet. Sometimes there is a successful combination of these two types.

If the puppy owner chooses to feed dry or wet food, then he must choose a good one. Such products contain all important micro- and macroelements, vitamins, sufficient amounts of proteins, fats and carbohydrates. The balance of the finished food affects the normal development of the puppy. In addition, most manufacturers, when producing such products, take into account age characteristics and other nuances.

Those owners who prefer natural nutrition should follow the following recommendations:

• Eliminate too spicy, fatty, smoked, and salty foods from your diet.
• It is best to buy sea fish after boiling it first. Raw fish and meat can lead to infection with helminthic infestations.
• Bones are poorly digestible, so it is not advisable to give them to your pet to chew on.
• Sweets and chocolate lead to disturbances in the functioning of the cardiovascular system, loss of vision and teeth, so their consumption is excluded.
• You can give low-fat cheese, cottage cheese, boiled meat, raisins, dried fruits, etc.
• Food should be at room temperature so as not to disrupt the digestion process.

Caring care and attentive attitude towards your pet will help it grow and develop normally.

Owners who have just bought a small puppy are wondering about its development. And its size and height will indicate proper development.

Dimensions of a puppy and an adult dog

Toy sizes compared to other breeds small. Sometimes they are with “pocket dogs” - Chihuahuas.

Basically, bitches and males have parameters of 20-28 cm (at the withers), individuals less than 18 cm are extremely rare and do not produce offspring.

Toy terrier: sizes (table by month)

	Height	Weight
1 month	6-10 cm	200-650 g
2 months	10-14 cm	320-1050 g
3 months	14-20 cm	460-1550
4 months	18-24 cm	600 g - 1.9 kg
5 months	20-28	700 g - 2.2 kg
6 months	20-28	800 g - 2.5 kg
6-9 months	Formation completed	Formation completed

Because sizes of each dog are individual, then there are approximate ones:

After the first 30 days of life, the puppy grows to 6-10 cm. After reaching two months, the dog is small in size - 10-14 cm. Usually three-month-old toy terriers are put up for sale. Then the individual reaches sizes from 14 to 20 cm. The penultimate stage of pet formation is 4 months, optimal height is 18-24 cm.

Do not forget! Mini Toy Terriers have different standards.

How old do puppies grow (how many months)?

The end of growing up falls on the fifth to ninth month of life, it depends on the characteristics of each specimen.

Each representative of this breed is very active, intelligent and humane.

You should not overfeed your baby with the goal “The more the merrier”; this has dire consequences. Read more about feeding your puppy

Buying a dog is a significant event in every family. To provide your new pet with proper care and nutrition, you need to know the age at which a dog is considered a puppy. This will help you choose the best food option, exercise program, and medications (if necessary).

Animal life is similar to human life. Puppies are no exception. In the first months, they behave similarly to small children - they play, frolic, sleep a lot and eat. Almost immediately after birth, they begin to adapt to their environment. Puppyhood is divided into several periods. Different breeds of dogs have their own individual numbers, upon reaching which they move into the category of adults.

Puppy Development Stages

The first period is considered the most difficult. This is about three weeks after birth. At this age, the puppy has only those reflexes that are associated with the search for the mother to receive milk. Thanks to him, animals learn to survive in the wild. The body's systems - respiratory, cardiovascular, nervous and others - function differently, their rhythm is directed towards maturation. At the neonatal stage, the puppy quickly gains weight, opens its eyes, and learns to walk.

The period of three to four weeks is transitional. During this period, all babies, regardless of breed and other factors, begin to teethe. This leads to the development of interest in solid foods. Puppies cease to be attached to their mother. They are increasingly leaving their designated area, preferring to explore the environment. Owners need to closely monitor their babies. Dogs do not yet experience a sense of danger, remaining defenseless against various factors.

The last stage of a puppy's life is directly related to the socialization of the animal. Its duration is about 80 days. During this period, babies are separated from their mother. They develop survival reflexes. Next, the level of activity increases and a rhythm is formed. Puppies need a lot of attention and play. It is advisable that the babies' partners be other dogs at this time. It is important to keep in mind that lack of outdoor exercise and prolonged loneliness have a negative impact on development.

At 3-4 months the juvenile stage begins. Dogs undergo a change of teeth. At this time, the formation of character and habits characteristic of a particular breed begins. Six months later, the first sexual games are observed. The time has come to isolate animals from their peers. Puppyhood ends at approximately seven months, with complete replacement of teeth.