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When Do Dogs Stop Growing?
The most important factor for buying a well-sized pet door is your pet’s height and width. A pet door that is two big will be uncomfortable to use while one that is too small can cause discomfort. However, it can be hard to find the right pet door size when your dog is still a puppy.
Puppies are tiny and adorable, and they grow up so fast. But when you want to install and train your dog to use a pet door as soon as possible, then you can’t wait for your dog to grow up in order to get one.
If you’re wondering “How big will my puppy get?” or “When do puppies stop growing?” then read on to learn at what age do dogs stop growing.
Puppy Growth Chart By Weight
Most dogs are considered fully grown when they reach eighteen months of age, but many smaller breeds can be considered full sized long before that. The dog height growth chart below will help with your prediction. To give you an idea of how much your dog will eventually weigh, check out this puppy weight chart:
Toy | Small | Medium | Large | Giant | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
2 Months | 11 oz - 3 lbs | 1.5-4 lbs | 4 - 8 lbs | 9 - 15 lbs | 16 - 21 lbs |
4 Months | 1.25 - 4.5 lbs | 3 - 8 lbs | 8 - 16 lbs | 18 - 30 lbs | 32 - 42 lbs |
6 Months | 2 - 7 lbs | 4.9 - 13 lbs | 13 - 26 lbs | 29 - 40 lbs | 52 - 68.5 lbs |
8 Months | 3.5 - 12 lbs | 6.6 - 17.5 lbs | 17.5 - 35 lbs | 39.5 - 65.5 lbs | 70 - 92 lbs |
10 Months | 3.5 - 12 lbs | 8.1 - 21.5 lbs | 21.5 - 43 lbs | 48.5 - 80.5 lbs | 86 - 113 lbs |
12 Months | 3.5 - 12 lbs | 9.8 - 25 lbs | 26 - 50 lbs | 58.5 - 97.5 lb | 104 - 136.5 lbs |
18 Months | 3.5 - 12 lbs | 9.8 - 25 lbs | 26 - 50 lbs | 88 - 100 lbs | 156 - 204 lbs |
As you can see from this dog weight chart, the rate a dog grows is dependent on what type of dog they are. A toy breed will be considered fully grown much sooner than a giant breed dog.
How Tall Will My Puppy Be?
While it is helpful to know how much your dog will weigh when they are an adult, you should not base your pet door size on your dog’s weight. Instead, you should base it on your dog’s height, starting from their paws to the highest point of the back.
We hope the dog height growth chart helped predict your puppy's adult size. So when is a dog full grown?
While a puppy may reach their adult weight quickly, their bones do not stop developing until they are six to twenty-four months old.
There are a few methods to use to predict how tall your puppy will grow up to be:
First, you can check your dog’s paws. If your dog’s paws look like they’re too big for their body, then you can expect your dog to grow bigger. Check out our full post to learn more.
If you have a purebred dog, you can figure out how tall they will grow up to be based on the averages of the rest of the breed. If you have a mix-breed dog, you can reference the heights of your dog’s parents for an idea of their adult size.
If you’re looking for a pet door for a purebred dog, check out our dog size chart by breed for an idea of what size Endura Flap you should get.
Finally, you can check the development of your puppy’s growth plates. According to the American Kennel Club, your dog’s growth plates will be flexible during puppyhood as the tissue is still developing.
The easiest way to check your dog’s growth plates is to run your hand down your puppy’s ribs. If you feel knobs on your puppy’s bones, then they still have more to grow. Why? Those “knobs” are the growth plates in your dog’s ribs, which are still developing.
If there are no knobs, then the growth plates in your dog’s ribs have matured completely and your dog is very unlikely to grow anymore.