Introducing a new puppy in your household can be delightful. Who doesn’t love puppies? Their playful attitude and charm will always have a place in the hearts of pet owners. Having a little fluffy ball running around the house can also help in reducing stress. First-time pet parents are always excited about taking care of their puppies, and they tend to all of their needs.
One of the concerns of the pet parents is determining how big their puppy will get. This question is raised primarily if you have a mixed breed puppy.
To accurately determine how big your puppy will get, here are the seven proven and tested methods that you can try in calculating your pup’s adult size.
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Consider your puppy’s parents
The first thing to consider is meeting your puppy’s parents. Puppy growth charts are made accessible online, allowing you to search for the height and the weight ranges of a purebred puppy. But if you have a mixed breed, you must do the calculation of the height and weight when it reaches adulthood.
Most pups take after the height and weight of their mothers. This rings true if your puppy is a female. It will most likely grow as big as its mother. On the other hand, if it’s a male, it will be slightly larger.
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Check your puppy’s coat
If you have rescued a puppy and has no idea of its parentage, you can also check its coat. Start by asking the shelter if they have any idea of the puppy’s history. Or you can take your mutt to the vet and determine its parentage by checking the coat. You can use this information to determine if your puppy’s adult size in the future.
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Make use of the puppy weight and height calculator
The puppy weight and height calculator is designed to determine how big your puppy will get. It will tell you the approximate size and weight of your puppy when it gets older. This calculator works in all breeds of dogs, and it is available online. You can also refer to the graphs to determine your puppy’s weight and height. The puppy height and weight calculator also helps you to decide whether to buy a crate for your pup or not.
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Bring the puppy to the vet
Nothing is more reliable than an expert’s advice. Hence, you should consider bringing your puppy to the vet to have it examined. Veterinarians have years of experience dealing with different dogs in different breeds. They can help you in reviewing your pup and determining its actual height and weight when it reaches adulthood.
As a rule of thumb, the height of your puppy at four months’ age will be four times its adult height and weight.
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Use mathematical formula
Accuracy is the name of the game. Therefore, you should consider using a mathematical formula in determining the adult size of your puppy. Algebra experts have come up with a simple mathematical formula that works for medium breed puppies.
- Step 1- calculate the weight of your puppy in pounds
- Step 2- the ‘a’ will represent your puppy’s age, where ‘a’ is less than 16 weeks
- Step 3- the ‘w’ will represent the age of your puppy with the W=W function.
- Step 4- use the W=52(w/a) formula to determine your puppy’s adult size.
There is an alternative formula where you will multiply the height of your puppy at six months by one hundred. Once you get the answer, divide it by 75. The final solution will be the approximate adult size of your mutt.
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Use its bone structure.
Another method that you can use in determining the adult size is by taking a look at the bone structure of the puppy. Pay special attention to the legs of your mutt. If it has a more massive leg bone structure and large paws, it will most likely grow into a large-sized dog. Some puppies with smaller legs and smaller paws are most likely to grow into medium-sized dogs.
Greyhound puppies, however, have a fine bone structure compared to other breeds. These puppies are known to grow up tall and skinny.
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Use the paw size to determine its adult size
You can also make use of your puppy’s paw size in determining its adult size. Many dog trainers and experts use this method to predict the adult size of the mutt.
The puppy paw size chart helps in predicting how big your puppy could get. Puppies with large paw sizes are most likely to be larger dogs, while those who have tiny paws might grow into a medium-sized dog.
When is Do Puppies Stop Growing?
It is also vital that you know when puppies should stop growing so you can get the most accurate adult size of your mutt.
There are factors that you need to consider, such as breed, size, and the parentage of the puppy. Use the following information to determine when your puppy would stop growing:
- Chihuahua and Yorkshire Terriers, also known as toy breed dogs, will stop becoming when they reach their ten months.
- Beagles and Basenjis, considered as medium-sized dogs, will reach their adult size on their 18th
- Collies and Golden Retrievers, considered as large dogs, will stop growing when they are two years old.
- Great Danes that are known as giant dogs will take up to three years before they reach their final adult size and weight.
Conclusion
Unless you have a purebred puppy, it can be challenging to determine how big your puppy will get in the future. Therefore, you should consider applying the methods above to determine the approximate size of your mutt when it reaches adulthood.
Knowing the adult size of your puppy will help you to prepare the necessary things that it might need in the future. It also helps you to choose the best potty-training methods to imply and play a role in selecting the crate that is most suitable for your mutt when it grows up.
References:
- https://blog.petplus.com/pet-training/how-big-will-my-dog-get/#
- https://www.enduraflap.com/blog/how-big-your-puppy-will-be-by-his-paws/
- https://www.cuteness.com/blog/content/can-i-tell-how-big-my-puppy-will-get-from-its-paws
- http://www.puppychart.com/
- https://pixabay.com (images)
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