Puppy Growth Chart: Weight & Height Milestones From Birth to Adulthood
How fast do puppies grow? Very fast at first — a healthy puppy can double its birth weight in its first week and gain 5–10% of its body weight every day until about six weeks old. After that, breed size takes over: toy breeds such as Chihuahuas and toy Poodles are usually fully grown by 8–10 months, medium breeds like Kelpies and Border Collies by 12–15 months, and giant breeds such as the Great Dane not until 18–24 months.
That spread is exactly why a puppy growth chart is worth keeping. This guide gives you week-by-week weight charts in kilograms for toy, small, medium and large breeds, explains the growth spurts to expect at each age, shows you how to weigh your puppy accurately at home, and answers the two questions Australian owners ask most: when should you worry about an underweight or overweight puppy, and does desexing timing really change how your puppy grows?
The numbers here are indicative ranges for healthy, well-fed puppies. Individual puppies vary by 10–15% either side of a chart and still end up perfectly normal — genetics sets the destination, and the chart is simply a way to spot problems early. When in doubt, your vet is the tiebreaker.
How to use a puppy growth chart
A growth chart works best as a trend line, not a single number. Vets care far less about whether your puppy sits exactly on a chart value at 10 weeks than about whether it climbs steadily along its own curve between visits.
Here’s the practical routine:
- Weigh weekly from 8 weeks to 6 months (small breeds), and weekly to 9–12 months for medium and large breeds while they’re in rapid growth.
- Record every weighing — the notes app on your phone is fine, a kitchen whiteboard is better because everyone in the house sees it.
- Plot or compare against the chart for your puppy’s expected adult size. Your puppy should roughly track one of the columns below, give or take 10–15%.
- Watch the trend, not the day. One low reading after a big worm burden, a tummy upset or a fussy week is not a crisis. Three flat or falling readings is a vet visit.
If you know your puppy’s parents’ weights — common with purpose-bred Cavoodles and Groodles from Australian breeders — that’s your single best predictor. Roughly speaking, a mixed breed puppy often lands near the average of its parents, with males trending a little heavier.
The six growth stages, from birth to adulthood
Growth is not a smooth ramp — it comes in distinct phases, and knowing them helps you interpret what your puppy is doing:
- Neonatal (birth–2 weeks): Puppies can’t see or hear yet. They double their birth weight, sometimes within days. The entire job of this stage is eating and sleeping.
- Transitional (2–4 weeks): Eyes open, ears unseal, and the first wobbly attempts at standing. Weight gain stays rapid — this is the fastest growth window of a dog’s life.
- Socialisation (3–12 weeks): The most important developmental window of your puppy’s life, and also when solid food begins replacing milk. Weight gain continues fast but tapers slightly. Tiny breeds begin looking like actual dogs.
- Juvenile rapid growth (3–6 months): The classic “all legs and ears” phase. Medium and large breeds can gain 1–1.5 kg or more per week at peak. Height increases dramatically; adult teeth start arriving from about 12–16 weeks.
- Adolescence (6–12 months, later for giants): Growth rate slows and shifts. Small breeds are near their adult size; large breeds add height and start converting gangly frames into muscle. Expect behaviour to be, frankly, adolescent.
- Filling out (12–36 months depending on size): Height is done or nearly done, but chest depth, muscle and overall substance continue developing, especially in giant breeds, which may not look “finished” until three years old.
The chart values below concentrate on the phases where weighing matters most: birth through the first year, and out to two years for large and giant breeds.
Toy breeds: weekly weight chart to 12 months
Toy breeds — Chihuahua, Maltese, toy Poodle, Pomeranian, Yorkshire Terrier — do most of their growing before you’d even finish their vaccination course. Many are at adult height by 16–20 weeks and essentially done growing by 8–10 months.
Weights below are typical ranges; males trend toward the upper end.
| Age | Chihuahua (kg) | Maltese (kg) | Toy Poodle (kg) | Pomeranian (kg) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Birth | 0.1 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 0.1 |
| 1 week | 0.2 | 0.2 | 0.2 | 0.2 |
| 2 weeks | 0.3 | 0.3 | 0.3 | 0.3 |
| 3 weeks | 0.4 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 0.4 |
| 4 weeks | 0.5 | 0.6 | 0.6 | 0.6 |
| 5 weeks | 0.6 | 0.8 | 0.8 | 0.7 |
| 6 weeks | 0.7 | 0.9 | 0.9 | 0.9 |
| 7 weeks | 0.8 | 1.1 | 1.1 | 1.0 |
| 8 weeks | 0.9 | 1.2 | 1.2 | 1.2 |
| 9 weeks | 1.0 | 1.4 | 1.4 | 1.3 |
| 10 weeks | 1.1 | 1.5 | 1.6 | 1.5 |
| 11 weeks | 1.2 | 1.6 | 1.8 | 1.6 |
| 12 weeks | 1.3 | 1.7 | 2.0 | 1.8 |
| 4 months | 1.5 | 1.9 | 2.2 | 2.0 |
| 5 months | 1.7 | 2.1 | 2.5 | 2.2 |
| 6 months | 1.8 | 2.3 | 2.7 | 2.4 |
| 7 months | 1.9 | 2.4 | 2.9 | 2.6 |
| 8 months | 2.0 | 2.5 | 3.1 | 2.7 |
| 9 months | 2.1 | 2.6 | 3.2 | 2.8 |
| 10 months | 2.1 | 2.7 | 3.3 | 2.9 |
| 11 months | 2.2 | 2.7 | 3.4 | 3.0 |
| 12 months | 2.2 | 2.8 | 3.5 | 3.0 |
Notice how the monthly gains shrink dramatically after 6 months — a Maltese adds only about 500 g in the entire second half of its first year. That’s normal, not a growth problem.
Small breeds: weekly weight chart to 12 months
This is the table most Australian owners actually need, because it covers the country’s two most popular breeds: the Cavoodle (Cavalier × toy Poodle, 4–6 kg adult) and the Shih Tzu, Jack Russell and Cavalier family (5–8 kg adults). Small breeds finish height around 6–8 months and hit adult weight by 9–12 months.
| Age | Cavoodle (kg) | Cavalier (kg) | Jack Russell (kg) | Shih Tzu (kg) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Birth | 0.15 | 0.2 | 0.2 | 0.15 |
| 1 week | 0.3 | 0.35 | 0.35 | 0.3 |
| 2 weeks | 0.45 | 0.55 | 0.55 | 0.5 |
| 3 weeks | 0.7 | 0.8 | 0.8 | 0.7 |
| 4 weeks | 0.9 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 0.9 |
| 5 weeks | 1.1 | 1.3 | 1.3 | 1.1 |
| 6 weeks | 1.3 | 1.5 | 1.6 | 1.4 |
| 7 weeks | 1.6 | 1.8 | 1.9 | 1.6 |
| 8 weeks | 1.8 | 2.0 | 2.2 | 1.9 |
| 9 weeks | 2.1 | 2.3 | 2.5 | 2.2 |
| 10 weeks | 2.4 | 2.6 | 2.8 | 2.4 |
| 11 weeks | 2.6 | 2.9 | 3.1 | 2.7 |
| 12 weeks | 2.8 | 3.2 | 3.4 | 2.9 |
| 4 months | 3.2 | 3.7 | 3.9 | 3.4 |
| 5 months | 3.6 | 4.2 | 4.4 | 3.8 |
| 6 months | 4.0 | 4.7 | 4.9 | 4.2 |
| 7 months | 4.3 | 5.0 | 5.3 | 4.5 |
| 8 months | 4.6 | 5.3 | 5.6 | 4.8 |
| 9 months | 4.8 | 5.5 | 5.8 | 5.0 |
| 10 months | 5.0 | 5.7 | 6.0 | 5.1 |
| 11 months | 5.1 | 5.9 | 6.1 | 5.2 |
| 12 months | 5.2 | 6.0 | 6.2 | 5.3 |
A note on Cavoodles specifically: because toy Poodle and Cavalier parents differ in size, littermates from the same Cavoodle litter can legitimately diverge by a kilogram or more as adults. Track your own puppy’s curve rather than comparing with your neighbour’s Cavoodle.
Medium breed puppy growth chart (weekly, to 12 months)
Medium breeds — Kelpie, Border Collie, Australian Shepherd, Staffordshire Bull Terrier, Springer Spaniel — grow steadily for longer, finishing height around 10–12 months and adult weight between 12 and 15 months.
| Age | Kelpie (kg) | Border Collie (kg) | Australian Shepherd (kg) | Staffy (kg) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Birth | 0.4 | 0.4 | 0.5 | 0.4 |
| 1 week | 0.7 | 0.7 | 0.9 | 0.7 |
| 2 weeks | 1.1 | 1.1 | 1.4 | 1.1 |
| 3 weeks | 1.7 | 1.7 | 2.1 | 1.7 |
| 4 weeks | 2.4 | 2.4 | 3.0 | 2.4 |
| 5 weeks | 3.1 | 3.2 | 3.9 | 3.1 |
| 6 weeks | 3.8 | 3.9 | 4.8 | 3.9 |
| 7 weeks | 4.5 | 4.7 | 5.7 | 4.6 |
| 8 weeks | 5.2 | 5.4 | 6.6 | 5.4 |
| 9 weeks | 5.9 | 6.2 | 7.5 | 6.1 |
| 10 weeks | 6.6 | 7.0 | 8.4 | 6.8 |
| 11 weeks | 7.2 | 7.7 | 9.2 | 7.5 |
| 12 weeks | 7.8 | 8.4 | 10.0 | 8.2 |
| 4 months | 9.0 | 9.8 | 11.6 | 9.6 |
| 5 months | 10.3 | 11.2 | 13.3 | 11.0 |
| 6 months | 11.5 | 12.5 | 14.9 | 12.3 |
| 7 months | 12.5 | 13.7 | 16.3 | 13.5 |
| 8 months | 13.4 | 14.7 | 17.6 | 14.6 |
| 9 months | 14.1 | 15.6 | 18.7 | 15.5 |
| 10 months | 14.7 | 16.3 | 19.6 | 16.3 |
| 11 months | 15.2 | 16.9 | 20.4 | 17.0 |
| 12 months | 15.5 | 17.4 | 21.0 | 17.6 |
Australian Shepherds and Border Collies from working lines often run lean and slightly smaller than show lines — a fit working Kelpie at 13 kg can be perfectly healthy even though the chart says 15 kg.
Large and giant breed puppy growth chart (weekly, to 18–24 months)
Large breeds — Labrador, German Shepherd, Golden Retriever, Groodle, Rottweiler — and giant breeds (Great Dane, Mastiff, Saint Bernard) follow a completely different timeline. They grow longer and slower per kilogram, and their growth plates stay open well past their first birthday. A Great Dane isn’t finished until 18–24 months; a Mastiff may keep filling out to three years.
Slower, controlled growth is genuinely healthier for these dogs: rapid weight gain in giant breeds is linked to developmental orthopaedic problems. Don’t try to accelerate growth with extra food — a large-breed puppy food with controlled calcium is the safe path.
| Age | Labrador (kg) | German Shepherd (kg) | Groodle (kg) | Great Dane (kg) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Birth | 0.5 | 0.5 | 0.4 | 0.7 |
| 1 week | 0.9 | 0.9 | 0.8 | 1.2 |
| 2 weeks | 1.5 | 1.5 | 1.3 | 2.0 |
| 3 weeks | 2.3 | 2.3 | 2.0 | 3.0 |
| 4 weeks | 3.2 | 3.3 | 2.9 | 4.2 |
| 5 weeks | 4.2 | 4.3 | 3.9 | 5.6 |
| 6 weeks | 5.2 | 5.4 | 4.9 | 7.0 |
| 7 weeks | 6.2 | 6.6 | 6.0 | 8.5 |
| 8 weeks | 7.2 | 7.7 | 7.0 | 10.0 |
| 9 weeks | 8.2 | 8.9 | 8.1 | 11.7 |
| 10 weeks | 9.2 | 10.0 | 9.1 | 13.4 |
| 11 weeks | 10.2 | 11.2 | 10.2 | 15.1 |
| 12 weeks | 11.2 | 12.3 | 11.3 | 16.8 |
| 4 months | 14.5 | 16.0 | 14.8 | 22.0 |
| 5 months | 17.8 | 19.5 | 18.2 | 27.5 |
| 6 months | 21.0 | 23.0 | 21.5 | 33.0 |
| 7 months | 24.0 | 26.3 | 24.7 | 38.5 |
| 8 months | 26.5 | 29.0 | 27.4 | 43.5 |
| 9 months | 28.5 | 31.5 | 29.8 | 48.0 |
| 10 months | 30.5 | 33.7 | 32.0 | 52.0 |
| 11 months | 32.0 | 35.5 | 33.9 | 55.5 |
| 12 months | 33.5 | 37.0 | 35.5 | 58.5 |
| 18 months | 36.0 | 40.0 | 38.5 | 66.0 |
| 24 months | 37.0 | 41.5 | 40.5 | 70.0 |
Groodles vary enormously depending on whether the poodle parent was standard or medium — a standard Groodle tracks the Labrador column; a medium Groodle lands 8–12 kg lighter. Ask the breeder for the parents’ weights and pick the column accordingly.
Puppy height milestones by age
Weight is the easiest thing to measure at home, but height tells you how much growing is left, especially in the leggy juvenile phase. Measure from the ground to the withers (the highest point of the shoulder blades) while your puppy stands square on a hard floor.
| Breed size | Adult height (withers) | Height at 3 months | Height at 6 months | Height at 12 months |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Toy | 15–25 cm | 60–70% of adult | 90–95% of adult | 100% |
| Small | 25–35 cm | 55–65% of adult | 85–95% of adult | 100% |
| Medium | 35–50 cm | 50–60% of adult | 80–90% of adult | 95–100% |
| Large | 50–65 cm | 45–55% of adult | 75–85% of adult | 90–95% |
| Giant | 65–85 cm | 40–50% of adult | 70–80% of adult | 85–95% |
A six-month-old Great Dane that already looks enormous is still a fair way from done — it may add another 10 cm of height and 30 kg before its growth plates close.
When is a puppy fully grown?
The short answer everyone wants, on one line per size class:
| Breed size | Examples | Adult weight | Height done | Weight done |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Toy | Chihuahua, toy Poodle | 2–4 kg | 4–6 months | 8–10 months |
| Small | Cavoodle, Cavalier, Jack Russell | 4–10 kg | 6–8 months | 9–12 months |
| Medium | Kelpie, Border Collie, Aussie | 10–25 kg | 10–12 months | 12–15 months |
| Large | Lab, GSD, Groodle, Rottweiler | 25–45 kg | 12–15 months | 15–18 months |
| Giant | Great Dane, Mastiff, Saint Bernard | 45–90 kg | 15–18 months | 18–24+ months |
Two useful rules of thumb: dogs are about 75% of adult weight at six months (toy and small breeds slightly more, giants slightly less), and males finish 5–10% heavier than females in the same litter or breed.
Puppy growth spurts: when they happen and what to expect
Growth doesn’t arrive in a neat daily dose — it comes in spurts, often overnight. Owners frequently report their puppy “grew while they slept,” and there’s real biology behind that: growth hormone is released predominantly during deep sleep, and a spurt day can see a puppy eat 30–50% more than usual, sleep an extra two to three hours, and wake up measurably taller.
Typical spurt windows:
- 3–5 weeks: The pre-weaning spurt. Puppies go from crawling blobs to trotting, playing, tooth-possessing little animals.
- 8–10 weeks: Just after coming home. Feeding is constant, sleep is constant, and weight climbs daily. This overlaps with the big early socialisation window, so protect sleep even as you introduce the world.
- 12–16 weeks: The leg spurt. Height jumps are obvious; many puppies look temporarily gangly and out of proportion.
- 4–6 months: Peak mass gain for medium and large breeds. A working-line Border Collie or Kelpie can put on a kilogram a week here.
- 7–10 months: The adolescent fill-out, especially in large breeds — chest deepens, shoulders widen, the head finally catches up to the ears.
- 12–24 months (giants): Slow-motion growth that’s easy to miss week to week but obvious when you compare photos across months.
During a spurt, expect increased appetite, extra sleeping, occasional clumsiness, and sometimes brief fussiness or mild discomfort. Feed a complete puppy diet to appetite in these windows (without free-feeding a large breed into too-fast growth), and never substitute enthusiasm for calories — spurt weeks are not the time for portion restriction.
How to weigh a puppy at home (accurately, without a fight)
Precise weights make the growth chart meaningful, so make weighing easy and repeatable:
- Small puppies (under ~5 kg): a digital kitchen scale, zeroed, with the puppy sitting calmly in a bowl or on a towel. Accurate to a gram or two — ideal for toy breeds where 100 g matters.
- Medium puppies (5–20 kg): bathroom scale, hug method — weigh yourself, then weigh yourself holding the puppy, and subtract. Keep your posture consistent between readings.
- Large puppies (over 20 kg): their own bathroom scale, paws on, brief sit or stand, treat afterwards. Accuracy is lower but more than adequate for a chart.
- Same time of day, ideally before breakfast. A puppy that’s just drunk 300 ml or eaten a full meal will read 0.3–0.5 kg heavier.
- Same scale every time. Comparing readings from two different scales introduces more error than a week of real growth.
For height, measure at the withers with the puppy square-stacked on a non-slip floor; a book held flat against the withers and a tape measure to the floor works fine.
Free vet-weigh-ins are common in Australia — most clinics let you pop your puppy on their scale between visits, which is a nice zero-cost way to sanity-check your home scale every month or two. (Your nurse will happily note the weight while you’re there for vaccines — see our guide to what shots puppies need in Australia.)
Is my puppy underweight or overweight?
Charts tell you what’s typical; your puppy’s body condition tells you what’s right. Two puppies from the same litter can sit at different weights and both be perfectly healthy, because body composition differs. That’s why vets use the body condition score (BCS) — feel over sight:
Ribs test: with your puppy standing, run your flattened hands along both sides of the ribcage. You want to feel ribs easily under a thin layer, like the back of your hand. Ribs you can see from across the room suggest underweight; ribs you have to press firmly to find suggest overweight.
Waist check: look from above — there should be a visible tuck behind the ribs. Look from the side — the belly should slope up toward the hind legs. A straight tube profile means excess condition.
Signs a puppy is genuinely underweight: ribs, spine and hip bones prominently visible; no waist; low energy; a curve on the growth chart that’s flat or falling for 2–3 consecutive weeks. In Australian puppies, the most common causes are simple: roundworm, hookworm and whipworm — intestinal worms are extremely common and can quietly consume everything a puppy eats. If your puppy isn’t gaining, check your worming schedule first, then see your vet. Our puppy deworming guide covers the Australian schedule. Other causes (poor-quality diet, dental pain, malabsorption, congenital issues) are vet territory.
Signs a puppy is overweight: ribs buried, no waist, waddling gait, reluctant to exercise or overheating quickly, and a growth curve consistently 20%+ above the relevant column. Puppy fat is not cute spare — extra load on growing joints is exactly what you don’t want, especially in large breeds. The fix is portion discipline and measured treats (under 10% of daily calories), never crash dieting a puppy. If the curve is far above chart and the body condition confirms it, ask your vet to rule out causes and design a plan.
One special Australian note: overweight Cavoodles are close to a national epidemic — the breed’s adorable food-motivation plus small-walker lifestyles mean many adult Cavoodles sit at 7–8 kg when 5–6 kg is the healthy range. Habits start in puppyhood.
Desexing and growth plates: does timing change how big your puppy gets?
Yes — this is real biology, not folklore. Long bones grow at cartilaginous zones called growth plates, which close under the influence of sex hormones (oestrogen and testosterone) at a breed-dependent time: toy and small breeds roughly 6–10 months, medium 10–14 months, large 14–18 months, giant breeds often not until 18–24 months.
Desexing a puppy before the plates close removes that hormonal signal, so plates stay open a little longer and the dog ends up slightly taller with a different body shape (longer legs, narrower chest, less muscle bulk). The effect is real but modest — typically a centimetre or so of extra leg length, not a different-sized dog. Your six-month Groodle chart prediction won’t fall apart because you booked an early spey.
The more meaningful considerations are health ones, and they pull in different directions:
- Early desexing (before ~6 months, sometimes 8–12 weeks in shelters): simpler surgery, faster recovery, guaranteed prevention of unwanted litters, and in females a dramatic reduction in mammary tumour risk if done before the first season. In some large breeds, studies associate early desexing with higher rates of cruciate ligament injury, hip dysplasia and certain joint problems.
- Later desexing (after growth plate closure): allows natural skeletal maturation, which some evidence favours in large and giant breeds, and lets working dogs (Kelpies, Border Collies, Australian Shepherds in real work) develop full adult conformation and muscle before surgery.
There is no single correct answer — it depends on breed, lifestyle, household and management discipline. The genuinely useful move is a framing conversation with your vet at the 14–16 week visit: where are this puppy’s plates likely to close, what are the breed-specific trade-offs, and what’s the plan? If you choose later desexing for a large or giant breed, you must be able to reliably manage a entire female’s seasons and an entire male’s roaming instincts. Our article on when puppies can safely go outside is also relevant around this age, when adolescent entire males start ranging further at the park.
Mixed breed puppies: charting a Cavoodle, Groodle or rescue
Purebreds have decades of breed-average data behind the charts above. Mixed breeds need a slightly different approach — very relevant in Australia, where Cavoodles, Groodles, Spoodles, Maltipoos and farm-bred working crosses dominate:
- Anchor on the parents. Parent weights are worth more than any chart. Rough guidance: expect your adult dog near the average of the two parents, skewing toward the larger parent in size-diverse crosses (a Cavalier × toy Poodle cross usually lands 5–6 kg; a standard Poodle × Labrador Groodle can land 25–35 kg).
- Use the size class chart, not the breed chart. A Groodle is a large breed; a Cavoodle is a small breed, regardless of how the breeder markets it.
- Verify at the halfway point. A common vet rule of thumb for mixed breeds: adult weight ≈ weight at 6 months × 2 for medium/large crosses; for small crosses, weight at 12–14 weeks × 2 works reasonably. It’s an estimate, not a promise — expect ±20%.
- Trust the curve over the guess. If your “small” Groodle is tracking the top of the large chart at five months, believe the curve and adjust expectations (and food budgets) early.
Rescue puppies with unknown parentage are the same problem with less information: assume the paws-and-ears heuristic (big paws and big knuckles at 12 weeks suggest more growing to come), chart them weekly, and re-estimate at six months with the doubling rule.
What actually drives healthy growth
The chart is the readout; the inputs are boring and powerful:
- A complete and balanced puppy food, matched to expected adult size. Large and giant breeds specifically need a large-breed puppy formula with controlled calcium and energy density — this is the single highest-leverage nutrition decision a big-breed owner makes. Adult food doesn’t have enough of some nutrients for a puppy; puppy food overdrives growth in giant breeds.
- Correct portioning. Follow the feeding guide as a starting point, then adjust to body condition, not to the packet. A puppy that cleans the bowl every meal and still has visible ribs may need more; a puppy with buried ribs needs less. Weigh the food if you’re serious — estimating cups is where most overfeeding starts.
- Treats counted, not free. Under 10% of daily calories, including training treats, and subtract them from meals. A food-motivated puppy in a training phase can quietly add 20% of its intake in lures and rewards.
- Sleep. Puppies under 12 weeks need 18–20 hours a day; adolescents still need 14–16. Growth hormone is released during deep sleep, so a slept-deprived puppy is a growth-compromised puppy. Our puppy sleep schedule guide has the age-by-age targets.
- Appropriate exercise. Free play and self-paced movement are ideal. Formal, forced, repetitive exercise (long leashed runs, stairs sprints, jumping) before skeletal maturity is the risk factor for growing joints, not a romp at the park. A common guideline: five minutes of formal walk per month of age, once or twice a day, with free play on top — but let the puppy’s own off-switch be the real guide.
- Parasite control. Worms steal calories. Hookworm in particular causes real failure-to-thrive in Australian puppies. Stay on schedule and start potty and routine training alongside — predictable routines make both feeding and growth easier to read.
When a puppy’s growth needs a vet
Book a vet visit if any of these show up — chart trends are early warning systems, and catching problems at week 3 of a flat curve beats week 12:
- Weight static or falling for two to three consecutive weekly weighings
- Falling further below the chart column week after week (more than 15–20% under, with thin body condition)
- Persistent diarrhoea, vomiting, or a pot-bellied appearance with thin body condition — classic worm or parasite signs
- Marked asymmetry: one leg visibly different, an odd gait, reluctance to weight-bear
- Pain responses on handling limbs, or a sudden stop in growth alongside lethargy and appetite loss
- Appetite loss lasting more than 24 hours at any age, or more than a few missed meals in a tiny breed (hypoglycaemia risk in toy puppies under 12 weeks is an emergency, not a quirk)
Conversely, if your puppy is thriving — bright, bouncy, eating well, growing steadily along its own curve — resist the urge to worry because it sits a kilogram off a chart number. Charts describe populations; your vet reads your dog.
Frequently asked questions about puppy growth
How fast do puppies grow per week?
It depends dramatically on adult size. In the first eight weeks, all puppies gain roughly 5–10% of their body weight per day. From 8 weeks, a toy breed may add 100–150 g a week, a Cavoodle or Jack Russell around 200–300 g, a Kelpie or Border Collie 500–800 g, and a Labrador or German Shepherd 1–1.5 kg a week at peak. Growth then decelerates: by six months small breeds are gaining almost nothing per week while giants are still adding 1–2 kg weekly.
What is the fastest growth period for a puppy?
Birth to six months, without question — the doubling of birth weight in week one and the 3–6 month mass-gain phase are the steepest parts of the curve. For height, the leggiest spurt is typically 12–16 weeks in medium and large breeds. Giant breeds keep a long tail of growth after six months, but the fastest pound-for-pound growth is always the first half-year.
At what age is a puppy half its adult weight?
For most dogs, around 4 months — and the practical rule derived from this is that weight at 14–16 weeks roughly doubles to estimate adult weight in small and medium breeds. Large breeds hit half their adult weight a bit later, closer to 5–6 months, and giant breeds later again, near 6–7 months. That’s why the doubling rule needs adjusting by size class.
Do puppies have growth spurts that make them sleep more?
Yes. Growth hormone is secreted mainly during deep sleep, and spurt weeks commonly bring 2–3 extra hours of daily sleep, a ravenous appetite, and the classic “woke up bigger” effect owners notice at about 9–10 weeks and again at 14–16 weeks. Let a sleeping puppy sleep — interrupting those naps costs growth, and behavioural stability.
Does desexing a puppy early stunt their growth?
It doesn’t stunt it — if anything, early desexing makes dogs slightly taller, because the sex hormones that trigger growth plate closure are removed and plates stay open a little longer. The genuine considerations run the other way: in some large breeds, early desexing is associated with higher rates of joint problems like cruciate injury and hip dysplasia. The timing decision should be made with your vet based on breed, sex and lifestyle rather than on size alone.
Can you tell how big a mixed breed puppy will get?
Approximately, yes. The parents’ weights are the strongest signal — average them for a decent estimate in crosses like Cavoodle or Groodle. Without parent information, use size-class charts and the doubling rules: small crosses at 12–14 weeks × 2, medium and large crosses at 6 months × 2, expecting roughly ±20% error. Big paws and big knuckles at 12 weeks are a fair hint there’s more height to come, but they’re a hint, not a measurement.
My puppy weighs less than the chart says. Should I worry?
Check three things before worrying. First, is the body condition thin — can you see ribs, spine and hips at a distance? Second, is the curve flat or falling across several weeks, or has your puppy simply always tracked lower? Third, is the worming schedule current? A bright, energetic puppy that eats well, tracks its own lower curve consistently, and has good muscle cover is usually just a lean individual — but visible ribs plus a stalling curve plus any digestive signs means worms or something else, and it’s vet time.
The takeaway
A puppy growth chart works because it converts vague worry into data: weigh weekly, plot the trend, compare against the right size-class column, and read the curve alongside body condition rather than chasing exact numbers. Small breeds like the Cavoodle will be finished before their first birthday; a Kelpie or Border Collie needs a few more months; and a Groodle or Great Dane is a two-year project with a long, gangly middle. Feed properly for the expected adult size, protect sleep during spurt weeks, keep parasites off the guest list, and talk to your vet about desexing timing before the decision arrives on its own. Do that, and the chart becomes what it should be — a pleasant confirmation that everything’s on track.
This guide is general information for healthy puppies. Every puppy is an individual — use the charts as a guide and involve your vet in anything that concerns you.