How big will my puppy get?

Question

He is a chocolate lab and now at 3.5 months he weighs 32 pounds. Several years ago I got a chow/shepard mix that was 11 pounds at this age of 3.5 months and she grew to be 70 pounds. Could the lab actually become three times bigger than my older dog?

Answer 1

A general rule I go by is the dog will be approximately 2x its weight at 4 months. Following that, your lab should be about 70 pounds full grown.

This has always worked for me.

However, I don't know how to explain the weight of your chow mix!

Answer 2

Is the puppy lean or a little overweight? Labs are frequently a little round as they move through the different growth stages. Different breeds grow at different rates so I don't think comparing them is a good indicator of final size.

AKC says male labs should range from 65-80 lbs, but we had a Golden Retriever that according to AKC should have topped out at 75 but was a very tall lean dog at 103 lbs. If you didn't get your pup from a show dog breeder, you may not get a dog bred to be in the standard size for your breed. It seems like lots of breeders are breeding larger dogs. If he was from really large stock, you should talk to your vet about putting him on a large breed puppy food. Larger breeds that grow this fast are more prone to hip dysplasia and joint disorders and keeping them on slightly different food can slow the growth a bit and help in the long run. We learned this lesson the hard way with our Golden so it might be worth talking to your vet.

As for your last question, I've never seen a 140 lb lab that wasn't morbidly obese, let alone one at 210 lb so I think you are safe unless you live next to a nuclear power plant or something.

Answer 3

American Kennel Club's breed standard for Labs
"Size--The height at the withers for a male is 22½ to 24½ inches; for a female is 21½ to 23½ inches. Any variance greater than ½ inch above or below these heights is a disqualification. Approximate weight of males and females in working condition: males 65 to 80 pounds; females 55 to 70 pounds."
http://www.akc.org/breeds/labrador_retriever/index.cfm

So you can probably expect him to be 65-80 pounds when he is grown up. But I have heard from vets that Labs can easily become overweight - so you should have your vet keep an eye on his weight.

Answer 4

Dogs grow at different rates. According to the AKC breed standard, males labs are typically in the 65-80 lb. range. If he is a purebred, something in this range is what you should expect. I do have one purebred pet golden retreiver who is oversized (but not fat) for the standard (which is similar to that for labs in terms of weight) - but he is 95 lbs. So no way he'll get 3 times bigger than your other dog.

With my golden, there were days when I'd come home from work and swear I could tell the dog grew that day. They grow really fast at that age.

Answer 5

I have never heard of a lab weighing 210 pounds most large males grow to be about 100 pounds

Answer 6

We have two labs and they were about that size at that age and they now weigh about 90-95 pounds and they eat 1/2 gallon of food each a day

Answer 7

Labs can get up to about 60-70 pounds.

Answer 8

Normal about 60- 70 full grown, some larger males or over weight can get from any where from 70-80

Answer 9

lab are definently bigger than chow/shepards. i have a lab and he weighs alot hes so tall he can reach the top of the door on his hind legs.

Answer 10

It's all in the breeding and feeding. Labs can get rather large and heavy. Did you see the parents? Pups usually grow to be as large as their parents.