Your puppy got HOW big? - Dr. Marty Becker

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Your puppy got HOW big?

Thursday, Dec 8th, 2016 | By Dr. Marty Becker

So, how old will your mixed breed puppy grow up to be? There may be no real way to know, but I shared my thoughts with a reader whose Goldendoodle turned out to be super-sized!

Q: When we got our goldendoodle puppy, Walker, the breeder said he would probably weigh about 30 pounds at adulthood. He’s 100 pounds! What happened?

A: That’s quite the size difference! As you’ve discovered, it’s not always easy to predict what size a puppy will be at adulthood, although there are some factors that can help you make an educated guess.

As you may have heard, a puppy’s paws can be a predictor of size. Pups who will grow to jumbo size tend to have jumbo-size paws at an early age.

Size can also depend on whether the mother was the larger or smaller of the parents. Puppies generally grow to be approximately the same size as their mother.

Another tip is to look at a pup’s overall proportions. Awkward, gangly puppies with big heads and long tails probably haven’t grown into their bodies yet. There’s a good chance they will be large at maturity. Puppies who are going to be small in adulthood look properly formed at an early age.

When it comes to goldendoodles, one point to consider is whether the poodle partner in the mating is a miniature or a standard. It sounds as if your pup had a standard poodle parent instead of a mini. Between them, standard poodles and golden retrievers can weigh from 45 to 75 pounds (males are bigger).

Goldendoodle size can vary widely. They typically come in three size ranges: 15 to 30 pounds, 30 to 45 pounds and 45 to 100 pounds or more. One way to estimate a pup’s future size is to add the weights of both parents and divide by two. But because goldendoodles are a crossbreed, traits such as size aren’t always predictable. Their size at adulthood is often a guess, not a guarantee.

Read this and more, including my co-writer’s adventures in air travel with a dog, in this week’s Pet Connection!