There are several factors that are influencing to determine the future size of a puppy. The size of the legs is a useful tool, although it is not 100% reliable. It is unlikely that a small breed will have large legs. Consult with the veterinarian to help you determine the size of your puppy as it grows.
Big parents, big puppies. The best way to determine the future size of your puppy is by looking at both parents. The breed, size and weight of parents give a good idea of what a small puppy can be in the future. Large dogs are going to have large puppies and the size of this paws does not mean that it will be the giant or the small one of the litter. The puppy's mother will give you the best appreciation of how big the dog will be.
Puppy's paws size matters. A large breed needs larger legs to support a heavier height and bone structure, so this is where the size of the legs plays its role. Excess skin can also determine the size of a puppy. If you have loose skin you will have more space to grow. If you are thinking of acquiring an older puppy that is approximately 75 percent of its adult height at 6 months of age, you should know that the growth of its long bones does not end until it is between 8 and 11 months old. Once these bones stop growing, growth in height and length stops, but the dog can gain more weight since most dogs weighing more than 55 pounds do not reach adult size until 12 months of age.
Mixed breeds have varied sizes. The adult size of a puppy can be difficult to predict if the parents are unknown or is the product of the crossing of two unknown breeds. This usually happens when you adopt a mixed breed puppy at a local shelter. There are online tests that cost less than $ 100 to determine the dog's DNA. These tests determine the greatest amount of physical traits that your dog will develop as well as the possible breeds according to unlikely physical traits unless it has dominant traits. Once you know where most of your dog's lineage comes from, you can contact a Club to estimate the weight range and height of the breeds. If the puppy's legs are large and the dominant breed is a large breed, it is likely that when you grow up you will have a large dog.
There is no science in size prediction. If you look at the height and weight of your puppy when he is between 14 and 16 weeks old, you can calculate his adult size by doubling the current size. There is no exact science behind this method but it will give you a better prediction than if you look at the size of its legs.
Determine the maximum size of their parents
In the event that your puppy is of breed, one of the most efficient ways to know how big or small it will be, revolves around determining how his parents are, since usually females tend to be very similar to their mothers in height, while the same similarity occurs with males and their parents.
In addition to this fact, there are other details that you should take into account:
- When there is a difference in the height of the parents, it is most likely that the height of the puppy is intermediate.
- If you determine the average weight and size of the breed of your canine in its different stages and notes that it does not have the same figures, it is more likely to be larger or smaller than the average.
- In the event that your little friend is of a mixed race, you should only average the natural size of their parents' races.
As you can tell, in the genes you can find many answers.
Calculate your weight
One of the best things you can do to know the size that your little four-legged friend will reach is to calculate his weight based on the one currently present.
To do this you must divide your weight in pounds by age in weeks and then multiply that number by 52. That is, If your canine weighs 12 pounds (which equals 5, 5 kilos) and is 12 weeks old, divide 12 by 12 to get 1 and then multiply it by 52.
In a nutshell, your puppy will increase approximately 52 pounds (23.6 kilos) annually, which will help you to have an approximate estimate of the height of your little friend in a year, time for which the vast majority of puppies have already culminated much of their growth.
It is very important to highlight that small dogs complete their development when they are still a few months old, while large dogs continue to grow longer, since in this way you will be able to realize that the former will usually be smaller than their calculated adult height using this method, while with the latter the opposite will occur.
Is it possible to know the size of a mongrel dog?
Of course, estimating the exact size of a mongrel dog is not an easy task although it can be accomplished in a simpler way if we know what ancestry our pet has, or in any case, the size that their parents have or had.
The genetic inheritance plays a very important role in the size and total physical appearance of a mongrel dog, so much so that two black mongrel dogs could lead to a litter of golden fur. How is this possible? Mestizo dogs have a large number of recessive genes that, while not dominant, did acquire this role in the new litter.
It is for this same phenomenon that it is worth clarifying that knowing the size of your dog's parents does not mean being able to estimate how much it will grow, because if your dog comes from other mongrel dogs, genetics can always surprise you.
Is it possible to know the ancestry of a mongrel dog?
As of 2007 it is possible to find in some countries, such as the United States, a simple genetic test It can be done with blood samples or even with saliva swabs.
Although they are offered for sale to the public and ensure that the composition of breeds in a mongrel dog can be determined, the truth is that its validity is limited as few "pure races" have been genetically evaluated.
This test allows to determine those genetic sequences that are common to a certain race or another, with this we can get an idea of the ancestry of our dog mestizo, however guaranteeing a certain size remains a delicate task.
When will a mongrel dog stop growing?
The extension of the growth process is linked to the size that our dog should have, but this data can be used as a hint, since depending on the age of our pet to stop growing, we will understand that finally it will have some dimensions or others:
- Small size: The dog will grow rapidly, at 3 months it will have reached half the weight it will have in adulthood and will begin to stop growing at approximately 6 months.
- Medium size: It will grow actively until 7 or 8 months, however, the height and volume will be fixed when it reaches one year, this period may be slightly shorter.
- Big size: The growth process is much slower compared to a small breed, it reaches half its adult weight at approximately 6 months and its growth can last up to a year and a half.
Watching when the growth of our mongrel dog stops we can know as an orientation its size.
If you want to read more articles similar to How to know what size a mongrel dog will be?, we recommend that you enter our Curiosities section of the animal world.
