How to Estimate Labrador Puppy Growth

One of the first questions many new dog owners asks is: "How big will my puppy get?" A surprising number of people don't think of this until they've already adopted a puppy, though. If you're wondering how to tell whether your new Lab will be a monster, or the runt of the litter, you're in luck. It's possible to look at your puppy now and estimate how big it will get in the future. While estimates are never guaranteed, they can help you plan for the future.

Things You'll Need

  • Labrador puppy
  • Scale
  • Puppy family tree (optional)
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Instructions

    • 1

      Determine whether your Labrador Retriever is purebred. If you have papers and know the breeder, this process is simple. If your puppy was a stray or came from the shelter, you may have more trouble. Examine your puppy and compare its features to the breed standards for Labradors. A Lab mix may be larger or smaller than a purebred dog.

    • 2

      Weigh your puppy. Your dog's weight early on in life often indicates its weight later on. According to the Journal of Nutrition, male Labradors who were born heavier stayed heavier throughout their growth period. Another study by the Journal of Nutrition shows that the average Lab reaches ten pounds at around eight to ten weeks of age, and twenty pounds at around thirteen weeks of age. At full growth, most Labs are about seventy-five pounds, but some very large American Labs can be much heavier.

    • 3

      Examine your puppy's feet. Paw size does correlate somewhat to adult size. After all, the size of the paws indicates the size of your puppy's bone structure. A Lab with very large paws as a puppy is likely to grow to be a big dog.

    • 4

      Check skin looseness. A puppy with very loose skin may be preparing to "grow into it." Just make sure you can't see any ribs. Loose skin and visible ribs mean your dog is underfed.

    • 5

      Examine your puppy's family tree. If you can, talk to the breeder and meet your dog's parents. While small parents may produce the occasional giant, and large parents sometimes produce a runt, the size of your puppy's mother and father is a good indicator of growth. You can ask the breeder about the parents' weight and height if you can't meet them.