【This is how you can tell whether your four-legged friend is fully grown

At what age does a dog grow out?

Every owner of a puppy watches the growth of his or her protégé with great pleasure. The question of how long one can continue to speak of a dog child is then a very important one. This is not just because we are all curious, practical reasons also play a big role.

Because Puppies, young dogs and adult animals must be treated differently. Depending on the phase of life, four-legged friends have different requirements with regard to:

• Nutrition
• Physical & mental resilience
• Size of the equipment such as toys, collar/harness, food bowl and dog bed and of course also
• Parenting methods.

Especially from the race dependent

Various factors must be taken into account: Every dog ​​grows a little differently With siblings you can sometimes even see that the brother is already fully grown, while the sister still needs some time.

This is mainly because the Hormone release also plays a major role in the development of dogs. Those too Diet and genetic factors help four-legged friends grow individually.

But there is one Rule of thumb: Small dogs grow up significantly faster than large animals.

Small dogs are fully grown after just a few months

That's how it is with very small breeds – these include, for example, Chihuahuas, Maltese or Yorkshire Terriers – it's pretty normal for the dogs to come along six to nine months reach their final size.

Many experts take the usual Final weight as a measure of when one can speak of a fully grown dog. When it comes to the question of how big and heavy your darling should be, they can also help you Databases of renowned breeding associations like the FCI or the Association for the German Canine Industry can help.

It is assumed that:

• Very small breeds (up to 4 kg) after about 8 months
• Small breeds (5 to 10 kg) after approx. 10 months and
• Medium breeds (11 to 25 kg) after approximately 12 months

grow out. Individual deviations are of course possible: If your four-legged friend is rather small in stature, he should have reached his final size within the first year of life.

Large breeds sometimes take significantly longer

At big dogs But it looks completely different: Although these animals have a fairly impressive body size by their first birthday, they are still far from fully grown. It is generally assumed that:

• Animals that weigh between 25 and 44 kg, around 15 months and
• Very large breeds that end up weighing over 45 kg only after about 2 years

have reached their full height.

This may sound a bit slow at first, but it actually isn't: During this time, the four-legged friends often increase a hundred times their birth size – a very remarkable achievement!

Mixed races as exciting cases

It is much more difficult to determine adulthood when it is a hybrid acts. If both parents are similar in size, a fairly accurate prediction can be made, but if the breeds are very different, this can be quite a challenge.

Here it can big surprises which depend heavily on the inherited genes: A Chihuahua-Doberman mix can reach its final size at just 9 months old, but it is also possible for it to grow for a year and a half.

growth as Young dog

Four-legged friends in the puberty come, no longer as puppies, but as Young dogs designated. They are then no longer children, so to speak, but teenagers.

In many cases they are then physically fully grown at first glance. They then no longer shoot up, so in a certain respect they have reached their final size. However, physical development processes still take place, For example, bones then grow together, the skull and breastbone become larger, among other things.

How do I notice that my dog ​​outgrows it?

If you take over a puppy from a breeder, the law requires it to be at least eight weeks old. During this time he already has the important one Imprinting phase behind them: The animal has then not only gotten used to its fellow animals, but also to us humans, and has a more or less consolidated basic perception of the world.

Handing over to a new family is initially painful for the four-legged friend, but somehow necessary. Of course you are the owner particularly required Because in the first few weeks or months a big decision is made as to how the little rascal will develop in the future.

The great Growth spurt

The biggest growth spurt usually occurs between 3 and 6 months of age. In this short time, the four-legged friends double in size and then no longer look like a baby, but almost like a mature personality.

This phase is very important for the dog and must be accompanied by a balanced diet. The animal is not yet fully grown, However, the changes in appearance are no longer quite as visible afterwards.

The puberty of the dog

Almost exactly after the end of the big growth spurt, it also begins in dogs Puberty. The animals then become sexually mature and the Hormone balance changes. At the same time they are also growing nerve cells, which changes the brain structure.

The combination of these factors leads to a change in the behavior of the animals, so to speak “Board Years”. Over a few months, they become significantly more impulsive and subject to mood swings – similar to human teenagers.

In addition, the onset of puberty can be determined by gender-specific activities:

• Male dogs then begin to mark their territory with urine. Furthermore, they suddenly become very interested in the opposite sex and will try to mate female dogs in heat.
• bitches On the other hand, they have their first heat at the beginning of puberty.

Puberty is not just for the four-legged friends, but also for the owners very tiring. Owners often despair because their protégés suddenly become unruly and no longer want to listen to the commands they have carefully rehearsed together. However, this should subside over time – in the meantime you must not lose your calm, but should follow the changes in behavior Love, serenity, but also consistency encounter.

The Maturation phase

After End of puberty – usually this is with one to one and a half years achieved – the dog appears grown up at first glance. He is then “of age” so to speak, but his development is not yet complete.

Although the animal is physically fully grown, find continued development processes instead – as a “fine adjustment”, so to speak. The bones strengthen and the musculoskeletal system only becomes fully resilient in the maturity phase. You will also notice that the supposedly adult animal sometimes still behaves like a child – it is then very curious and still has a strong instinct to play.

A four-legged friend usually only begins to mature at this point around 30 to 36 months, So two and a half to three years, fully completed.