When do dogs stop growing?

Reading time: 5 min

KEY Takeaways

  1. Dogs stop growing somewhere between 6 and 24 months.

  2. The most important factor is dog breed size.

  3. Based on dog breed size, the following apply

    ► Small – 6 to 12 months.
    ► Medium – 8 to 15 months.
    ► Large – 10 to 18 months.
    ► Giant – 12 to 24 months.

Intro

The short answer to the question “When do dogs stop growing?” is a vague 6 to 24 months. Researching the topic will give you multiple answers but all of the sources agree that depends on multiple factors.

The factors on which a dog will stop its growth is determined by:

  • Dog breed size
  • Gender
  • Genetics
  • Nutrition

Let us go a little deeper so that we can better understand all the factors and so that we can answer the question better.

Factor 1 – Dog breed size

The dog breed size is the most important factor. We can classify dog breed sizes into 4 main categories:

  • Small – Breeds that when mature. the cainine will weight under 9 kg or 20 lbs.
  • Medium – Breeds that when mature. the cainine will weight between 9-22 kg or 20-48 lbs.
  • Large – Breeds that when mature. the cainine will weight between 22-45 kg or 48-99 lbs.
  • Giant – Breeds that when mature. the cainine will weight over 45 kg or 99 lbs.
Dog size category chart

Having this in mind we can narrow down the time it takes a dog to stop growing in the following:

► Small – 6 to 12 months.
► Medium – 8 to 15 months.
► Large – 10 to 18 months.
► Giant – 12 to 24 months.

Chart about when dogs stop growing by breed size

Factor 2 – Gender

We can further narrow down the interval based on gender.

Because females are usually smaller than males, they need a shorter time to reach full size. Therefore:

► Small – Females can take anywhere from 6 to 9 months to stop growing as males tend to take 9 to 12 months.
► Medium – Females 8 to 12 & Males 12 to 15 months.
► Large – Females 10 to 14 & Males 14 to 18 months.
► Giant – Females 12 to 18 & Males 18 to 24 months.

Chart about the dog stop growth time by gender and breed size

Factor 3 – Genetics

Of course, factors 1 and 2 are strongly dependent on the dog’s genetic heritage. If it will come from bigger specimens of the respective breed, they will end up at the higher end of the interval, regardless of the sex.

There could also be affected by genetic disorders that could cause dwarfism, gigantism to whichever the breed size, however, this is very unlikely.

Factor 4 – Nutrition

Nutrition is very important for a dog’s growth. Improper nutrition will lead to both under and over-growth.

Giving dog food that contains certain processed foods coming from animals in which artificial growth was used, then the dog can also overgrow – again, this is very rare as the main diet should consist of such a menu which rarely happens. Hypothetically if this happens it will tend to push the stop growth in the upper interval.

Undernurishing a dog by giving it only scraps or bread will lead to undergrowth and therefore it will stop growing much sooner, being placed on the lower part of the interval.

Conclusion

Based on the above you now know when dogs stop growing but remember that this is not an exact science and depending on the factors it can greatly vary.

Please visit the DOG AGE CALCULATOR to also find out how old your dog is. It is the best and most accurate calculator out there.

Research links:

https://betterpet.com/when-do-dogs-stop-growing/

https://www.rover.com/blog/when-do-puppies-stop-growing/

https://www.petmd.com/dog/care/what-age-do-dogs-stop-growing

https://www.k9ofmine.com/when-do-dogs-stop-growing/

https://www.akc.org/expert-advice/health/when-does-my-puppy-finish-growing/

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