When Do Dogs Stop Growing? Labrador Puppy Growth Chart

By
Pippa Mattinson
-
90
when do dogs stop growing

A Labrador puppy growth chart can help you to check your puppy’s development is on track. Watching your baby Labrador Retriever puppy grow into an adult dog is worrying sometimes, but you can tell whether your puppy’s growth is on the right track with our Labrador puppy growth chart.

I will share the average Labrador weight, height and general Labrador size at different points of their life. I’ll answer all of your Labrador puppy growth questions.

Growth rates depend on a number of factors, including your dog’s breed or type, the size of their parents, their diet, age and health. We will help you to use these factors with out Labrador puppy growth chart to predict your dog’s final height and weight.

Labrador Puppy Growth Chart

We have a long running thread on our forum, where members enter the weights of their puppies at different ages. The Labrador growth chart below shows the data we have collected, in a Labrador weight chart by age.

a labrador weight chart showing labrador weight by age
Labrador dog weight chart by age and breed

Each dot represents a snapshot in time of an individual puppy. You can find the age in weeks along the bottom of the chart and weight in pounds up the left hand side. You can see how all the dots taken together follow a pattern, but there is still a considerable range of puppy weights at each age.

When Do Dogs Stop Growing?

If your Labrador is four years old, he is not going to get any taller, but what about a two year old Lab, or a one year old? Most dogs stop growing sometime between one and two years old, but it varies between breeds.

When Is A Labrador Fully Grown?

Many dogs are fully grown by their first birthday. Small breeds reach adult height several months before large breeds do, yet dog size varies greatly among individuals, even within the same breed.

Larger dogs are often slower to mature than little dogs, and carry on growing for longer. Small dogs are sometimes fully grown by the time they are 9 months old. Whereas giant breeds can take up to three years to reach full size.

Adult size, temperament, and coat type are all likely to affect energy requirements, and the rate a puppy grows. There is no point comparing your Lab puppy’s growth with your neighbor’s German Shepherd Dog puppy.

At What Age Does A Labrador Puppy Stop Growing?

There is very little scientific research – but a lot of anecdotal evidence – about when Lab puppies stop growing.

In 2004, a UK study following 37 Lab puppies through to adulthood revealed that all of them had reached their adult weight by their first birthday. But more recently, a much larger lifestyle study of over 4,300 UK Labradors found that their weight continued to increase between one and four years old.

When Do Labs Stop Growing?

The Labrador puppy growth chart finishes when the dog reaches adulthood. General wisdom from breeders, vets, and experiences Labrador owners is that Labs stop growing during their second year. But much of your Lab puppy’s growth will be completed before he reaches his first birthday. In fact, he will be quite close to his final adult Labrador height at around nine months of age. A lot of his growth after this point will be ‘filling out’ rather than getting taller.

Does color change the Labrador puppy growth chart?

Lab growth rate isn’t impacted by their color. Your average chocolate Lab will be adult sizes at the same time as the average yellow or black Lab.

How Quickly Do Labradors Grow?

Our Labrador puppy growth chart shows that all Labrador puppies follow the same breed specific pattern of growth spurts and slower growth, even though the actual numbers on the scale will vary from individual to individual. You’ll notice that your Labrador puppy at 8 weeks old or 9 weeks old when they arrive home will quickly change size. The most rapid period of growth will take place in the first month or so after you bring him home.

In 2007, a study of 150 Labrador puppies in Norway found that Labrador weight gain is most rapid at 89 days old in females, and 95 days old in males. So around the 12-14 week mark. And Labradors usually reach half of their adult weight by the time they are 18 or 19 weeks old.

How much do Labs grow after 6 months?

Another trend you can see in our Labrador puppy growth chart is that Lab puppies gain weight much less rapidly after their 6 month birthday. Once your Lab has hit this milestone you can expect them to gain a little height, and probably continue to fill out for up to a year or so. But on the whole, a Lab who’s petite at 6 months is likely to be petite all her life. And you needn’t worry that a boy who already weighs 50lbs at 6 months is going to end up the size of a Great Dane!

Another important milestone to look out for after 6 months is the completion of ‘upward growth’. In other words, the point when you Lab stops getting any taller. This is the point at which your dog’s bones stop growing, and most experts feel it is safe for them to begin long runs and activities involving jumping without damaging their joints.

Don’t assume that your dog will stop growing upwards when they reach the height on the Labrador breed standard though. It is estimated that in the UK the average height at the shoulders of a male Lab is around an inch taller than the breed standard.

Will my dog still grow after being neutered?

It’s possible that an early neutered dog will be a little behind on the Labrador puppy growth chart. But it’s not a certainty.

Whether or not dogs should be routinely spayed or neutered is a subject which divides opinion.

A 2017 study found that neutering before 37 weeks old is linked to very slightly more rapid growth, and neutering after 37 weeks leads to very slightly slower growth. But the difference was very small, and the researchers emphasized that it doesn’t require special planning.

Average Lab Weight

Adult Lab weight as shown on the Labrador puppy growth chart show that how big a Lab gets varies. But you want me to give you some numbers, so here are some averages.

  • Many adult female Labradors reach a weight of 55-75lbs and stand 21-22 inches high at the shoulder.
  • Many adult male Labradors reach a weight of 65-85lbs and stand 22-23 inches at the shoulder.

But remember, your dog is probably not an average dog!

Can you always predict size with a Labrador puppy growth chart?

These Labrador height and weight numbers are broad guidelines.

How big your Labrador will get depends partly on his parents. Assuming that your puppy had slim parents, their own weights will give you an idea of how big your Lab is likely to grow.

American Labrador puppy growth

Show bred English Labs are often heavier in build and bone than field bred American Labs, which tend to be more racy in appearance.

Small parents

Size is also partly genetic. If your puppy had small parents he might well be on the small size for his age, throughout his life. But even puppies from the same litter can vary quite considerably in size when plotted on a Labrador puppy growth chart.

How much should my Labrador puppy weigh?

Many ‘average’ Labrador puppies weigh just over two pounds for each week of age. So on the Labrador puppy growth chart at around three months such a puppy might weigh 25lbs, and at six months they’ll reach 50lbs.

It is rare for puppies to have any kind of growth disorder. Or for their families to starve them by mistake! If you can’t see your puppy’s ribs and he is bouncy and full of fun, the chances are he is just a small puppy.

Is my puppy is too fat or too thin?

The very best guide to whether a puppy is the right weight for him, is how he looks and feels. Not where he falls on an average Labrador puppy growth chart.

Physically examining and observing your puppy will help you decide if they are doing ok in this respect. Just like older Labradors, puppies should not be too heavy. Most experts nowadays like to see a waist on even quite young puppies.

Overfeeding puppies doesn’t just make them roly-poly plump. It causes their bones to grow too rapidly as well. And this may result in painful skeletal abnormalities in later life. Chubby Lab puppies might be plotted higher than average on the Labrador puppy growth chart, but if they are a shorter stature they could be following the line.

Run your hands gently down your puppy’s sides and you should be able to just feel his rib cage. If you can see his ribs, or feel them very easily just beneath his skin, your Labrador puppy is too thin. But if you can’t feel them at all, he might be a little overweight. If in doubt, check with your veterinarian.

when do dogs stop growing

My dog weighs 35lbs at six months old. Is that OK?

This is the most common variation we receive on ‘how much should my puppy weigh?’ People share their puppy’s weight and age, and want a Labrador puppy growth chart to tell them it is ok. I mentioned above that an average Labrador might weigh around 50lbs at six months old. But there is huge variation around this figure.

To illustrate how much very healthy puppies may vary, there are 6 month old Labs on our forum weighing 30lbs, and others weighing 60lbs! These are very different points on the same Labrador puppy growth chart, but could both be healthy animals.

The Labrador Handbook by Pippa Mattinson(paid link)
Find out how much your pup should weigh, how much bigger your puppy will get, and when he will stop growing

What age does a puppy turn into a dog?

Maturity or being an adult is not just about growing bigger. There are three aspects to changing from puppy to dog:

  • physical maturity
  • sexual maturity
  • and mental maturity.

Sexual maturity in puppies

Puppies become sexually mature before they are full grown. These sexually mature pups still belong on the Labrador puppy growth chart, and will gain weight and height. Most Labradors are physically capable of breeding while still puppies. Though of course they should not be allowed to do so. Many female Labradors come into season for the first time between at between six and nine months old. Though some will be over a year old. And most male Labradors are ready and willing to mate well before their first birthday!

Mental maturity in puppies

Not only is your Labrador physically still a puppy when he or she reaches sexual maturity. He is also very much a puppy mentally and emotionally. In fact, many experts do not consider a Labrador to be fully grown up and mature until they are around two years old.

In practice, there is no exact age at which you can definitely say your puppy is a grown up. Some puppies mature mentally and physically quicker than others. As a broad guide, you will often hear people use 18 months as the divide between Labrador puppy and adult dog.

when do dogs stop growing

The Labrador Site Founder

Pippa Mattinson is the best selling author of The Happy Puppy Handbook, the Labrador Handbook, Choosing The Perfect Puppy, and Total Recall.

She is also the founder of the Gundog Trust and the Dogsnet Online Training Program 

Pippa's online training courses were launched in 2019 and you can find the latest course dates on the Dogsnet website

RELATED ARTICLESMORE FROM AUTHOR

90 COMMENTS

  1. I got Sally nine days ago. She weighed in at 14.4 # at 9 weeks and 16.4 yesterday at 10 weeks. This is right at the median on the weight chart. Both the sire and dam weighed 75#; he is a chocolate and she is yellow (Sally passes for black, but really she is a deep, deep chocolate). I chose her because she was the runt of the litter – I love runts! I’m hoping she will level out at around 60# at maturity. We’ll see.

  2. I followed the weight/height graphs on this site .. we knew “ollie” was going to be big – he exceeded all the data points – now at 32 weeks he’s 27 inches at the top of his forelegs and about 108lb (3 weeks ago – vet weight) with absolutely no fat. Its not easy to get a measurement as he tries to eat the tape measure – and picking him up for a bathroom scale is clearly not an option. I guess none of these measurements really matter – after all – they’re labs – adorable – whatever the size. it seemed somehow important to get a big lab – now that we seem to have one – a nice 70lb lab seems a much better proposition. Having 100+ jump on the bed to wake you up – just plain HURTS.

    I’d say – ignore all the charts – whatever genetics they have inherited will determine their weight and height – according to the vet one cannot overfeed a growing puppy (yeah) – so – apart from substituting your human baby percentiles with lab baby percentiles – none of it rally matters.

  3. Hi, I have a 20 month old Black Lab named ‘Lucky’. He will be 2 yrs. old in June. I took him to the Vet today for his heartworm check and to set up an appointment for a wellness visit and when they weighed him, he was 92 lbs. I didn’t think to ask if that was normal. He’s quite solid and gets loads of exercise. We live in the country. His favorite game is Fetch. He does like treats and gets a few scraps with his food, but he’s solid. My question is, is 92 lbs too heavy? I just want a happy healthy Lucky.

    • Good to hear! My female yellow is not fat, really, she’s not. She weighs in at nearly 85 pounds though. We feed high quality food, no fillers, and limited healthy snacks (no table scraps). Exercise is ok, not great. She pulls like a train and always has despite all the training aids we could afford. EVERYONE including vets think she is overweight. She’s an English, they don’t even know the difference.

  6. Ok I bought 2 black lab puppies from the same litter…at 17 weeks when we took them to the vet the smaller pup Onyx was 40.4lbs
    And my Big boy Loki was 54lbs….i came here to try to figure out if Onyx was just small or if Loki was going to be big…i am scared to think how Big Loki will get after reading this and the comments…on top of that the vet recommended if we were going to get them fixed to do it early so we did that at 17 weeks and then this article said that makes them bigger…the dad was a big dog but not huge and the mom looked smaller…so we thought they would remain smaller…not that we are that mad as we love our big boy but he is growing so much faster than Onyx who himself from what I’m reading is on the upper end of the spectrum….i have a feeling we will have a monster in Loki.

  9. I have a lab mix and his head is significantly smaller than it proportionally should be? He is only 10 months old. Will his head get bigger or is this normal?

  10. I just recently purchased a Lab/ Golden Retriever mix. I’m starting to think my pup isn’t that mix. He seems extremely small. Roughly how much would an 8 week old weight? Mine weights about 4 pounds! I’m guessing he’s mixed with something different…

    • i am curious how big your puppy is now. We just got a black lab, told he was pure and he is 8 weeks old, but weighs only 4 pounds. The vet told us yesterday he has worms and parasites, which could be why he is so small. I am thinking he is not pure and mixed with a small dog

      • Hi, I adopted two lab mixed from the shelter, sisters! They were 2 months and weighed just 10 lbs!! They had several types of worms! They took two different types of medications! They are all better know!! They are 8 months and weigh 55 lbs and about 24-26″tall! I was told they’d be large dogs! They are more like medium ????My large dogs I had weight were 65-95 lbs????Plus they, the labs I got were already fixed!! That’s crazy to me, seemed way to young I was shocked??

    • I also have a English black lab – Jenny wt 90lbs @ 9 months she is a happy girl plays with her 2 rescue. Brother n sister to help keep her wt down I keep saying all that long curly hair she has is part of her wt as well

  12. I wish I could find an article as awesome as this about mixed breeds! I have a chocolate lab/german shorthair pup so I research both sides! What an amazingly massive puppy! She is six months old, stands 22 in high and weighs 50 lbs . She looks skinny and lanky! Lol but she is healthy and amazing! Love her!

  13. Ted, our seven month old working strain lab weighed 44 pounds when he was six months old. I would describe him as quite slim and currently a bit ‘leggy’. I think he is just starting to fill out though. I adjust his food up if I think his ribs are showing and keep it the same when he looks good, so gradually his food consumption is increasing as he grows.

  14. My 6 month black lab/retriever mix has a slight “hidden” limp that really shows while she jogs and sprints. She doesn’t limp as much as she favors one hind leg over the other and has had her legs come out from under her on the favored side multiply times while trying to maneuver while running. She shows no sign of pain and I have examined her paw for burrs and splinters several times. Could it be a muscle/tendon problem, early dysplasia, or is she just a puppy still trying to learn to run? I have had many family dogs, but this is the first on my own, please help!

    • Hi Jacob, Your vet is the best person to advice you on this one. Try and film the limp on your phone when it occurs. Then when you take your dog to the vet for a thorough check up, show them the footage so that they can make a full assessment. Best wishes, Lucy.

  15. My chocolate lab puppy, Jake, is 15 weeks old today and he weighs 34 lbs. We think he’s gonna be a big boy; his sire was a monstrous 115 lbs with a massive head! Jake’s a bit longer than he is tall, and we think he looks kinda goofy, but he has had upward growth spurts too. He’s doing so well with training and playing. Thanks for your effort in this article.

  16. Hi

    We are looking at shipping a 17 week old male English Lab to the UK from the US and need to make the shipping arrangements which are determined by weight and measurement – can anyone give is a guide as to what size and weight he will be ? He is a classic bred English lab. Thank you

  17. I have a 8 month puppy weighing 57 lbs he isn’t tall and I wasn’t sure if he was going to grow any more. he has a few teeth that don’t look fully grown. if he isn’t going to grow any more, what would be an ideal weight?

  18. I am having a four month old black male lab pup. He weighs 18 kgs and measures 18-19 inches. He is very fit and energetic dog . But the breeder and some other people also say that he is shorter in height. His parents are both 24 inches tall and from a very pure bloodline. I am worried wheteher my lab is shorter compared to be what he should be at this age . Please clear my doubt.
    Regards ,
    Ramesh gurjar

    • Hi Ramesh,
      Just like people, Labradors can vary in height by quite a lot. This isn’t something to worry about or that will effect his health. If you have any health concerns however, the best person to speak to is your vet. Best wishes, Lucy

  19. lab black male white blaze on chest born Sept 23/15 weighs 36 pounds is that a good weight . vet not sure if pure do to white. markings

    • Hi Lisa! I own an AKC black Labrador, who has a white blaze on chest and even a smidge of white on tail; looks like he brushed against wet white paint. If you research lab history, there was a famous black lab stud that had white markings. So, just because your guy has white markings doesn’t rule out he’s a purebred. Hope this helps!

  20. Hi,
    I am planning to buy a labrator puppy which is 5 weeks old. Since i m a newbie, i need couple of questions to be understood.
    1) How many times we need to feed the puppy a day?
    2) Can we leave it alone in house for upto 6 hours while we go to work?
    3) What are the primary checks we need to do before buying a puppy?
    4) What is the food we need to feed a 5 wk old puppy.

    Pls help me out.

    Thanks,
    Prabakaran

  21. My Yellow Lab is 7 months old she is a female but she is still so small. We are feeding her good , taking her at daily exercises and still she goes kinda wild sometimes and bites. I have trained her well too.

  22. I have a 6 month old puppy and she will not stop eating our carpet, and today I just noticed where her kennel is there is a hole in the wall from her eating it. Is there any possible way for me to get her out of eating household items??

  23. Hello, I have a 13 wk old lab puppy I purchased her at 7 wks she seems to be sprouting up like a weed buy in worried she’s too slim. I feed her 3x a day and she still seems slim (no I cannot see her ribs) but I feel she should be a little plumper. Is she slim because of how active she is? Or is it just how they grow?

  24. Our puppy likes to go outside but sometimes he will stop in the middle of the yard when we try to walk with him we think that he probably hasn’t developed full sight yet he is only 4 weeks old. When do puppies normally develop full sight?

    • How very sad to read that your puppy has been taken away from his mother at just four weeks old. This tiny baby should be in a cosy nest with his mother and siblings. Do contact your vet as soon as possible for full instructions on raising such a very young puppy, and please don’t try to walk him. He is far too young.

  25. Hiii.., am from india I have a lab which is cross breed, now its of 16weeks its looking like lean, will there be any high changes in looking bcoz of cross breed. its always play with clothes. please can I know the solution for improving the growth and stop playing with the clothes. And can you tell me what are the changes that comes in cross breed compared to pure lab.

  26. We have lab/mix.She is 15 weeks and 15 kilos!!Guessing she may be a big girl.She is the color of a lioness and and is lanky with longish slim legs. Really confused about her final adult appearance. Mom was a chocolae lab and Dad is a lab/shepard mix but we haven’t seen him. Vet says she is NOT fat so are continuing her current food and amount. Nice girl with brains and energy!!

  27. hiii. guys
    i just saw Labrador puppy. his current owner want to sell them and he said the puppy age was 6 month old, puppy was to friendly and active but i saw his hair was falling i don’t know his owner providing me correct information or not some one suggest and tell me about Labrador hair falling information to purchase or not those dog????

    • Not sure about hair but doesn’t sound right. I would call a vet to check just incase the breeder needs reporting for the dogs sake. Even if you don’t take him / her.

  28. Hi! We have a 4 month old yellow lab, we got her when she was 4 weeks old, cause her mom cannot feed them anymore, .. We are wondering why is she’s so small, her siblings are like half the weight ang height of their parents, and ours is still really small, it started noticing her growth delay when she had a deworming shot from our vet and got an allergic reaction.. Please, what can we do about her growth? We are so sad about her being small and left out with her siblings..

  30. My lab is 11 months and she is 26,5 kg and 53 cm tall. She is very slim and for a long time I was worried about her growth. But most of the labs I see in my city they are overweight males so compared to them she is really tiny. Also, many dog food producers add growtg stimulators to food and puppy growth is artificially accelerated!

    From another hand every lab is growing st his own pace , these are not clones after all 🙂

    So I stopped worrying and I am enjoying walks and companion of my beautiful dog every day. I stopped measuring her; I am not going to enter into any dog beauty contest as I think is useful only for those who want to earn money on dog breeding or for snobs who want to show off their champion ribbons …My dog is my best friend; she is not a show-off item. I only want her to be healthy and happy, same as she makes me so happy each day 🙂

  31. My female lab is 10 months old and she weighs 65 pounds. We have 2 other labs that are male and our oldest lab who is 9 she is about 2 hands shorter than him. How can I figure out if she was the runt of her litter?

  32. My yellow lab is about 9 months old.He is healthy n is very active but my concern is he is a bit skinny(thin) n height is 17 inch from shoulder n his head is also not so big.Is this normal.Is he skinny because he’s in his growing age? What should i do or feed to make him look big.And what’s the maximum height he’ll reach n how long will it take him to grow to the fullest.? Plz n e 1 reply.

  33. My lab is 19inches tall and turns 6months on this Feb 8 and weighs around .approx 30-35lbs how to grow my dog taller, its diet is: 2x pedigree and 1x eggrice or chicken as veterinary suggest me…. It is 650+ grams per day more than it needs is it in its proper height and weight if not how can I increase it’d height and weight

  34. My labrador is about an year old now. But he is still very slim and feeble as compared to other labradors I have seen. I’m worried about it. I don’t know if there anything that I’m not caring about? Kindly suggest me what do I need to do.

    • my 2/half year old lab is 68 .4 pounds. she is stocky. but vet says is in great health&shape. she had puppies with my dashound before i got her fixed. and her puppy looks just like her. had her fixed at 8 months she is 30 pounds.1 oz. and in great health. I believe its has to do with how much activity your dog gets. I live in county and Labs love to run. I keep there bowl full of food. And then only eat in the morning. Started that when they where babies. Labs eat a lot at first. I’ve never had a problem with over weight animals.

  36. My 10 month old chocolate lab is only 25kg and still looks like a puppy not nearly a year old! I asked the vet and she suggested maybe he is more of a black lab. Both parents were chocolate and 2/11 puppies were golden and rest chocolate. I read up on the genes for colours etc and i’m aware it is possible. Just wondered if anyone has had a lab like this and if they are late growers or he will always be puppy size lol he still has a lot of the lose skin/fur to suggest he has growing to do! We love him regardless obviously and adored how easy he was to train considering what people say about chocolates. He is smart, walks to heel, total recall and stays in sight, waits and crosses a road on command. Just as crazy as they are at other times though yet has the patience of a saint with my 2 year old and her dr’s set. Thanks for reading.

  37. We have a 14 week old male English Lab. He is very lazy. Sleeps a lot and when he plays, seldom runs. He is 27 lbs. He is constantly biting when he plays. Should we be concerned?

  40. Hey i am going to get a lab from my aunt 6months old i am curious to kown if he would be in a puppy category or no.

  41. my lab is 2month old puppy but is cominng 24 hrs smeal in house. so kindly suggest how to going smeal. food is cantinue droo 3kgs small size type .

  42. Hi, I have a 10 week old male black lab, I got him when he was 8 weeks and in the 2 weeks I have had him, his weight has increased by 2Kg. This seems to be a lot. Is this normal?

  43. Hi my female lab Always shouting at night time some one should be with her then only she has been slient. IT has any solution dog to be alone

  44. Hi pippa
    My 50 days old lab is bitting me I know its ok but if blood comes do I need vaccination of mine to be done or something as my puppy’s yesterday bite got some blood comig out. Do I need to get vaccinated or its ok. reply soon pippa I’ll be waiting

  45. My female Lab is almost 20 weeks old and weighs almost 15 kilos. I wonder approx what weight gain is normal. She was putting on 1 kilo per week and has slowed down. Do they even out and then have a growth spurt later. I have put her on a RAW diet as the premium kibble was not agreeing with her. She looks healthy and happy, not too fat not too thin.

  46. Hi,
    My lab puppy is 6 months old and 37.9 lbs. I just had her spayed and she was the runt of the litter. She is not too skinny, in fact she very healthy looking. But i’m wondering if she is just really small?? Can I get some opinions?

    • My lab (Star) was only 5 lbs at 6 weeks old. She was the runt and was malnourished. She is 33 weeks old today and weighs 45lbs. She is a healthy, happy dog now. The vet is happy with her growth. Star weighed a little less than your dog at six months old. Not sure how big Star will get but she will not be a huge dog. She could still reach 70lbs when she is completely grown. You never know though, she could even end up weighing more

  47. my male labrador is now 6 1/2 month old head is small only. when my lab head get expand or big. somebody said put some artificial bone or cow bone for biting because if biting the bone means head will get expand like that they are saying. is it true ? my lab having one more problem his back leg is slightly bend when he walk in road it looks very different not like a normal dog so please tell me the remedies for my dog.

  48. Hey guys
    You doing such a wonderful job and really appriciate this.
    I bought a 6 week older lab puppy yesterday and this is my first puppy too. He is playing for couple of min then go for rest and most of time he spend reting and when we are providing him food he is not eating it once. he eat some ammount of food and then lay down then eat some more and he is going for toilet too much. He seems a bit lazy or sad.
    I may sound immature but he is my first so please give some suggestions

  50. please tell me about my labrador dog is cross bread , he didn’t feed his mother thats why he is not too healthy

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