Do You Know When Your Dog Is 'Fully Grown'?

If you have a little puppy, you might be wondering when he will stop growing. It’s far from an unusual question, and not knowing the full breed makeup of your pup can make it harder to guess.

It becomes more complex when you find out that there are three different kinds of maturity for your pup to grow into! To figure out when your pup will be fully grown, you need to understand each kind.

1. Dental maturity

This refers to the stage when all adult teeth have completely grown in on a pup’s jaws. The time that this takes can vary depending on breed and general body size. According to studies, most pups reach dental maturity at a maximum of 8.4 months of age, so you should be sure to start dental care training before then!

2. Skeletal maturity

Typically, this is the kind of maturity pup parents are referring to when they ask when their pup will stop growing. This is the point at which a pup’s skeleton has stopped growing and is at its permanent size and therefore, your pup is at their adult height. It is based on breed, limb size, the age at which a pup is neutered, and their nutrition. This usually happens around the age of 10-11 months, which chondrodystrophic breeds reaching skeletal maturity earlier at 8-9 months.

3. Sexual maturity

This means the time that a pup can mate successfully. This usually happens very shortly after dental maturity is reached, though many pup parents decide to wait until after skeletal maturity to neuter their pups because the loss of sexual hormones will affect skeletal growth. But if you do not want your pup to breed and cannot control their sexual activities, then it may be best to neuter them shortly after they hit dental maturity.

These three types of maturity can help you figure out when it’s a good time to train for certain things and when it’s safe to buy an expensive bed or outfit for your pup without fear of them outgrowing it. Like and share away, people!