How Much Should My Puppy Weigh?

Regular weighing is an integral part of looking after your dog in the early stages of its life. A pet's weight can be the first indication of poor health or illnesses that may affect the animal further down the line. 

Puppies can be accurately weighed using an animal weighing scale, but it can be difficult to know if they’re on track. In this post, we’re going to give you all the information you need to ensure that your pet is developing at the correct pace. 

How much should my puppy weigh?

A healthy puppy should gain weight from the day they are born - roughly gaining between 10 - 15% of its birth weight each day. However, for smaller dog breeds, daily growth can be as low as 5% of the animal's birth weight.  

Expected weight gains can be seen below: 

• Toy breeds: 150 grams per week
• Small breeds: 300 grams per week  
• Medium breeds: 500 grams per week 
• Large breeds: 1 kilograms per week 
• Extra-large breeds: 2 kilograms per week 

As with all things animal-related, these are just guidelines and just because your pet is not directly gaining this much weight does not mean that something is wrong. If your puppy is not growing at the rate that it should, or you just want some peace of mind, it’s always best to have a qualified vet assess them.

When will my puppy stop growing?

This is a common question and it’s one that has a complicated answer.

Firstly, all dogs are different – even those of the same breed can continue to grow for longer or shorter periods of time. Regardless, it can generally be said that the smaller the breed, the shorter amount of time it will continue to grow for. This means that smaller breeds could reach full growth by as soon as six months old, whilst larger breeds could be closer to two years. 

How can I weigh my puppy?

Puppies will likely be weighed when they go for a check up at the vet, but if you want to weigh your puppy at home then then you can invest in an animal weighing scale. 

We would recommend purchasing or using an animal scale that features a dynamic weighing function to ensure that accurate weight readings are taken even if your puppy is moving on the scale.

Begin by setting up the scale. To make it more comfortable for your puppy, many users choose to place a blanket on the weighing pan – make sure to tare the weight of this to avoid skewing your results. Next, simply pick up your puppy, place them on the weighing pan and record the reading accordingly. Many animal scales feature a peak hold function that will display and hold the weight reading, giving you plenty of time to comfortably remove your pet first.    

If you need any more help weighing puppies or require more information on animal weighing scales in general, please contact a member of our team on 01908972660 or Get In Touch with us.

You can see how Adam Equipment's MTB Portable Animal Scale works in the video below.