“How big is my puppy going to get?” might be the question we hear most. Usually it comes while someone is holding an eight-week-old fluffball that fits in one arm. We get it. You want to know if the dog sleeping in your lap will still be a lap dog next year.
The honest answer is that nobody can promise an exact number. But you can get a pretty good idea, and here is how we think about it.
Start with the parents
This is the biggest clue by far. A Mini Goldendoodle comes from a smaller Poodle and a Golden Retriever, and the size of both parents matters. When you meet a breeder, ask what the mom and dad weigh. If they won’t tell you, that’s worth noticing. Puppies from smaller parents tend to stay smaller, and puppies from bigger parents tend to grow up bigger.
The general size ranges
Here is what we usually tell families:
- Mini: roughly 15 to 30 pounds
- Medium: roughly 30 to 45 pounds
- Standard: roughly 45 to 75 pounds, sometimes more
Those are ranges, not guarantees. Within a single litter you can have a pup on the small end and a sibling that runs a few pounds heavier. Girls are often a little smaller than boys, but not always.
A rough rule of thumb
Many breeders and vets use a simple trick for smaller dogs. Weigh your puppy at 16 weeks and double it. That number gives you a ballpark for adult weight. A 12 pound puppy at four months will probably land somewhere around 24 pounds. It isn’t science, just a handy guess, and some dogs will surprise you.
Puppies also grow in spurts. You’ll see a week where they look all legs, then they fill out again. Most Mini Goldendoodles reach close to their full height by around 10 to 12 months and keep filling out for a while after that.
What doesn’t change the size
Feeding less won’t keep a puppy small, and feeding more won’t make a dog bigger than its genes planned. Overfeeding just makes a heavy dog, which is hard on young joints. Feed the amount your vet recommends and keep your puppy lean and active.
If size really matters for your home, an apartment or a small car or a family member who can’t handle a big dog, tell us up front. We’d rather help you pick the right puppy than have you surprised later. Reach out to Puppy Pals anytime and we’ll talk it through.
Featured image: Photo by Jacob Fletcher on Unsplash