A puppy weight chart is a way to record a puppy's growth. It's an important tool to ensure a puppy grows up strong and healthy.
Using the Puppy Growth Charts
You can use the growth charts to track your puppy's weight over the course of several weeks. There are six charts for you to choose from. One is entirely blank. The remaining five have average weights for toy, small, medium, large and giant breed dogs that you can use as a guide for your dog's weight. Tips for using these charts include the following:
- When looking at the average weights listed, remember that there is a wide variety of weights within each size group. Consult your breeder or veterinarian to find out your specific breed's expected weights during puppyhood and as a full-grown adult.
- If you have a mixed breed dog, find the average adult weight for the breeds you believe are in your dog and add them all to the final adult weight cell on the chart.
- When using the charts, make sure you note the date each time you weigh your puppy.
- Download the charts by clicking on the image and you can edit, save, customize, and print it.
- If you have any issues, see these helpful troubleshooting tips for Adobe printables.
A Puppy's Proper Weight
The weight of a puppy can give critical clues to its health. By monitoring the weight during the first few weeks of life, responsible breeders and owners can be alerted to health problems early.
- According to WebMD and the ASPCA, a pup should gain between ten to 15 percent of its birth weight every day.
- By eight to ten days old, the puppy should double its weight.
- Newborn puppies should be weighed once or twice a day, preferably at the same time of day.
- If a newborn starts losing weight, he should be taken to see a veterinarian right away. It may be that the mother has insufficient milk or there is an underlying medical condition such as hypoglycemia (low blood sugar).
Why Should You Track Your Puppy's Weight?
It's important to monitor the growth of the puppy as an early warning sign for disease or nutritional deficiencies. A puppy will experience the highest rate of growth during the following time periods:
- Toy breeds: Birth through 11 weeks
- Small to medium breeds: Birth through 16 weeks
- Large to giant breeds: Birth through 5 months
Your puppy's weight increase may vary slightly from week to week. If a puppy fails to gain weight, you should visit your veterinarian for an assessment. Worms, intestinal upsets and poor nutrition may keep your little one from growing. Likewise, if your puppy seems too heavy for its age, you may be overfeeding and need to review his diet with your veterinarian.
How to Weigh Your Puppy
There are several techniques used for weighing a puppy. Many breeders and owners purchase a special puppy scale for weighing newborns. Postal scales can also be used to weigh the babies. Cover the area where the puppy will lie with a towel or other cloth to keep the little one warm. Be sure to subtract the weight of the towel from the puppy's weight on the scale.
You can also weigh large pups on human scales. Weigh yourself, then hold the puppy and weigh again. Subtract your original weight from the total weight with the puppy. The difference is the little one's weight.
Keep Your New Pet Healthy
Monitoring a puppy's weight is an important diagnostic tool for the breeder or an owner. Keep good records and you will be able to see a problem before it becomes life-threatening and provide the best care for your new puppy.
