If you have a Labrador that has just had puppies, you are definitely curious about the different stages of growth your pup will go through, as well as what to expect at each stage until your pup is fully grown.
So, when do puppy Labs stop growing? Generally, your puppy Lab will stop growing by the time they reach their second birthday. By this time, they would have reached their adult height, but your puppy could still continue gaining weight and filling up.
Knowing the key milestones your puppy Lab will go through is key to gauging the health of the pup until they get to adulthood. In this article, we’ll cover everything you need to know about a puppy Lab’s growth, including the different growth stages they go through, how much weight they gain at each stage, when they grow the most, and so on. To start off, let’s check out the age at which Lab puppies stop growing.
At What Age Do Lab Puppies Stop Growing?
Labrador puppies go through several growth stages between the moment they are born and when they fully transition into adults. These growth stages are:
The Neonatal Stage (0 to 2 Weeks)
At this stage, your puppy Lab is very delicate. They cannot see, hear, or regulate their body temperature, and their teeth have not grown yet. At this point, they depend on their mother for almost everything.
The Transitional Stage (2 to 4 Weeks)
Two weeks after birth, your pup will start seeing and hearing sounds, and their teeth will start growing. The pup will also start crawling around and relying less on their mother’s help.
The Awakening Period For The Senses (3 to 4 Weeks)
At this stage, your Lab puppy will start becoming more sensitive to what is happening in their environment. It is at this point that the pup will start learning “dog behavior” from their mother.
The Socialization Period (4 to 12 Weeks)
This is the period where the puppy Lab starts learning how to interact with humans, other dogs, and other things in their environment. You can start weaning the puppy and training them basic commands at this stage.
The Juvenile Period (12 to 16 Weeks)
By this point, your puppy will start developing their own independence and testing the limits of what you’ll allow. You need to be firm with training at this stage and let the puppy know that some behaviors are not acceptable.
The Ranking Period (16 to 24 Weeks)
During this stage, your puppy is going to learn about the dynamics of dominance and submission, and their ranking within a pack. The pup will try to show dominance and become more independent.
The Adolescence Stage (24 To 72 Weeks)
This is the age where a Labrador stops being a puppy. Your puppy Lab now looks like an adult, but they’re more energetic, and their mind is still yet to mature.
What Weeks Do Lab Puppies Grow The Most?
First Week
Labrador puppies undergo rapid growth during their first week of life. By the end of the first week, your Lab puppy will be about twice their birth size.
Week 2 To 8
After the first week, your puppy’s growth will slow down a bit, but they are still growing up pretty fast. Between the second week and the eighth week, your Labrador puppy will grow by about 5% to 10% every day, on average.
Week 12 To 14
According to a study published in the Journal of Animal Science, Labradors will experience another growth spurt where they’ll gain weight rapidly.
According to the study, this happens around the 89th day for female Labs, and around the 95th day for male Labs. This means that this growth spurt will generally happen when your puppy Lab is between 12 to 14 weeks old.
After this second growth spurt, your Lab’s growth rate will slow down again. By the 18th or 19th week, however, you can expect your Labrador puppy to have reached half their adult weight.
How Much Do Labradors Grow After Six Months?
By the time your Lab puppy is about 6 months old, their bones are about to stop growing, which means that after the 6th month, the puppy will not gain much height.
Weight gain will also slow down significantly, but your puppy Lab will still continue filling out until they are about 2 years old. Your puppy Lab will stop growing by around their second birthday. From there, weight gain or loss will be affected by things like diet and physical activities. You might also consider to pet-proof your home, especially if you are a 1st-time labrador owner.
Since your Labrador pup’s bones have already matured by the time the pup is 6 months old, you can start engaging the pup in exercises like jumping and long runs, without the risk of injuring their joints.
How Much Should A Lab Puppy Gain Per Week?
A good way to tell if your puppy Lab is growing normally is to track how much weight they gain every week.
Generally, a healthy Lab puppy should gain about 2 lbs every week on average until they are about six months old.
After your pup reaches 6 months, the growth rate will reduce, with the pup gaining between 1 lb. and 1.5 lbs per week until they are about a year old. From a birth weight of between 8 to 24 oz, your puppy should be about 50 to 60 lbs by their first birthday.
How Much Food Should A Lab Puppy Eat A Day?
During their first month, your puppy Lab will get all their nutrients from their mother’s milk, and therefore, you won’t need to feed them. Once they get to 4 weeks, you can then start introducing softened puppy food.
By the time your puppy is 8 weeks, they should be fully weaned, and should be fed about 2 cups of food every day. The food should be divided into 3 or 4 meals.
At 10 weeks, you can increase the food to 3 cups. Once your Labrador puppy is 12 weeks and older, their appetite will increase, and at this point, you can start giving 4 cups of food every day, divided into 2 or 3 meals.
Which Is The Best Food For Your Labrador Puppy?
For proper growth and good health, you need to feed your Labrador pup with food that is rich in nutrients and calories. We recommend feeding your Labrador pup with food from Pet Plate.
Pet Plate’s food contains all natural, human-grade ingredients, it is rich in proteins and vitamins, and most importantly, it is super-delicious, so you can be sure your pup is going to love the food.
What Is A Good Weight For A Labrador?
Your dog’s weight at a given time is a good indicator of their level of health. So, what is a good weight for a Labrador? Let’s look at the ideal weight for Labs at different ages.
How Big Is A 10 Week Old Lab Puppy?
By the time your Lab puppy is 10 weeks, their weight will fall between 10 to 20 lbs. This difference in weight stems from your pup’s genetic predisposition, as well as their gender.
How Big Should A Lab Be At 4 Months?
At 4 months, your Labrador puppy will have already experienced their second growth spurt. The ideal weight for a Lab puppy at this point is between 25 to 35 lbs.
How Big Should A Lab Be At 5 Months?
By the 5th month, your Labrador puppy will weigh 35 to 50 lbs. They will also be approaching their adult height.
How Big Should A Lab Be At 1 Year?
The average weight for a 1 year old Labrador is 50 to 65 lbs. By this time, your Labrador pup is no longer growing in height, but they are still gaining weight.
What Weight Should A 2 Year Old Labrador Be?
By the time they are two years old, your Labrador puppy will have completed their growth. At this point, your Lab will weigh about 65 to 85 lbs, which is what they’ll weigh even in adulthood, baring things like obesity or illness.
What Is The Ideal Weight For A Female Labrador?
Female Labs are usually smaller than males, and this will become apparent as the puppies grow older. At 2 years old, the weight of a female Labrador pup will typically fall between 55 and 70 lbs, while that of a male Lab will fall between 65 to 80 lbs.
Related Questions
How Can You Tell How Big A Lab Puppy Will Get? The best way to tell how big a Lab puppy will get in adulthood is to look at the size of the parents. If the parents are big, then you can expect your Lab puppy to get equally big. Similarly, if the parents are small, it is very unlikely that your Lab puppy will get very big.
How Can I Increase My Lab’s Head Size? You can make your Lab’s head appear bigger by strengthening your dog’s jaws. This can be done by playing tug of war with your Lab, giving them tough toys to chew on, and basically anything else that will encourage them to use and strengthen their jaw muscles.
What Size Harness Does A Lab Puppy Need? The ideal harness size for your Labrador puppy will depend on the pup’s size. Ideally, you should get a harness size that is not too restrictive for your pup and would be able to fit two fingers between the harness and your dog’s chest when worn. At the same time, you should keep in mind that your Lab puppy is still growing, so it is advisable to get an adjustable harness and the correct harness type for the purpose of the activity.
