# Reliable way to estimate size of puppy as adult?



## cookieface (Jul 5, 2011)

Generally, the size of the parents can be a somewhat reliable indicator, but not always. My concern is that the sire is so big; spoos aren't really supposed to be huge dogs. I have a female (23" or so, 43lbs); she's slightly smaller than males I've met, but there's not a huge difference. This is Katie's breeder's site, Beauciel Poodles, showing her male dogs. This breeder, Unique Standard Poodles, is near me and you can get a sense of the size of her dogs from the pictures. 

Have you contacted the Poodle Club of America (PCA) breeder referral rep for recommendations? You can also check the PCA site for affiliate clubs and member breeders in your area. That's a good first step. 

If you haven't seen it, Versatility in Poodles site is a wealth of information about health issues and testing, and identifying responsible breeders.

Just a note, the PCA national specialty is next week. My suspicion is that many breeders will be traveling, super busy, and generally slow to respond to inquiries until after April 25.


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## Countryboy (May 16, 2011)

We've quoted this graph in here before. Probably not completely accurate but it may give u some idea of adult size.


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## MYRN1 (Apr 10, 2014)

Thanks for the reply...exactly my concern! I'm not sure if he was just over weight from lack of activity or tall/heavy. Pup does come with a 2 year health guarantee and she owns a grooming shop 10 minutes from me, so I trust that we will have a long term relationship; I found her very trust worthy etc. She also pet sits during vacations for 10/night which I prefer over a kennel. Lots of positives...I did send her another email asking for puppy height and weights with ages so I can try to plug them into a growth chart. I was not sure if bigger and heavier automatically meant hip troubles....which was my big concern(other than more expenses with a bigger dog).


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## MYRN1 (Apr 10, 2014)

I don't want to sound dumb...I am not exactly sure how to use the chart. If pup is 16 weeks does that mean that she would be almost half (maybe 40%) of her adult weight and 70% of her height?


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## cookieface (Jul 5, 2011)

Bigger doesn't necessarily mean hip problems and smaller doesn't automatically mean good hips. 

What health testing has the breeder done on the sire and dam? At minimum, I'd want hip x-rays and ratings from OFA or PennHip, genetic testing for neonatal encephalopathy and von Willebrand's disease, and current sebaceous adenitis test results* and eye (CERF)* testing. There are a few other tests that can be done (e.g., thyroid testing, cardiac evaluation, and degenerative myelopathy) that are nice, too.

What does the breeder do with her dogs? Are they shown in conformation? Do they compete in agility or obedience? Are they therapy dogs?

Do you know the details of the 2-year health guarantee? What conditions are covered? Does the condition need to result in the death of the dog? What about conditions that significantly decrease quality of life? Must you return the dog to the breeder?

* Results from these tests are "good" for one year from the initial exam. Breeding dogs should have the tests performed within the 12-month period before mating.


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## exile (Dec 15, 2013)

MYRN1 said:


> I don't want to sound dumb...I am not exactly sure how to use the chart. If pup is 16 weeks does that mean that she would be almost half (maybe 40%) of her adult weight and 70% of her height?


You are reading the chart correctly. Your Standard sounds about right for an average size pup...


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## Countryboy (May 16, 2011)

MYRN1 said:


> I don't want to sound dumb...I am not exactly sure how to use the chart. If pup is 16 weeks does that mean that she would be almost half (maybe 40%) of her adult weight and 70% of her height?


We get exactly the same question almost every time we post the chart. So if yr dumb, yr not alone.

But you're not so dumb... yr exactly right.


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## MYRN1 (Apr 10, 2014)

Glad to know I wasn't alone, lol! Now to see if I did the math correctly  Okay...so for my measurements!! 

She is 16-17 inches at the shoulders and 26 pounds at 17 weeks 12/11/13

So with the top end of height 17 inches, that would put her at 70-75% of her adult height. I am calculating between 21-24-ish inches depending on if I use 60/70% figures. 

The weight I am getting is 39-42.

I know this is a guide, but if I figured correctly than this girl will not grow to the giant I am imagining! If I did not figure it correctly, well...


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## Newmum (Jan 2, 2014)

I may well be wrong and please anyone correct me if I am but the math should be:

Height: 17" @ 70% = 17 x 100 / 70 = 24"

Weight: 26lbs @ 45% = 26 x 100 / 45 = 57lbs


However these 2 websites calculate her to be 40-45lbs so maybe I am doing the math wrong!
http://www.puppyweights.com/
http://www.puppychart.com/

Just remember that its just an estimate and that actually you probably wont care what size she turns out to be as long as she's happy and healthy!


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## MYRN1 (Apr 10, 2014)

LOL...I don't know, BUT, even with your measurements, even though she isn't exactly small, she isn't a giant either. I'm on my way out, but later I will explain how I got my numbers!

Thanks!


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## charleygirl (Mar 29, 2014)

Is there a timeframe - certain number of weeks when poodles are half of their adult weight? does that make sense? if so, does anyone know?


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## MYRN1 (Apr 10, 2014)

So what I did to get my numbers: looking at the chart for 16 weeks it shows that in height she is 65-75% of final height. I took her tallest height(17 inches) and multiplied by 0.45 to get 7.65 inches and added that to 17 to get 24.65. I did the same with weight which at 16 weeks shows 35-50 of her weight. I used the lowest number each time to calculate the biggest case scenario. I used 26 pounds and multiplied it by 0.65 to get 16.9 and added that to 26 to come up with 42.9 pounds.

It's not that I am absolutely looking for a specific size dog....I think it's better to have an idea ahead of time. Also, having a 4.5 year old 39 pound son....I need to be educated as much as possible.


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## Countryboy (May 16, 2011)

charleygirl said:


> Is there a timeframe - certain number of weeks when poodles are half of their adult weight? does that make sense? if so, does anyone know?


According to the chart, they're half their adult weight at abt 18 weeks.


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