There is no doubt that the Golden Retrievers are the most popular and loved dog breeds in the US. Even though the characteristics like intelligence, sociability, beauty, and loyalty make the Golden Retriever the best dog for families, its appealing structure and perfect size make it more adorable and lovely.
Like most animals, the growth of Golden Retriever also varies according to its food habits, training, genetics, and lifestyle. Having said that, if you own a puppy. You may be thinking! What is the exact size of your Golden Retriever? How big will your Golden Retriever get?
On average the male is 25 to 24 inches tall and, the female is 21.5 to 22.5 inches tall. The Golden Retriever reaches their fully matured weight within two years. Male Golden Retrievers weigh 65-75 pounds and females weigh 55 to 65 pounds.
Let me make your vision a little clearer about the right size and weight for your Golden Retriever at different ages.
Size Of Golden Retriever According To Their Age
Your Golden Retriever grows more rapidly during the first two years. They get their fully mature size and weight within eighteen months. The perfect growth chart for your Golden Retriever is as follows:
| Age | Weight Range for Male (in pounds) | Weight Range for Female (in pounds) | Height Range for Male (in inches) | Height Range for Female (in inches) |
| 7-9 weeks | 4-17 | 5-17 | 10-15 | 10-14 |
| 10-11 weeks | 10-25 | 1-25 | 10-16 | 10-14 |
| 3-5 months | 16-57 | 16-52 | 12-20 | 12-16 |
| 6-8 months | 29-85 | 27-70 | 19-22 | 16-19 |
| 9-11 months | 45-77 | 44-80 | 20-24 | 17-20 |
| 1 year | 65-77 | 55-90 | 22-26 | 18-22 |
| 2 years | 65-80 | 55-90 | 25-27 | 20-22 |
Does your Golden Retriever fit in this table?
Take this table as a guide to check whether your Retriever is of the correct size or not. In case your Retriever does not fit in this range, you should make the necessary modification in their diet and exercise. It provides your pet a healthy, active, and longer life.
How Big Will Your Golden Retriever Get?
One of the reasons for the popularity of the Golden Retriever is its perfect structure and physique.
I know you feel more comfortable hugging and cuddling your big furry friend. But if your Golden Retriever grows more than its average size, they will have more health issues. It gradually degrades their quality of life and decreases the life span of Golden Retriever.
You can easily manage their weight and height if you are a little attentive and concerned about their diet and exercise.
Are you thinking of adding a Golden Retriever puppy to your family?
If your answer is Yes, then you probably need to know a little about their size. I have tried explaining it below.
Average Weight And Height Of A Golden Retriever
Being a large dog breed, the average size of an adult female is about 65 pounds and, that of the male is 75 pounds. They achieve maturity at the early age of 18 months. They are 22 inches (females) and 27 inches (males) tall.
The size of your Golden varies according to their genetics and the environment where you live. You can see the difference more clearly when you watch the English and American Golden Retriever. The English breed is a little smaller than the American Golden Retriever.
Similarly, sex also influences their size. Commonly males are about one inch taller and 10 pounds heavier than females. This difference is sexual size dimorphism.
The age at which you spay or neuter your Golden also affects its size. Sex hormones handle the suppression of growth. Since spaying or neutering stops the productions of sex hormones, the Retriever rapidly grows.
How Big Will Your Golden Retriever Puppy Get?
Keep in mind that the metabolism of dogs also varies individually, just like humans. The one with a higher metabolism, although look skinny, is more fit, active, and healthy than the one who is obese.
If your puppy is far below the typical height and weight range, it might be the smallest and weakest one. So it needs more care and concern.
More to this, falling in love with the smaller puppies is easier. But, there are more chances of a fatal health condition like fading puppy syndrome if they are too small. You should be careful about this if you already have or are planning to bring a puppy home.
Normal Size Of Puppy
In general, a newborn Golden Retriever puppy weighs about 1-2 pounds.
During the first eight weeks, the puppies need the care and milk of their mother. Thus, they should be with their mother.
But after eight weeks, they grow to 10 pounds and are ready to leave their mother. You can bring them home after they are eight weeks old.
If you can balance the schedules of exercise and diet properly. Your puppy will weigh around 30 pounds at the age of 4 months.
Keeping the same schedule, your Golden reaches adolescence at the early age of eight months, weighing about 50 pounds.
What Are The Growing Stages Of Golden Retriever?
During the earlier stages of their life, puppies are very vulnerable. They need different types of care and concern according to their life stages. There is a fixed milestone of growth and behavior in every-stage.
Neonatal Stage: First Stage
The first stage is the period after the birth until they are three weeks old. In this stage, they need the care, milk, and warmth of their mother. So, they should be kept along with their mother. You can discover that they begin to open their eyes and ear and see the growing baby teeth at this age. They are smaller and weigh less than five pounds. At this age, they start to crawl and walk unsteady steps.
Socialization: Second Stage
The second stage is the stage in which the puppy starts to learn about the world and interact. This stage extends from three weeks to twelve weeks. Though, they will still need the care and milk of their mother. They somehow start trying solid food at this stage. You can feed them about half a cup of highly quality kibble every day. They become more active and gain control of their bladder. You can find them running around and playing. Give them their first vaccine at this stage.
Juvenile Stage: Third Stage
The juvenile stage starts after three months and lasts until six months. The rapid growth of the puppy gradually slows down in this period. The Golden Retriever is spay or neuter to control the birth. Owners take them home and train them in this stage.
Sexual Maturity: Fourth Stage
The fourth stage extends until sixteen months after the third stage. The Golden Retriever starts displaying sexual maturity like mating behavior and heat cycle, in this stage if you do not spay or neuter them earlier. They gain their full size at this age. In the early phase, their legs, ears, and noses grow rapidly and disproportionately. They are physically weak with fragile bones.
Adult Stage: Fifth Stage
After sixteen months of birth, the Golden Retriever becomes fully mature and adult. They reach their best size and gain their fixed character traits after they are two years old.
By now, you must have an idea about the age of a fully grown Golden Retriever. If not, then you will know soon.
How Much Time Does The Golden Retriever Take To Grow Fully?
Golden Retriever is a highly active dog breed. It is full of energy, whatever be its age. Though the behaviors do not change much, the size of Golden Retriever changes drastically with age.
In general, the Golden Retriever becomes fully mature and gains its full weight and height at the end of the second year. When the Golden Retriever is two years old, their physique will mature fully mature. At this age, they have fully developed bones. They need the diet and exercise routine of an adult to maintain their size. But, the physical characteristics of the newborn and adult Retriever will still be the same.
But the Golden Retriever takes three years after their birth to be mature mentally.
What Is The Growth Rate Of Your Golden Retriever?
Golden Retrievers are fast-growing dog breeds. You will find that your puppy grows 5-10% larger every week.
You can use a scale to measure their height and make a record. Or, you can measure the puppy and make the marking on your backyard wall. Compare the mark each week— you can see how fast they grow.
Most commonly, the Retriever reaches its full size at the early age of one year. But sometimes they can grow until they one and a half years old.
Though, growth depends on their genetics, sex, and the age at which they undergo birth-control surgeries (spaying and neutering). The caring and concern of the Golden Retriever’s owner influence their growth.
Do you know what responsibility you as an owner have?
What Are Your Responsibilities In The Growth Of Your Golden Retriever?
Owning a Golden Retriever is not so easy. You must bear the responsibility of your pet more sincerely if you want them to have a healthy, happy, and long life. Growth plays a vital role in the healthy life of your pet.
Since Golden Retrievers are medium-large dogs, proper nutrition and exercise are very important for them. You can neither overdo nor underdo it. If you over-exercise your puppy, then they have orthopedic problems like elbow dysplasia and elbow. Overfeeding them may result in obesity, diabetes, cardiac disorders, hypothyroidism, etc.
So, you should balance the food and exercise perfectly for your Golden Retriever’s perfect growth.
Caring Your Golden Retriever To Balance The Growth
The care needed for your Golden Retriever differs with their age. I have somehow tried to include some of the vital points. They are:
- Visit the Vet often for checkups and vaccination. Give the Golden Retriever their first vaccine when they are three-months-old.
- Start training your pet at the age of eight weeks. Take them out to socialize with others.
- Provide them the second round of vaccines when they are three months old. Keep them away from other pets for two weeks after vaccination.
- When your puppy is of five months, start exercising them. You can involve swimming, fetching, and walking in their exercise. It will give lower stress to their fragile joints.
- Be careful when the Golden Retriever is of six months. Avoid long walks with them and neuter or spay them to control birth.
- After your Golden is one-year-old, start training them more seriously and include the strenuous exercises.
Exercises Needed For The Growth Of Your Golden Retriever
Golden Retrievers are very playful and active. They can play continuously for a long time. After your Retriever meets maturity, you need to tire them with a vigorous exercise of 20-30 minutes twice a day. It will help to control the Retriever’s behavior and balance the growth of the Retriever.
The exercises you can include are:
- Fetching
- Jogging
- Hiking
- Long Walks
- Hiking
- Catching a ball
Diet For Your Golden Retriever’s Growth
Food plays a vital role in the growth of Golden Retriever. If you feed your pet the right quality of food at the right time and in the right amount, it will be very beneficial for their growth. Natural snacks will be a great option in managing your Retriever’s diet to control their growth.
An average-size Golden Retriever needs 2-3 cups of high-quality kibble dog food in two divided meals daily. But you can increase or reduce this amount as per the need of your pet.
Just take care that you neither overfeed them nor malnourished them. Make sure that your Retriever gets all the necessary nutrition for its perfect growth.
What Are The Factors That Influence The Growth Of Your Golden Retriever?
Though all are the same breeds, the growth of Golden Retriever differs individually. The factors that cause the difference are:
- Genetics
- Environmental Condition
- Sex
- Their neutering or spaying age
- Metabolism
- Care of the owner
- Exercise and diet
- Health issues
What Are The Consequences That Comes Along With Growth Of Your Golden Retriever?
Though the growth rate resembles their parents, the pattern of your Golden Retriever’s growth differs individually.
The growth rate of Golden Retriever should be consistent for a healthy life. Both slow or accelerated growth suggests that your Golden Retriever has some health issues.
Health Issues When Your Golden Retriever’s Growth Is Slow
If your pet is malnourished, it may be due to medical conditions like hookworm or ringworm. It degrades the growth rate and results in weakness of bones, muscles, and immune system, along with various skin and digestive problems.
Health Issues When Your Golden Retriever Grows Rapidly
If your Golden Retriever is growing too rapidly, faster than the ideal rate, stop overfeeding them and increase their exercising time. Rapid growth is more dangerous than slow growth. If you fail to manage the rapid growth, your pet will suffer from different skeletal abnormalities, like hip dysplasia and osteochondrosis.
Lastly, if you fail to feed your Golden Retriever properly, you will have to face various side effects. Like health issues at the beginning leading to the death of your beloved pet. So, be aware of what, when, and how much you feed your pet. It is in your own hands, whether you want a longer or happy life for your pet or not. Just be conscious while making decisions.
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