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Puppy Weight

JessieAndMe

Well-known member
Just curious as to how big my little guy will be as an adult.
At the moment, he weighs 5.2kgs at 15 weeks and has a very healthy appetite.
I'm not concerned about his weight at all, as he is very active and growing very quickly.

The size in the breed seem to vary greatly.
Out vet seems to think he's going to be a big boy and could possibly be anywhere from 10 - 12kgs fully grown.
 
Can't help with puppy weight, as I haven't had a puppy for several years, but on weight in general, Cavalier owners are often (and probably should be!) obsessive about it - primarily because heart problems are so common in Cavaliers and carrying too much weight is asking for trouble. When your boy is full grown (at about 12-18 months) he should have a definite waistline and you should be able to feel his ribs. Take that as his target weight and try to keep him there - most vets have weighing machines in their waiting room and don't mind you dropping in just to weigh your Cavalier - or do it whenever you visit the vet anyway. Many pet Cavaliers (and some show ones!) are seriously overweight - every vet who sees my Oliver says 'It's so nice to see a thin and fit Cavalier'. Because size can vary quite a lot, it's difficult to give a required or even average weight, but your vet's 10-12 kg sounds about right. Oliver (aged 10) is a solid dog, of about average size, with plenty of muscle (which weighs more than fat) and stays around 10-10.5 kg. Aled (aged 4) is smaller and on a perpetual diet to keep his weight at 9.5-10 kg!

It's tough being a Cavalier owner when those big eyes try to convince you that they haven't been fed for ages and they don't just want that biscuit - they need it! But one of the best things you can do for your dog's health and well-being is keep them slim and fit - as a breed most of them are greedy pigs!

Kate, Oliver and Aled
 
Our 8 month old cav is currently 7kg and is PURE muscle. He is still growing slightly but not heaps. I can tell he is going to be thinner and lighter than my previous cav. He is just a slightly different shape.

My previous cav Anzac, was healthy at around 10.5 - 11kg and was definitely not fat. He was just larger and stockier,
whereas Kokoda is all legs and has a skinnier, more athletic looking build. As you mentioned they can vary alot in shapes and weights :)

I would say your puppy is about the same as Anzac was :)
 
Most males will keep growing until age 1-ish is spurts, and then level out but will continue to add weight as they fill out until around 2-ish. Puppies always are a bit lankier than an adult and males in particular will fill out more. :)

As for adult size -- depends on so many factors including average size across parents and grandparents. Depending on variables like litter size sometimes large puppies slow down and small puppies gain a lot to catch up.

I have this info in the Library section from a well known US breeder on estimating adult size:

http://www.cavaliertalk.com/forums/showthread.php?8704-How-big-will-my-puppy-grow

Generally males are about half their adult size at around 16=17 weeks so your vet is about right, I should think -- inasmuch as this is only a great big guess!! :) A lot of breeders would not even breed males smaller than 8-ish kg and a lot of the show males are over breed standard in weight. On the other hand, I have two adult dogs that weigh what your 15 week puppy weighs. :lol: So lots of variability.
 
Just curious as to how big my little guy will be as an adult.
At the moment, he weighs 5.2kgs at 15 weeks and has a very healthy appetite.
I'm not concerned about his weight at all, as he is very active and growing very quickly.

The size in the breed seem to vary greatly.
Out vet seems to think he's going to be a big boy and could possibly be anywhere from 10 - 12kgs fully grown.

This is almost exactly what Sonny weighed at 15 weeks. He is about 5 months old now and weighs 13 and 1/2 pounds. He was really growing a lot from age 9 weeks-13 weeks and then he started to slow down a little bit. I always try to guess what his weight will be too, but it is so hard to tell. Sonny was the largest in his litter when he was born, but one of his brothers weighs 15 pounds now!!!!
 
It's tough being a Cavalier owner when those big eyes try to convince you that they haven't been fed for ages and they don't just want that biscuit - they need it! But one of the best things you can do for your dog's health and well-being is keep them slim and fit - as a breed most of them are greedy pigs!

Kate, Oliver and Aled

This made me laugh! Sonny always acts like he is starving and that we are depriving him, but really he is just a little piggy!!!! I give Sonny almost all of his food in a treat dispenser now, so that he doesn't scarf it right up and give me those sad puppy eyes.
 
Thanks all for your replies and insight.
I'm typing one handed, with the porky little fellow asleep on my arm :lol:

Karlin, your spot on with the lankiness, one week he looks quite... Ummm, portly :lol: the next, he's all legs.
I can already see he has a definitive waistline, followed by a rather large rump.
It's amazing the huge differences within the breed when it comes to sizes. His parents are more of a medium sized,
but very lean. I often see the other male puppy from the same litter, and he is also quite a bit smaller than Jessie.

How do you not give into those eyes when they beg for food? Jessie has a variety of foods, including fruits and carrot to snack on,
but he'd eat all day if I let him. Like a little grazing cow.
 
lindylou

hi
my louie is 3.5yrs old and he weighs 7.2 kl he is very small but the vet said in september is just right weight for his size
 
Piper has always been really small. She was 7.5 pounds when I got her at 13 weeks. She's 12 pounds now at 9 months and very leggy and petite.
 
That's actually not really small. :) She should easily hit breed standard (13-18 lbs in US, 12-18 in UK) as she'll likely add a bit of weight in coming months. Most puppies are their lankiest at around her age and then fill out some more.

Most of my cavaliers are down at the lower end of breed standard -- people often think they are especially small but they aren't! They are normal breed standard cavaliers (and would weight a LOT more if they had their way, especially Lily... :lol: ).
 
Just an update to what Jessie weighs now.
He's 25 weeks old and now weighs almost 8kgs (around 17 ½ pounds) and still has his definitive waistline.
Since being desexed, he has really grown quite rapidly, more so in height than length. He isn't eating any more than usual though, if anything,
his appetite has decreased slightly. He's a very strong and healthy boy and is now the same size as his mother.
 
Awwww Jessie is so cute! How big was his father? Sonny is now 7 months and weighs 18 pounds. He has a definitive waistline too. I also have noticed that he seems to be getting taller. I am always trying to guess how big he will be when he is fully grown. It is so hard to predict though. The runt of Sonny's litter is now 21 pounds!!!! icon_nwunsureSo that was definitely shocking to everyone.
 
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