Golden Retriever weight and growth: our complete guide
Do you own one of the world's most popular breeds? Perhaps you're thinking about owning one?
This beautiful, friendly, and lion like dog is a sight for sore eyes. It's not aggressive and is the perfect dog for children, families, and even the elderly!
However, other than its amazing personality, it is a big dog! It can grow on average for a female up to 51cm-56cm/20-22 inches and weigh between 25-32kg/55-71lbs. On the contrary, a male can reach between 56cm-61cm/22-24 inches in height and weigh between 30-34kg/66-74lbs.
But, those figures are just a baseline for when they grow older. You don't want to wait till they get older though, it's an exciting time owning a Golden Retriever enjoying their stages as they grow from puppy to an adult.
To help you, we're going to give you a complete breakdown today and even a Golden Retriever Growth chart.
Why do you need to know a Golden Retrievers size?
Throughout a Golden Retriever's life, it's essential as a dog owner you monitor their height and weight. This will give you a good baseline of their health and know that they're getting the right nourishment provided.
It's also important you do this, as females tend to grow quicker than males. Then after some time, males catch up, and they become similar sizes.
If you feel that your Golden Retriever is not the right weight, i.e., it's gaining or losing weight, you should speak to your local vet.
What is the right weight for a Golden Retriever?
| Age | Lowest Weight | Highest Weight | Average Weight |
| 7 week Female 7 Week Male | 5 lb (2.2 kg) 3lb (1.3kg) | 17 lb (7.7 kg) 17lb (7.7kg) | 9 lb (4 kg) 9lb (4kg) |
| 8 week Female 8 Week Male | 5 lb (2.2 kg) 3lb (1.3kg) | 17 lb (7.7 kg) 17lb (7.7kg) | 10 lb (4.5 kg) 11lb (4.9kg) |
| 9 week Female 9 week Male | 8 lb (3.6 kg) 7lb (3.1kg) | 17 lb (7.7 kg) 17lb (7.7kg) | 12 lb (5.4 kg) 13lb (5.8kg) |
| 10 week Female 10 week Male | 10 lb (4.5 kg) 10lb (4.5kg) | 22 lb (9.9 kg) 22lb (9.9kg) | 15 lb (6.8 kg) 15lb (6.8kg) |
| 11 week Female 11 week Male | 12 lb (5.4 kg) 12lb (5.4kg) | 25 lb (11.3 kg) 25lb (11.3kg) | 17 lb (7.7 kg) 17lb (7.7kg) |
| 3 month Female 3 month Male | 16 lb (7.2 kg) 16lb (7.2kg) | 33 lb (14.9 kg) 34lb (15.4kg) | 22 lb (9.9 kg) 23lb (10.4kg) |
| 4 month Female 4 month Male | 22 lb (9.9 kg) 25lb (11.3kg) | 44 lb (19.9 kg) 55lb (24.9kg) | 30 lb (13.6 kg) 33lb (14.9kg) |
| 5 month Female 5 month Male | 25 lb (11.3 kg) 27lb (12.2kg) | 52 lb (23.5 kg) 67lb (30.3kg) | 40 lb (18.1 kg) 42lb (19 kg) |
| 6 month Female 6 month Male | 27 lb (12.2 kg) 29 (13.12kg) | 61 lb (27.6 kg) 75lb (34kg) | 44 lb (19.9 kg) 52lb (23.5kg) |
| 7 month Female 7 month Male | 31 lb (14 kg) 32lb (14.5kg) | 67 lb (30.3 kg) 75lb (34kg) | 45 lb (20.4 kg) 52lb (23.5kg) |
| 8 month Female 8 month Male | 40 lb (18.1 kg) 40lb (18.1kg) | 67 lb (30.3 kg) 77lb (34.9kg) | 52 lb (23.5 kg) 61lb (27.6kg) |
| 9 month Female 9 month Male | 44 lb (19.9 kg) 45lb (20.4kg) | 68 lb (30.8 kg) 77lb (34.9kg) | 52 lb (23.5 kg) 61lb (27.6kg) |
| 10 month Female 10 month Male | 50 lb (22.6 kg) 50lb (22.6kg) | 68 lb (30.8 kg) 77lb (34.9kg) | 60 lb (27.2 kg) 63lb (28.5kg) |
| 11 month Female 11 month Male | 52 lb (23.5 kg) 55lb (24.9kg) | 80 lb (36.2 kg) 77lb (34.9kg) | 65 lb (29.4 kg) 66lb (29.9kg) |
| 1 year Female 1 year Male | 55 lb (24.9 kg) 65lb (29.4kg) | 90 lb (40.8 kg) 77lb (34.9kg) | 70 lb (31.7 kg) 68lb (30.8kg) |
| 2 year Female 2 year Male | 55 lb (24.9 kg) 65lb (29.4kg) | 90 lb (40.8 kg) 80lb (36.2kg) | 70 lb (31.7 kg) 73lb (33.1kg) |
As you can see in the Golden Retriever Growth Chart above, a Golden Retriever's size can vary a great deal. Part of the reason their weight can fluctuate is due to gender, age, genetic background, and health.
Stages to a Golden Retrievers Growth
First Stage: Neonatal
This growth period begins from the moment they're born until they reach three weeks of age. Their size in this stage can vary but generally weigh less than 5lbs. During the neonatal stage, a Golden Retriever should be close to its mother and litter. This is an important growth stage as its eyes and ears open, baby teeth come through, and they start to learn to walk.
Second Stage: Socialization
During this stage, Golden Retriever puppies will slowly switch from their mother's milk onto solid foods. This stage is important for a Golden Retriever to be socialized with other dogs and humans. If you do this between 3-12 weeks, it will become more of a friendly dog as they get older and less hostile towards others.
There are a few good ways of doing this. One is taking your Golden Retriever on a walk in the car and letting it get adjusted to household objects, like the vacuum cleaner. Similarly, potty training should begin in this period so a Golden Retriever can start to learn how to control its bowel and bladder movements.
During the 8 weeks, Golden Retrievers will start to learn fear, and you must prevent yours from having any fearful situations from occurring.
Third Stage: Juvenile
This stage occurs when a Golden Retriever is aged 3-6 months years old. By this point, it should be nearly fully developed, and its adult teeth should be growing. This is the ideal age for a Golden Retriever puppy to leave its mom and go to its new home.
Fourth Stage: Maturity
You might be wondering “when do Golden Retrievers stop growing?”. Well, between 6-16 months, Golden Retrievers will begin mating and enter a heat cycle. In this period, you may also notice that their legs, nose, and ear grow a lot faster.
Fifth Stage: Adult
At around 16 months, Golden Retrievers are often classed as full grown adults and tend to reach full size. Similarly, their personality traits tend to be a lot more fixed.
What happens if a Golden Retriever does not grow much or grows too quickly?
Sometimes Golden Retrievers may grow at a different pace and not all be the same size. As a dog owner, this is not something to be majorly concerned about. However, if yours is not growing quickly or growing too quickly, it may be a cause for concern.
This may be a sign of malnourishment or an underlying medical condition. Similarly, they can have medical issues when they grow older, causing their immune system to be compromised, their bones and muscles to become weaker.
On the contrary, a Golden Retriever growing too quickly could be due to overfeeding. This is a serious health concern as Golden Retrievers can quickly gain weight and put their skeleton at risk.
Final thoughts
It's always important to monitor your Golden Retriever's growth, but you should not compare your dog to others. Every Golden grows at a different pace due to its age, height, genetics, and health conditions.
You should pay careful attention to its growth, however, if it's stunted or they're growing too quickly. If you feel this is happening, always seek the advice of a veterinarian who will help you.
FAQS
If you decide to spay or neuter your dog before they've grown fully, then it's most likely that it will grow bigger. Part of the reason is that sex hormones limit a Golden Retriever's growth hormones.
Most of the time, Golden Retriever puppies tend to weigh between 14-16oz.
Usually, Golden Retrievers will reach their full height between 9-12 months of age.
Alex Wrigley is a professional writer and blogger who loves travel, technology and dogs. She is originally from the UK but currently lives in Nepal with her three dogs: two pugs and a golden retriever.
