Pug puppies are known for their cute and loving features. They have high adaptive intelligence making a pug puppy a great companion dog. If you’re planning to get one, are you wondering of its pug growth?
These are toy breeds, so don’t expect them to grow as big as a Labrador. On average, pug growth is increasing until they reach nine months. Both pug’s weight and length will be increasing for that period.
You might see some pugs being thinner or fatter, but if it’s a purebred, the size will be almost the same. Are you interested to learn more aside from when do pugs stop growing?
Continue reading to find out more on:
How old are pugs when they full grow
What are the different pug growth stages
Average Pug Growth Chart
What is a teacup pug
How big do pugs age 6 month be
How big do pugs are at full growth
How can you keep your pugs healthy
Let’s start the deep dive on the growth of the pug dog.
Table of Contents
How old are pugs when they full grow?
A pug breed is small and they mature faster than other large breed dog like Golden Retrievers and Boston Terrier. At the age of nine months, pugs reach full growth. But you can expect pug grows continuously at a slower pace until they reach twelve months.
The sexual maturity of pugs starts at the sixth to ninth months as well. When they reach that stage, it’s advisable that you let them be pregnant after a year. This is to ensure their body is strong enough to undergo the stress of giving birth.
After a year, you can 100 percent make sure that your pugs reach their full growth. You can expect about the same rate for all purebred pugs. There is slight variation for those pug mixes due to mix of other dog genes.
What are the different pug growth stages?
Male and female pugs are under toy breeds. These are small sized breed, so pugs are prone to dystocia. It’s a condition where toy canines have difficulty doing natural birth. Because pug puppies have large head and shoulder while their pug mother has small pelvic bones.
That’s why most of them undergo cesarean section for giving birth. This is expensive but it will give a higher rate of survival for both the mother and the pug puppies.
On average, pugs have a litter size of three to six puppies. This is how many puppies you can expect for your pregnant pug. So, a pug’s growth is divided into five stages.
Neonatal Stage (0 to 2 weeks)
This is the earliest stage for a pug puppy. They still nurse from their mother and sleep most of the time. Among the five senses, it’s their taste and sense of touch that is active at this stage. Their sense of sight and hearing are still not present at this age. A pug puppy at this time get most of their happiness from their pet parents.
Transitional Stage (2 to 4 weeks)
Your pug puppy at this age starts to develop their sense of smell and hearing. Their eyes will also start to open, same with their teeth. This stage is where you will see a lot of development on the motor skills of your pugs.
Your pug puppy will also start to bark and learn more from their parents. If you have other dogs in the house, they can influence the puppy.
Socialization Stage (3 to 12 weeks)
At this age, the growing puppies are on a fast pace. Because these small dogs have high adaptive intelligence, they are very sociable at this age. Here some of the notable changes for this stage:
- Play will be their most essential thing during 3 to 5 weeks age
- Sleeping and bowel control will manifest in them between 3 to 4 weeks
- Your pugs will start to interact with other dogs. Playing will be there most vital tool for socializing with other dogs.
- Your pug starts to develop emotional dependence to you at the fourth week.
- There will be high exploration for your pugs during 5 to 7 weeks. That means you need to guide them at this point.
- To avoid health issues, your pug must get shots from pug’s veterinarian during 6 to 8 weeks.
- Once your pugs reach 8 weeks, they must be weaned from their mother’s milk. Your pugs must start to learn eating solid food.
- Start to potty train your pugs upon reaching 7 to 9 weeks old. Crate training will also help shape their obedience.
- Once they reach 9 to 12 weeks, you can teach them with basic commands.
- Always train your pug to socialize with children, strangers, and other dogs. This starts when they are 14 to 16 weeks old.
Ranking Stage (3 to 6 months)
During this stage, your pug develops their teeth. Because their teeth are developing, pugs are prone to biting things. That means you must provide them with non toxic toys. You also need to teach them what they can bite or not.
While your pug is growing on his or her prime, it will be essential to guide them. Your presence is most important to them at this stage. They are loyal and emotionally attached to their owner. That’s why you need to care for them always.
Adolescence Stage (6 to 18 months)
The physical maturity of your pugs is reached when they reach the age of 6 to 9 months. Looking at their average life expectancy at 12 to 15 years, this toy group matures fast. There will be several things happening to your growing pug during adolescence but mostly in preparation for the maturity stage.
Mature Stage (1 Year+)
Here are some of their changes:
- They will slowly reach their full adult height after a year
- Pugs will reach their full reproductive capabilities upon reaching a year age
Average Pug Growth Chart
Both male and female pugs grow to a similar weight and height upon reaching full growth. Male pugs tend to be slightly taller than females. The average pug’s height is between 10 to 13 inches. They are literally small as they are under the toy breeds similar to Chihuahua and Frenchies.
Pugs average weight is around 6.5 to 8.5 kilograms. You need to give them a healthy diet if you want them to stay fit. If your pug is slightly lighter than this, then they are classed under weight. If they go above, they are overweight. An obese pug is more prone to breathing problems. Therefore, you need to give them proper food, so they get healthy weight.
Most female pugs have weight gain when they are pregnant. The excess weight can be due to their unborn puppies and extra fat.
Here are other details about pug growth chart:
- At 8 weeks age, pugs ideally weigh between 2 to 4 pounds
- At 6 months of age, their weight is between 7 to 12 pounds
- At one year, their weight hits at 13 to 18 pounds
What is a teacup pug?
This is pug hybrid is made from combining a pug and a chihuahua. They are sometimes called “Chug” or “Pughuahua”. But this pug mix is not recognized by the American Kennel Club.
Teacup pugs can literally fit inside a teacup, thus, giving them that name. They usually weigh 1.5 kg when they are still young. As they reach adult size, their weight is between 1.36 to 4.5 kilograms.
Breeding this miniature pugs is not recommended because of health reasons. Because of their compact size, they are prone to many health risks such as pug dog encephalitis. They are also at risk for dystocia and breathing problems. And their average life span of a teacup pug is 6 to 10 years.
Some animal welfare groups consider it unethical to breed teacup pugs because of the many serious health problems due to their compact body.
How big do pugs age 6 month be?
A pug usually stops growing after a year, but they can reach their full growth on the ninth month. But when they are 6 months old, their physical maturity is already close to maturity.
At this age, they usually weigh around seven to twelve pounds while having a height of 10 to 13 inches. If you want to measure your pug’s height, start from their front foot pad up above their shoulder.
Take note, once your pug reaches 6 months, it still continue to grows to maximum at the ninth month. After that, growth slows down until they reach one year age.
With good nutrition and regular exercise, the overall health of your pug will be great. Over weight will be prevented since inactivity will cause them to gain weight. This is bad since they are more prone to respiratory concerns when they are obese.
How big do pugs are at full growth?
According to many dog kennel clubs, a full grown pug is around 10 to 13 inches tall and weighing around 14 to 18 pounds. Most adult pugs have a muscular build when they reach their full maturity.
But you need to watch out for their diet and exercise to avoid letting them go overweight. If this happens, bring your pug to a veterinarian to find out the possible reasons.
Most dog diseases happen when they are over weight, especially for pugs. Because of their wrinkled face and compact body, breathing is challenging. Some of them even suffer from a pinched backbone, which requires surgery.
If your pug weighs over 18 pounds, start counting their calorie intake. Schedule a walk and play time with them since these are most energetic dogs in the toy group. We know they are lap dogs, but they love playing with their owner. That makes them great companions.
How can you keep your pugs healthy?
Pugs are adorable pets because of their loving nature. But they are also prone to health issues, especially breathing since they are brachycephalic breed. That’s due to their wrinkled face and flat nose. This makes breathing a lot challenging for them.
For you to keep the optimal health of your full grown pug, you need to bring them to the vet periodically. Complete their annual shots, deworming, and heart worm tests. They also need to under DNA testing for spotting pug dog encephalitis.
Because of their breathing issues, it also makes them susceptible to heart problems. These two are strongly linked together. That’s why you need to keep your pugs’s weight within 18 pounds, otherwise, they will be over weight.
To keep your pugs in their right weight, spend around fifteen to twenty minutes of exercise with them. Don’t forget to insert play time when you are training them. This prevents them from being goofy and mischievous.
More about Pug health in this section.
Final Words…
Adult pugs are not as big as other dogs, yet they are good natured ones. We hope to have helped you understand everything about the topic. So, going back, pugs stops growing when they reach a year old. They reach maximum adult size on their ninth months of age, then continue to slowly grow until reaching one year.
Your responsibility as a pet owner doesn’t stop when your pug reach maturity. You still need to care for them until they reach their end of life stage. Through this journey, give them proper love and care since they are your buddies too.
If you plan to get a pug, you can adopt one from a shelter. Otherwise, you can buy one from a reliable pug breeder. Make sure to check the AKC papers for your purebred pugs.
We can help you in acquiring and taking care of your pug, by reading our blogs on the topic.