Dogs stop growing at different ages depending primarily on their breed size:
- Small breeds (e.g., Toy Poodles, Chihuahuas) typically stop growing between 6 and 8 months of age
- Medium breeds (e.g., Beagles, Border Collies) usually finish growing around 9 to 12 months
- Large breeds (e.g., Golden Retrievers, Labradors) often stop growing between 12 and 18 months , although they may continue to fill out beyond that
- Giant breeds (e.g., Great Danes, Saint Bernards) can continue growing up to 24 months or even slightly longer, sometimes reaching full skeletal maturity between 18 and 24 months
Growth plates in the bones close when the dog reaches maturity, which marks the end of skeletal growth. After this, dogs may still develop muscle mass and fill out but will not grow taller or longer in bone length
. In summary, dogs generally stop growing between 6 months and 2 years , with smaller breeds maturing faster and larger breeds taking longer to reach full size
