If you have a Golden Retriever puppy, monitoring their growth can help ensure they are healthy and developing correctly. Understanding your puppy’s growth milestones allows you to provide the best care, from nutrition to vet visits. Growth issues—whether it’s underfeeding, overfeeding, or slow development—can lead to long-term health concerns. So, how can you be sure your Golden Retriever is on track?
This comprehensive guide covers everything you need to know about Golden Retriever growth, including weight charts, development stages, and important milestones. Let’s get started!
Golden Retriever Growth Overview
Golden Retrievers are known for their friendly nature and beautiful golden coats. They typically reach their full size between 12 to 18 months, although they continue to fill out until about two years of age. Golden Retrievers come in three types—American, British, and Canadian—but all have similar growth patterns.
Did you know? There are also variations in purpose within the breed, with some Goldens bred as show dogs and others for work. This can influence slight differences in size and temperament.
Golden Retriever Size and Weight
A healthy adult Golden Retriever usually weighs between 55 and 75 pounds and stands about 21.5 to 24 inches tall. Males are typically larger than females, with males weighing 65 to 75 pounds and females around 55 to 65 pounds. The height also varies slightly, with males reaching 23 to 24 inches and females standing around 21.5 to 22.5 inches tall.
Quick Size Reference Chart for Adult Golden Retrievers
| Golden Retriever | Male | Female |
| Height | 23 to 24 inches (58 to 61 cm) | 21.5 to 22.5 inches (55 to 57 cm) |
| Weight | 65 to 75 pounds (29.5 to 34 kg) | 55 to 65 pounds (25 to 29.5 kg) |
While these are general ranges, individual dogs may vary. It’s not uncommon for some Goldens to grow slightly beyond or below these averages.
Golden Retriever Puppy Growth Chart
Monitoring your puppy’s growth is essential to ensure they’re healthy and developing as expected. Here’s a detailed growth chart to help you track your Golden’s progress. Remember that minor weight differences are normal, but significant deviations should be discussed with your vet.
Golden Retriever Female Puppy Growth Chart
| Age | Smallest Weight | Largest Weight | Average Weight |
| 7 weeks | 5 lb (2.2 kg) | 17 lb (7.7 kg) | 9 lb (4 kg) |
| 3 months | 16 lb (7.2 kg) | 33 lb (14.9 kg) | 22 lb (9.9 kg) |
| 6 months | 27 lb (12.2 kg) | 61 lb (27.6 kg) | 44 lb (19.9 kg) |
| 1 year | 55 lb (24.9 kg) | 90 lb (40.8 kg) | 70 lb (31.7 kg) |
Golden Retriever Male Puppy Growth Chart
| Age | Smallest Weight | Largest Weight | Average Weight |
| 7 weeks | 3 lb (1.3 kg) | 17 lb (7.7 kg) | 9 lb (4 kg) |
| 3 months | 16 lb (7.2 kg) | 34 lb (15.4 kg) | 23 lb (10.4 kg) |
| 6 months | 29 lb (13.1 kg) | 75 lb (34 kg) | 52 lb (23.5 kg) |
| 1 year | 65 lb (29.4 kg) | 77 lb (34.9 kg) | 68 lb (30.8 kg) |
If your puppy’s weight significantly deviates from these averages, consult with your veterinarian to ensure they’re growing healthily.
Golden Retriever Puppy Growth Chart and Development with Pictures
Size aside, you also want to make sure they are reaching their milestones. Below are the Golden Retriever’s stages of life and what you should expect.
7-week-old
Seven-week-old Goldens will weigh between 5 and 17 pounds for females and 3 and 17 pounds for males.
The first vaccination for your Golden takes place between 6 to 8 weeks. You should NEVER bring home an unvaccinated puppy. This indicates that he’s from a shady breeder and that he’s vulnerable to diseases.
Since everything is new to your pup, he might be timid and get easily scared.
Golden puppies just left their source of security and are away from their littermates and mother for the first time. With love and care, they’ll gain confidence quickly.
They’re also learning to control their bowel movements, so you should be patient. Bring your pup out to relieve him after every meal.
You can start feeding Golden pups at this stage with ⅓ to ½ cups of high-quality kibble for each meal. Divide it into four small meals throughout the day.
8-week-old (2-month-old)
By now, your two-month-old Golden puppy should be settling in since they are highly adaptable.
This is also the recommended age to start training. Housebreaking is especially important to avoid bad habits from developing.
If you want him to be friendly to all, socialization at this age is also essential. This will help him grow familiar with strange sights, smells, and sounds.
For the diet, stick to feeding him four small meals a day with the same amount mentioned for 7-week Goldens.
12-weeks-old (3-month-old)
Get ready for the second round of vaccinations. After the vaccines, keep your Golden pup away from other pets for at least two weeks.
This allows them to have full immunity, especially against the fatal parvovirus.
They are becoming more curious, and you might have a problem with biting.
Stay calm and teach him gently but firmly that he is not allowed to chew on you or anything else, except his chew toy.
You can also acclimate him to grooming. Get him used to being combed and his paws handled.
Introduce him to the blowdryer and praise him when he stays calm.
From here until they’re six months old, they’ll be developing lifelong habits. You can start to be more serious about training.
What’s important is to be consistent. Don’t punish him as this will instill fear.
You don’t want to associate negative feelings, or it might impact her training.
It’s also a suitable time to introduce him to larger meals now. Spread 2 cups of kibble over the day, and cut one meal out by the end of the week.
16-weeks-old (4-month-old)
Don’t be surprised to see your four-month-old Golden pup losing its puppy features.
He’ll reach half his adult size at this age. He should also be picking up basic commands. If your pup is quick to learn, kick it up a notch by teaching him a few tricks.
20-weeks-old (5-month-old)
Your Golden puppy will start her actual teething at around five months.
Offer some chew toys that you can cool in the fridge to alleviate him discomfort.
You may also start exercising him for 20 minutes a day, as this is the stage where he should show excitement for the outdoors.
Make sure to keep the activities low-impact to avoid stressing your pup’s joints. Swimming, fetch, and walking are great to start things off.
Some Goldens are potty-trained around the 4-month mark, although accidents might still occur.
6-month-old
Golden Retrievers at six months may look awkward and disproportionate. He will have the body of an adult, but the legs and tail of a puppy.
Also, his nose and ears will grow faster, so you end up with a goofy-looking pup.
You need to be careful with him for the next six months because this is when they are most vulnerable to developing hip dysplasia.
Avoid long walks, going down the stairs, and stopping suddenly while running. The pressure from those activities might cause joints to deform.
Your Golden may also start to display signs of sexual maturity in the next few months, if not neutered or spayed.
He’s also beginning to find his role in the pack and might challenge family members, whether human or furry.
1-year-old
Your Golden puppy might look like an adult, but he will still act like a puppy for the next two to three years. Some of them never grow out of it and will stay young at heart into their old age.
You can start more strenuous activities at this point, now that he’s reached his full height. To be sure he is free from hip dysplasia, have him checked by the vet when he is two years old.
When do Golden Retrievers stop growing?
Your Golden puppy will reach his full height between 9 to 12 months of age, but he’ll only fill out by 18 months.
Golden Retrievers grow the fastest between 3 to 6 months of age. Around the six-month mark, their growth starts to taper off.
This will give you an idea of how big they’ll grow because they will be ⅔ their adult size.
Watch an adorable Golden Retriever pup, Honey Bee, grow below:
Things You Should Know About Your Golden Retriever’s Growth
Environment, diet, genetics, sterilization, gender – many factors will play a part in any dog’s growth. Keeping track of your pup’s growth by using our growth chart which can help detect any underlying health issues.
Health issues that can influence a Golden puppy’s growth
Certain issues, such as hookworm or ringworms, might compromise your Golden’s growth. This will prevent him from reaching his full potential.
If left untreated, it can cause lasting damage to their bones, muscles, immune system, skin, and digestive system.
Being ill for an extended period might also affect his development. Your puppy may be stunted due to malnutrition.
Dangers of stunted or accelerated growth
Some people prefer bigger Goldens, but some like them small, like Mini Golden Retrievers. This might lead to under or over-feeding, neither of which is ideal.
Accelerated growth can cause hip or elbow dysplasia. It can also be responsible for bone disease and arthritis.
Stunted Golden puppies, whether by illness or under-feeding, are generally weaker, and make them susceptible to falling sick.
What is the best age to spay or neuter your pup?
You can spay Golden Retriever puppies as early as 8 weeks old, but any time before they reach sexual maturity is preferred, which is around one year old.
This will prevent undesirable behaviors such as marking, territorial behavior, or a fixation with toys. All of which are hard to correct when they manifest.
For breeds that are predisposed to hip dysplasia, vets recommend spaying around the 6-month mark.
Will neutering or spaying your Golden pup affect his or her growth?
Yes, fixing a Golden before they reach sexual maturity generally causes your dog to grow bigger. This is because sex hormones suppress growth hormones.
Without growth inhibition, your Golden will continue to grow.
Aside from joint problems, there are also a few issues connected to spaying or neutering. They can become more prone to some forms of cancer.
It might also cause “spay incontinence” in females when they are older.
Some dogs also experience a change in behavior after the operation. The lack of estrogen can make female dogs more aggressive. Male dogs may also experience an increase in fearfulness.
Sexual maturity usually occurs in Golden around 8 to 12 months. This gives you ample time to decide whether to sterilize or not.
How heavy is a newborn Golden Retriever puppy?
Newborn Golden Retriever puppies should be 1% of their mom’s pre-pregnancy weight, and this is generally 14 to 16 oz (0.4 – 0.45). They gain mass rather quickly and should grow 5–10% each week.
But, puppies as small as 10 oz at birth have been recorded. They usually leave their mom at 10 lbs.
Golden puppies from the same litter won’t all be the same size. Also, bigger litters generally have smaller puppies, but they should all catch up by their 8th week.
How to identify an overweight Golden Retriever?
Use your eyes and hands to assess if your Golden is overweight or not. If you can see his ribs, he’s too skinny. But if you can’t feel them, he’s too fat!
A survey in 2012 showed that 62.7% of Golden Retrievers in America are either obese or overweight.
While it might look cute or funny, overweight dogs actually have shorter lifespans. Being excessively chubby shaves off two years and causes health issues.
Also read: What is the Average Golden Retriever Lifespan?
Do Golden Retriever types have different growth rates?
The British, Canadian, and American Golden Retrievers do not have a significant difference in growth. Show dogs are often heavier than working dogs.
Don’t be alarmed if your working dog is slightly smaller than the projected growth. As long as he’s gaining weight steadily, there’s no cause for concern.
Also, look at your pup’s parents, if they are smaller than average, your Golden will most likely be on the small side, and the opposite is true, as well.
The Verdict: Use our Golden Retriever Size Chart as a Guide
Every Golden is different and will grow at its own rate. The key is to ensure they aren’t growing too quickly or too slowly – steady growth is ideal.
Aside from other factors we mentioned, a nutritious diet and an active lifestyle will help keep your Golden healthy and happy.
Remember, their final size will vary from one another, depending on variation and pedigree.
For those considering the financial aspect of pet ownership, check out the Golden Retriever Price Guide to better understand the investment involved in raising these beautiful dogs.
For a bit of fun, explore some Golden Retriever names to find the perfect fit for your new furry friend!
I just bought 2 Goldie’s – brother & sister – they’re 10 weeks now and are gaining 1kg a week – this has been so helpful to me as CoCo is bigger then Hank but he weighs slightly more – was a bit worried but you answered a lot of my questions – great site – thank you for all your great tips 🙏💙
Hi, I have a 10-week-old male Golden Retriever. I noted your comment about walking. My pup has had just one injection to date. For the past week, I have been walking him outside, in quite a secure location for around 30 to 40 minutes, due it this time he runs a lot to tire him out and plays a lot.
He does meet the occasional dog, just has a sniff then follows me. What you said is making me think that he walks too much too soon. He likes to bite legs and arms. This walking makes him sleep so we don’t get so much biting. The more you tell him NO The more he does it.