My labrador looks like a puppy still with a baby face although hes getting rather big lol!, im just in need of abit of advice about how labs grow, when are they fully grown etc, he is the chunky show line type, although his mum was from working lines so dont know if that makes a difference, his dad was huge, with a beautiful chunky head, so he seems to be taking after his dad. he weighs in at a hefty 30 kg already and hes only just turned one ! although the vet says hes of very nice, lean body etc. thanks in advance
I don't think Spencer's gotten any taller since he was about 10 months old, whether he'll fill out more though I don't know. He's 16 months old, still quite immature mentally and weighs in at 29kg. He's lost 3kg in the 6 months I've had him.
thanks for the reply, i think then maybe marley will prob fill out abit in the next few months, hes very immature mentally too lol
Labradors tend to have a rather long puppy stage and then straight into old age IME! Most breeds (apart from giant one) tend to stop growing in height around 10 - 12 months, they then take a few years to fill out (unless you have neutered them early when they grow taller and tend not to broaden out). So lifestyle, nutrition, sexual entirety, exercise, genetics all have a part to play.
My Labrador is also from mixed lines, with a show type sire and a working bred dam. He was very lanky when young and wasn't helped by the fact his head looked huge, making him look even more out of proportion. Show type male Labradors in particular are very slow to mature. They fill out slowly and don't tend to look their most masculine best until they are 3-4 years of age.
Hmm...do you mean they go from mad as a hatter to slow and steady at a young age or that the puppy stage lasts until old age?
hes just been neutered last week, so im not sure what effect that will have on is overall size, weight etc, hes already got a good masculine look about him but still very puppy like which is so cute, for the next 6 months he will prob be still growing then by the sounds of it but hes gunna be a clown for ever lol! thanks for the advice guys
There is growing evidence that neutering/spaying before a dog is mature, means that they will grow larger than they should do. The hormones that are released when they hit sexual maturity help to halt growth, without those hormones, some carry on growing for longer. It depends a lot on his breeding, both my adult bitches are outside the breed standard, just, for height, I'm hoping my pup will stay within the range for bitches. Mine are predominantly show lines, I find that many working bred Labs tend to be taller, and leaner.
