Puppy Pet Care

Every puppy owner is encouraged to make his own puppy growth chart, plotting the changes of weight, height and body type of the puppy. You may never know when this might be handy. If your puppy displays symptoms of unhealthy conditions, your homemade puppy growth chart might give significant clues to your veterinarian when diagnosing the problem. For wannabe breeders, maintaining a puppy growth chart is a good way for you to keep a record of how large or small your puppies will grow. You can then make an educated guess as to how big the future puppies will be when you decide to mate your current dog with another bitch or male.

The Purina Body Condition System has a systematic way of categorizing the dog’s weight condition. The 9 types of dogs aim to give a distinction between the thin dogs and the really obese ones by listing physical characteristics that any pet owner may check for himself. Consider this your informal puppy growth chart.

1. EMACIATED
   The canine doesn’t have any perceivable body fat and there is an apparent loss of muscle mass. All bony structures seem to jut far apart.
   
   
2. VERY THIN
   There is no obvious body fat but there is a slight loss of muscle mass. Ribs, lumbar vertebrae and pelvic bones can be seen clearly.
   
   
3. THIN
   The canine’s pelvic bones become conspicuous, the ribs may be noticeable without fat and the top of the lumbar vertebrae is detectable.  Tucks in the waist and abdominal area can be observed.
   
   
4. UNDERWEIGHT
   Waist can be easily spotted when viewed from above while the abdominal tuck is still visible. Lastly, the ribs are evident with minimal fat covering.
   
   
5. IDEAL
   The pup’s ribs are palpable without excess fat covering. The abdomen tuck is seen from the side while the waist can be viewed from above.
   
   
6. OVERWEIGHT
   Trivial excess fat covers the ribs while the waist is discernable from above although it doesn’t stand out that much.  Abdominal tucks are blatantly exhibited.
   
   
7. HEAVY
   Ribs are still tangible but only difficult to locate because of the heavy fat cover.  Some fat deposits form over lumbar area and the base of the tail. The puppy seems to lack a waist and the usual abdominal tuck.
   
   
8. OBESE
   Ribs are under heavy fat cover and may be seen only when pressure is applied.   A hefty amount of fat deposits over the lumbar area and the base of the tail characterize this pup. Waist seems to be non-existent and so is the abdominal tuck.  Marked abdominal swelling is normal for this body type.
   
   
9. GROSSLY OBESE
   This last category of dogs has a manifest difference with the last category in terms of body fat.

These 9 classifications in the puppy growth chart determine whether you have overfed, underfed or gave the ideal amount of food to your puppy. If you have underfed your puppy, adjust the feeding amounts until he exhibits weight changes. If you have given the ideal amount of food to your puppy on a daily basis, continue this regimen but be sure to vary the menu! If you have gone overboard with the pampering, it would be advisable to modify the daily diet of your puppy until you have made progress towards the ideal weight. It might be wise to adopt a more active lifestyle with your dog and give him more exercise. Longer walks and supplementary games seem like a good place to start.

A puppy growth chart may keep a registry of ideal heights, weights or body types according to sex. As Charles Schultz said, “Happiness is a warm puppy”. And more blissful hours will be spent with your puppy if you would make that effort to keep the optimum level of health for your adored animal in the world.

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Sure, you committed yourself to the whole task of researching every bit of info about raising puppies well. You may have tapped the resources in the Internet or you may have asked the local vet for any useful tips. Job well done! One of the most important things you should know as a responsible pet owner is the average puppy growth rate. Just as every human baby grows on a different rate from other babies, every puppy develops on a rate unique to its breed.

As a general rule, larger dog breeds normally require a longer time to fully grow to maturity and toy breeds tend to have a faster puppy growth rate. Here is a list of five benefits you gain when one is aware of the appropriate puppy growth rate:

1.You can make an accurate feeding guide.

Knowing the puppy growth rate specific to your dog’s breed is vital since it will determine the amount of dog food that you need to prepare on a daily basis. The more activities your puppy does everyday, the more complex his energy requirement is. And you certainly wouldn’t want your puppy to starve to death nor would it be a healthy condition for him to be overweight. For instance, the first week of your puppy will prove to be a relatively easy time to manage since puppies normally sleep 90% of the time and search for their mommy’s milk 10% for feeding. However, expect to feed your puppy four times a day during weeks 7-12.

2. You can expect what size of crate to buy for your puppy.

One of the first things you would want to buy for your pooch is his crate. Consider this your mobile dog house that you can tote around when traveling or moving to a different location in the house. Aside from being the metal vanguard preventing dogs from ruining your favorite sofa, this handy invention can keep your puppy from getting near hazardous household items. Given the extreme benefits of buying a crate, it is advisable that one anticipate how big your puppy can get before you race to the pet supply store. And for this, one needs to know the puppy growth rate of Man’s furry best friend!

3. You will know what behavior to expect from your cute li’l puppy.

Yes, we all know that the little bundle of joy that you may have brought home from the pet store or you adopted from the animal shelter may be the current love of the family but when he wrecks half of the den furniture and chews on your sister’s most cherished shoe collection, you might change your mind and send the furry monster to the nearby pound. To prevent this from happening, you might want to check the various stages of development of puppies.

4. You’ll know when your puppy is safe to be neutered or spayed

As early as four months, your puppy may undergo neutering or spaying. One will never regret this decision if your intention for acquiring the puppy is to form a tight bond with your family. Spaying or neutering will prevent him/her from going after the neighborhood bitch or male.

5. You’ll know when to start disciplining your puppy or even better, send him/her off to puppy obedience school.

Puppies are dependent on their mothers for the first two weeks of their existence. Once your puppy turns 8 months old, it’s safe to send him off to obedience school or start house training.

Having knowledge of your puppy’s growth rate will enable you to tailor-fit a feeding guide, anticipate the crate size to buy, send him/her off for a neutering or spaying procedure, predict the behavior of your puppy through various stages of development and foresee when to discipline your puppy. With this in mind, your cute puppy will thank you for taking the time to Google his/her growth rate.

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