A highly sought-after dog breed, the Golden Retriever is popular mainly because of its versatility. The natural dispositions of the Retriever make it a great family dog. Not only is the Golden Retriever a great addition to the family, but they can also be good for hunting and as a show dog.
One of the most important, yet under noticed, things about the Golden Retrievers are their growth through the different stages of puppyhood and life. At times, the growth of the Golden Retriever can be so irregular that you’d wonder if there was something wrong with your dog. Just like the growth lifecycle of any other dog, the growth of the Golden Retriever occurs in spurts during the first two years of its life.
Regardless of this, you should keep a watchful eye on your Golden Retriever pup, especially during the first few months of its life. In addition to being educational, monitoring the growth of your Golden Retriever dog will be a fun activity for you.
Understanding the Golden Retriever Growth Chart
As mentioned above, the development of the Golden Retriever can vary from one dog to another. However, since the development cycle for most Golden Retrievers is more or less the same, it may be worth it to check the Golden Retriever Growth Chart. To get you started, the following is the growth chart for both male and female Golden Retrievers for the first 11 months and in years 1 and 2.
Female Golden Retriever Growth Chart
| Golden Retriever Female Puppy Weight Chart | ||||
| Age | Smallest | Largest | Average | |
| 7 weeks | 5 lb | 17 lb | 9 lb | |
| 8 weeks | 5 lb | 17 lb | 10 lb | |
| 9 weeks | 8 lb | 17 lb | 12 lb | |
| 10 weeks | 13 lb | 22 lb | 15 lb | |
| 11 weeks | 12 lb | 22 lb | 17 lb | |
| 3 months | 16 lb | 43 lb | 22 lb | |
| 4 months | 25 lb | 44 lb | 30 lb | |
| 5 months | 25 lb | 57 lb | 40 lb | |
| 6 months | 27 lb | 72 lb | 44 lb | |
| 7 months | 27 lb | 67 lb | 45 lb | |
| 8 months | 40 lb | 67 lb | 52 lb | |
| 9 months | 44 lb | 68 lb | 52 lb | |
| 10 months | 50 lb | 68 lb | 60 lb | |
| 11 months | 52 lb | 80 lb | 65 lb | |
| 1 year | 55 lb | 90 lb | 70 lb | |
| 2 years | 55 lb | 90 lb | 70 lb | |
Male Golden Retriever Growth Chart
| Golden Retriever Male Puppy Weight Chart | ||||
| Age | Smallest | Largest | Average | |
| 7 weeks | 3 lb | 25 lb | 9 lb | |
| 8 weeks | 3 lb | 27 lb | 11 lb | |
| 9 weeks | 7 lb | 27 lb | 13 lb | |
| 10 weeks | 10 lb | 28 lb | 17 lb | |
| 11 weeks | 6 lb | 24 lb | 17 lb | |
| 3 months | 9 lb | 34 lb | 23 lb | |
| 4 months | 15 lb | 55 lb | 33 lb | |
| 5 months | 20 lb | 67 lb | 42 lb | |
| 6 months | 38 lb | 75 lb | 52 lb | |
| 7 months | 35 lb | 75 lb | 59 lb | |
| 8 months | 40 lb | 77 lb | 61 lb | |
| 9 months | 45 lb | 77 lb | 61 lb | |
| 10 months | 50 lb | 77 lb | 63 lb | |
| 11 months | 55 lb | 77 lb | 66 lb | |
| 1 year | 65 lb | 77 lb | 68 lb | |
| 2 years | 65 lb | 80 lb | 73 lb | |
As you can see in the above tables, the Golden Retriever Growth Chart looks the development of the Golden Retriever pup from 7 weeks until year two. Looking at the growth chart, you will notice that the smallest sized female Golden Retriever puppy is bigger in size than the smallest male Golden Retriever pup until month 5. However, from thereon in, the smallest sized Golden Retriever male puppy is either the same size as the smallest sized female Golden Retriever pup or bigger than it.
Additionally, the largest and average sizes of the Golden Retriever male puppy are bigger than the largest and average sizes of the Golden Retriever female puppy throughout the growth chart except week 7 when the average and largest size of both genders is the same.
Since the Golden Retriever Growth Chart starts at week 7, we will look at the development of the Golden Retriever from week 7 until end of year 1 and beyond.
7-Week-Old Golden Retriever
The end of the 7th week is typically the time Golden Retrievers make way to their new home. This is the time of their life when Golden Retrievers are most fearful. If a 7-week old Golden Retriever hears strange sounds at night, it is likely to startle or jump at anything that is front of it which could be you or your kids.
Best Puppy Food for Golden Retrievers
8-Week-Old Golden Retriever
The 8th week of the Golden Retriever’s life is usually the time it settles into its new home forever. If you do the math, the 8 weeks equals 2 months and by this time, the Golden Retriever is ready to start a great new life. From here on in, it is extremely important to keep a watchful eye on the development of your Golden Retriever until its 8 months old.
12-Weeks or 3-Month Old Golden Retriever
One of the most periods in the life of a Golden Retriever is weeks eight to twelve. This is the time when your Golden Retriever can easily become scared of anything or anyone that it is unfamiliar with. For this reason, it is critical to thoroughly socialize your Golden Retriever pup from weeks 8 to 12.
Week 8 to 12 is also the time when your Golden Retriever will get to grips with house-training. This will where it will learn to wait for food and sleep through the night without a potty break. In short, week eight to twelve of your Golden Retriever will be a busy time for you as an owner. The 12th week or 3rd month of its life is also the time when your Golden Retriever will get its vaccinations.
One of the biggest issues with your Golden Retriever that you may have to deal with during this period is its tendency to bite. You must show patience and calm to teach your Golden Retriever not to hurt people when playing with them or otherwise. However, the 3rd month of your Golden Retriever’s life is a great time to train it to listen to and act on your commands.
As far as the nutrition needs of your Golden Retriever are concerned, you’ll have to feed it four times a day, especially if you’re making the pup go through a training regime during this time. You will also need to perform regular grooming on your Golden Retriever since it will have a long coat by week 12 which will require regular brushing and cleaning.
4-Month Old Golden Retriever
By the end of week 12, the meal frequency of most Golden Retriever pups can drop down to three a day. This generally means that your Golden Retriever will need larger portion of meals which an easily upset their tummies if you’re not careful. Also, from week 12 to 16, your Golden Retriever will start to lose its puppy look and start resembling a mini-version of its adult self.
5-Month Old Golden Retriever
This is the time in the life of your Golden Retriever when it will start to lose its teeth. Additionally, your pup will have a coat that somewhat resembles the coat that it will have during its adult life. The fifth month of the Golden Retriever’s life is also the time when it may resort to a lot of biting and chewing. To ensure that your Golden Retriever does not chew on your expensive furniture or its sensitive fingers, give it something to chew on such as Frozen Kongs.
This is also the time when you can start to take your Golden Retriever out for short walks like a twenty-minute walk each day. Additionally, this is a time when your puppy may enjoy being outdoors and playing fetch-ball.
6-Months to One-Year
By month 6, your Golden Retriever would have become a furry young dog. This is the time when your Golden Retriever will have the torso of an adult Retriever but legs and tail of a puppy, which will give it a really funny look.
In addition to the above, the 6th month of your Golden Retriever’s life is when its ears and nose will grow out. Also, at some point, you may find that the legs of your Golden Retriever seem shorter than its hind legs. However, this will normalize soon. The growth of Golden Retriever is very fast during the second six months of their life. This is the time when the joints and bones of the puppy are extremely vulnerable and injury-prone.
Best Dog Food for Adult Golden Retrievers
A Full Grown Golden Retriever
In short, make sure you do all the right things during the different stages of your Golden Retriever’s life that are mentioned in the Golden Retriever Growth Chart illustrated above. This will be good for both you and your Golden Retriever.
