Royal Agrees – Dog Size Matters

Royal here! To give you to scoop on why size matters when you choose a dog.

The older Jenn gets, the more I see her faced with her own physical limitations, although she won’t admit it. In addition to not being a “spring chicken,” Jenn has a reoccurring back issues. She knew when she adopted me that a medium sized dog of 50-55 pounds was her limit. A dog weighing more than me, she probably could not lift herself. That can become really important in any emergency if you have to physically lift your dog.

Humans also need to think about where they will be in 5,10, or 15 years. Dogs can’t think that far ahead, but you humans can. The size of dog you choose today may not be the best match for you or your family in 5 or 10 years. Think about your family’s long term plan and how a dog fits into it.

Sometimes what your puppy grows up to be can be a bit of a surprise. If you are thinking about adopting a mixed breed puppy, how will you know how big he/she will be as an adult dog? At 10 weeks of age, my brother Bernie was listed at the local humane society as a Bernese Mountain Dog mix and projected to be over 100 pounds as an adult. Bernie never grew into his big puppy feet and became a slim 45 pound adult. The general rule is to double a puppy’s weight at four months of age, and that is the minimum they will weigh as an adult.

So, you should definitely consider a dog’s adult size in your search for a family dog, but to be honest, there are good dogs of every size!!