I was just wondering at what age does a puppy become a dog. It sounds kind of silly but I want to know when to convert from puppy to dog products, such as food and shampoo.
Also, Callie is a 3 month old Maltipoo, she's 5 1/2 lbs... is she fully grown? When will she stop growing?
Large breed puppies are best changed to adult chow at 4-6 months. I recently saw a post suggesting the same for small dogs, perhaps a dachshund thread. Since I seldom bathe dogs, I wasn't even aware there is puppy shampoo.
Edited to add what I left out.
My labs have had most of their adult size at 5 months, although continuing slower growth until a year. This is with an early switch to adult chow to slow growth. I understand smaller dogs mature faster.
Sexually, the males have their testicles descended by 6 months and are producing sperm. Females seldom come into season before 7 months and may not until after a year old. Spay/neutering the average pet by 4-6 months avoids many headaches. Best done when your vet thinks it is time.
It depends on the breed, size, etc.. and what the definition of dog is... I would say that by 6 months they may have alot of their overall adult size and would more be considered and adolescent than a puppy.. However they are far from done maturing, Growth plates won't generally usually be completely closed unti approximately 10 months in small dogs and 14 months in the larger breeds). The growth plates are the locations in each bone where new bone forms and damage to the growth plates can result in serious limb deformities.
So perhaps carrying forward the puppy chow a bit longer is not a bad thing.. This is a serious consideration for the herding and agility breeds,, Aussies, border Collies, as teaching agility courses etc at to young an age can damage them permanantly..
My opinion would be the change to mature dog ends at the closing of the growth plate...
puppy up to 6-8 months, adolescent 8-14months, dog 14months and up
pawsdogdaycare
The early switch to adult chow depends on your goals for the dog. Puppy chow is a product of the animal feed industry and scientifically formulated to produce the fastest growth possible. We have abundant meat on our tables for less because the animal feed industry is very good at what they do. The service dog community is also very good at what they do, and has tremendous resources available to reach their goals, far more than most other programs. Thousands of dogs, of known genetic background, known feeding regimen and condition, 100% X-rayed after a year old, followed up through their entire working life, etc. They have experimented with feeding and observed the difference in large samples of dogs.
It is of no consequence to them if feeding regimen results in taking longer to reach the full adult size determined by genetics. No matter how fast a dog grows, it doesn't have the mental maturity to be trained as a service dog until after a year old. They have found the slower growth, along with keeping the puppies lean, produces more dogs with sturdy joints, sound hips, and a longer working life. When a dog has to retire, it costs the price of a fine automobile to train its replacement. Never mind the emotional upheaval of its partner. The schools have means and every incentive to learn what it takes to produce dogs with a long active life and share what they know with those raising puppies for them. Anybody wanting to push the rainbow bridge back as long as possible, would do well to get their large breed puppy on adult chow at 4 months. I have no reliable information for smaller dogs.
Yes the growth plates are still open then. I forgot to mention you can verify that by looking at the legs. If it still has a big knob at bottoms, the growth plates are still open, and it is still growing.
A puppy doesn't mature mentally until 3 years old. Much of its personality and temperament is determined by its genes and its socialization before 12 weeks. Until 6 weeks, it needs to be learning from its mother and litter. Past 12 - 16 weeks, they are much less receptive to new experiences. That is why I am legally allowed to take 7 week olds into public places such as restaurants and groceries. It is common for dogs to challenge their handlers for leadership as they approach 3 years old.
Thank you guys! I appreciate the advice. I just didn't want to be feeding her puppy food if she needs dog food. It looks like I have a little while to go though.
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