Printable puppy weight chart

What’s inside

• Page 1: a blank chart for 20 weekly weigh-ins, with the date, the age in weeks and the weight under each column.
• Page 2: a chart for 12 monthly weigh-ins once your dog is grown, how to weigh at home, and notes.
• A line for the scale you use, because weighing on the same scale matters more than any single number.
• Pounds on US Letter and kilograms on A4. You write the numbers on the side to fit your puppy, from a toy breed to a large one.
• Fields you can fill in on screen; the dots are for pen and paper.

Why the chart has no normal weights

Puppies grow on very different curves depending on how big they will be as adults. Vets compare a puppy’s weights with growth charts for its expected adult size, and they look at body condition as well as the number on the scale. What they need from you is a clean series of weights taken the same way, and that is what this chart collects.

How often to weigh

In Veterinary Focus, veterinarian Caitlin Grant of the Ontario Veterinary College writes that puppies should be weighed at least every two weeks, and ideally every week, at the same time of day, because the last meal, a bowel movement or a drink can shift the number. Veterinarians quoted by PetMD suggest weighing a grown dog at least once or twice a year, and more often with some health conditions. The monthly page leaves room for both.

How to weigh a puppy at home

1. Use the same scale every time and write which one on the chart. A vet quoted by PetMD says two scales can differ by five to ten pounds.
2. Put the scale on a hard, flat floor, not on a rug or a counter.
3. For a small puppy, use a baby scale, or weigh the puppy in a carrier and subtract the weight of the empty carrier.
4. For a bigger puppy, weigh yourself, then step on holding the puppy, and subtract your own weight.
5. Weigh at about the same time of day, and give praise and a small treat after each weigh-in.
6. A home scale shows the trend. If a number looks off, weigh again and confirm it on the scale at your vet’s clinic.

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