Wondering when do Chihuahuas stop growing?
Perhaps you want to know how big your Chihuahua will get or how tall it will be once it is fully grown.
Chihuahuas stop growing around 10-12 months of age but many factors can affect your Chi’s growth rate.
In this guide, I will tell you all about when Chihuahuas stop growing, Chihuahua’s growth chart, and how to calculate and predict your pet’s height and weight using certain mathematical formulae.
Also read: When Do Chihuahua Puppies Ears Stand Up
When do Chihuahuas Stop Growing?
Chihuahuas are the world’s smallest dog breed.
If you have recently brought home a Chihuahua puppy, then we understand that you may be curious to find out how big it will get, how tall it will be at adulthood, how much it should ideally weigh, and most importantly, when it will be fully grown.
Chihuahuas stop growing around the age of 1 year. This means that your pet will be fully grown by the time it is 11 to 12 months old.
By this age, your pet won’t grow any taller but it could still increase in weight depending on its diet and activity level.
It is a good thing that you are asking the question: when do Chihuahuas stop growing. This is because it will help you with:
- Decisions regarding the sizes of your dog’s bed, dog collars, harness, clothing, and other accessories
- Let you know if your pet is obese or underweight.
- Help you make the right decision regarding food portions.
- Answer the question: how much exercise does my Chihuahua need?
What Factors affect your Chihuahua’s Growth Rate?
Several factors affect how big your Chihuahua will get. These are:
A. Bloodline
Your dog’s bloodline can play a role in its growth rate. If your Chihuahua has slightly larger parents, then it will be a larger-than-average dog too.
Most Chihuahuas stop growing after about 8-9 months of age and after this age, the growth stops or slows down considerably.
Your pet might grow a few inches or millimeters until it is about 1 year old and will be nearly as large as its parent. You can take this into account when you buy a bed for your dog.
Of course, genes play a role as well. Haven’t we seen larger parents having smaller kids too? The same is the case with animals.
However, in most cases, puppies grow as tall as their dam or father. (General rule of thumb is that the female Chihuahua will be like her dam and slightly smaller while the male pup will be like the father and taller).
B. What you feed it
Your Chihuahua’s nutrition will also play a role in its growth rate. A poor diet might not provide your pet with the vital nutrients it needs, resulting in stunted growth.
That is why your Chihuahua puppy needs balanced nutrition to grow and develop. Check out our guide on the best food for Chihuahua.
C. Spaying and neutering
Many Chihuahua owners feel that getting their pet fixed might affect its growth.
They erroneously believe that the surgery will make their pet smaller-than-average. This isn’t the true. In fact, dogs that undergo spaying/neutering surgery actually grow slightly larger especially if you get them fixed before 16 weeks of age.
Of course, spaying/neutering does not play as big a role as diet, nutrition, and genetics do, in your Chihuahua puppy’s growth. So never take this factor as a major guideline in estimating your pet’s size.
Check out Chihuahua growth chart in the next section so you can know exactly how big your Chi will get.
Chihuahua Growth Rate Chart
| Weight at 8 weeks | Final adult weight |
| 11 ounces | 2 lb. |
| 13 ounces | 2.5 lb. |
| 1 lb. | 3 lb. |
| 1.18 lb. | 3.5 lb. |
| 1.34 lb. | 4 lb. |
| 1.5 lb. | 4.5 lb. |
| 1.68 lb. | 5 lb. |
| 2.06 lb. | 6 lb. |
| 2.44 lb. | 7 lb. |
Chihuahua Puppy Growth – What To Expect
A tiny dog, your Chi puppy will barely weigh a few ounces at birth. It will spend majority of its time sleeping and feeding. Here is an approximate weekly growth for Chihuahuas:
0 weeks to 2 weeks
At this age, your Chi will weigh about 11 ounces and measure about 4 inches in length. A newborn Chihuahua puppy can easily fit in your palm!
In the first few weeks, it will grow rapidly and could double in length adding nearly 5 to 10% to its birth weight.
By 12 weeks/3 months
Your Chi should ideally reach 30% of its final adult weight at this age.
36 weeks/9 months
By now, your pet’s growth rate will slow down considerably. It might even reach its adult weight at this point. Purebred Chihuahua measure between 5.1 to 10 inches at withers. However, your pet might still increase in weight but ideally, it shouldn’t.
1 year
Now, your Chihuahua is fully grown and should not increase its body weight. Speak to your vet about right portion control, exercise, and the number of meals to feed your adult Chi.
How Long Until a Chihuahua is Fully Grown?
A Chihuahua can be considered fully grown by 10-12 months.
However, it could still grow in size if you do not follow a strict diet and portion control with adequate daily exercise.
For example, if you had been feeding your Chihuahua puppy 3-4 meals daily, then you must bring these down to 2 meals per day by the time your pet is a fully grown adult.
Chihuahuas are small dogs and they quickly become overweight or obese. Therefore, you must exercise your dog 2-3 times a day (short sessions of about 15-20 minutes each) and also follow strict dietary control.
How to Tell How Big A Chihuahua will Get?
Determining your puppy’s size is a fun guessing game and there are several tools you can use to predict your Chihuahua’s size at adulthood:
1) Its weight at 6-weeks
For small dog breed like the Chihuahua, you can use the weight at 6 weeks to determine its weight at adulthood.
Simply take your pet’s weight at 6 weeks and multiply it by 4. So, a 9 ounce Chi pup will weight approximately 36 ounces or 2.25 lb. at adulthood.
2) Using a mathematical formula
Dog experts have even come up with a formula to help you estimate your Chihuahua’s weight at adulthood. This formula is:
{(Weight in lb. at certain age in weeks) ÷ (your pup’s age in weeks)} x 52.
So, if your Chi weighs about 15 ounces at 12 weeks, using the above formula:
15 ounces is 0.9375 lb.
{0.9375 ÷ 12} x 52 = 4.0625 lb.
How Tall Should My Chihuahua Be?
Chihuahua puppies grow rapidly and they add to their height within the first 6 months of their lives. Over the next 6 months the growth rate slows down and your pet might add a few millimeters to its height.
This smallest dog breed, on an average, weighs about 2 to 6 lb. and gets to a height between 6 and 9 inches.
You can use the following formula to calculate your Chihuahua’s height:
{Puppy’s height at 6 months (in inches) x 100} ÷ 75
So, if your Chihuahua measures 5 inches at 6 months, using the above formula:
{5 x 100} ÷ 75 = 6.66 inches.
What is the Average Weight of a Chihuahua?
Chihuahuas are small dogs and they weigh, on an average, between 3 and 6 lb. or 1.5 – 3 kilograms. There are smaller Chihuahuas too, called the Teacup Chihuahua but this is not an officially recognized breed.
In fact, the term ‘teacup dog’ just refers to smaller-than-average Chihuahuas. These dogs are often not too healthy.
There are larger Chihuahuas as well – some weighing nearly 10-12 lb. but this is not the breed standard and they are not accepted as show dogs by kennel club.
How Big Will My Chihuahua Mix Get?
A mixed breed puppy has multiple breeds contributing to its gene pool.
That is why it gets tricky to estimate a Chihuahua mix’s height and weight. Your vet or breeder might be able to tell you how big your Chihuahua mix will get. Even then, it is still quite difficult to exactly ‘guesstimate’ the size.
If you are keen on determining how big your pet will get, then you can consider dog genetic testing. This will tell you exactly how big your pup can get in adulthood.
However, such a test can be expensive. In lieu of testing, you could consider the following factors that can help you determine your mix puppy’s size at adulthood:
1) Mathematic formula
The formula that we used for calculating a purebred Chihuahua’s weight can also help us with a mix puppy’s weight estimation.
{(Weight in lb. at certain age in weeks) ÷ (the age in weeks)} x 52.
2) Your pup’s paw size
In general, a dog with small paws will have smaller size and one with larger paws will be larger.
3) Your dog’s skin at puppyhood
Another factor to use to guess how big your Chi mixed puppy will get is by the appearance of its skin. Loose and wrinkled skin at puppyhood is an indication that the pup will grow into it. So, the more wrinkles your dog has at puppyhood, the larger its size.
Do Chihuahuas Calm Down With Age?
Yes, you can expect your Chihuahua to calm down with age compared to its age at 6 to 8 months. This means that, by the time your pet is about 10-12 months of age, it will be significantly calmer.
It is also a good idea to have your pet neutered or spayed at the right time. This can further reduce aggression, barking, whining, and growling that comes at sexual maturity.
How calm or hyper your Chihuahua is also depends on how much exercise it gets, its diet, genes, and training.
A well-exercised dog won’t have the energy to be hyper. Similarly, a well-trained dog will be obedient and won’t be as aggressive or dominant as an untrained or un-socialized dog.
Thus, in addition to age, several other factors can play a role in a dog’s temperament.
Why Is My Chihuahua so Fat?
Many factors can cause excess weight gain in Chihuahuas:
A. Lack of activity
This is the most common cause of weight gain and obesity in Chihuahuas. Exercise your dog 2-3 times a day to help it reduce that excess weight.
B. Over-eating
You might feed your dog 2 meals per day but are you also giving it treats? Even the so-called low-calorie treats can quickly add up to the pounds in a small dog like the Chihuahua.
C. Genetics
Genes also play a role in weight gain in dogs. Other factors like spaying and neutering could also lead to obesity in pets.
D. Underlying health issues
Cushing’s disease, hyper or hypothyroidism, and other hormonal factors can also contribute to excess weight gain in Chihuahuas.
If your pet continues to gain weight despite regular exercise and healthy balanced diet, please see your vet to rule out the above problems.
FAQs on When do Chihuahuas Stop Growing?
1. When to get my Chi spayed/neutered?
The best age to get a male Chihuahua neutered is between 4 and 9 months. For females, the best age to spay is before 6 months. At this age, they haven’t reached sexual maturity and the healing is also a lot quicker.
2. How long are Chihuahuas pregnant?
A normal healthy Chihuahua will be pregnant for 58 to 68 days.
3. What is the life expectancy of Chihuahua?
The life expectancy of this little dog is between 12 and 20 years.
4. When do teacup Chihuahuas stop growing?
Like most toy dog breeds, teacup Chihuahua stop growing at 10-12 months too.
Conclusion – When do Chihuahuas Stop Growing?
Chihuahuas can be considered fully grown once they reach 10 to 12 months of age.
Different factors contribute to a Chihuahua’s growth rate, primarily, its bloodline, diet, activity levels, etc.
Purebred Chihuahuas are the smallest dog breed in the world and they should not weigh more than 3 – 6 lb. or 1.5 – 3 kilograms. You can predict how big your Chihuahua will get from the size of its paws, the looseness of its skin, as well as using its weight at 6 months and multiplying it by 4.
We hope this guide helps you determine how big your Chihuahua puppy will get.
