Hi everyone! Today our pup, Summer, is going for his 12 week old shots. He weighed 17 lbs at 8 weeks old. He now is 12 weeks old and weighs a wopping 33.1 lbs! He is out of English parents, but we saw the dad from a distance, and he looked taller and stockier than our Raphael’ father. Raphael weighs 98 lbs and needs to loose another 8 lbs. Summer doubled in size in just 4 weeks.. He also bites harder when playing than my 3 month old Cougar( twenty five years ago) When will the really hard biting stop? Will he grow as fast over the next 4 weeks? Thank you all in advance Jon
Hi @raf108, wow, you sure do have a big boy! When my Aspen was 3 months, he weighed 19 lbs. You mentioned that Summer is an English, so I think that he will probably continue growing to be quite a large boy! Some pups are much larger than others, grow faster, etc. I know that my Aspen weighed more at 9 months than he does not at 14 months. Summer will probably continue to grow just as much in the next four weeks, because although I am not an expert, I am pretty sure this is the time when they do most of their noticeable growing! As for the biting, every dog is different. I have played with many Labrador puppies and some were big biters, others not so much. My Aspen was a ferocious biter from the moment we brought him home at 8 weeks until about 8 months! Maybe later. So they question "When will the really hard biting stop?" is a hard one to answer, because everyone's dogs are different. I know some people who are still trying to stop biting at 12 months old. You can help with the biting by offering a toy when your pup goes for your hands, clothes, etc. Some people yelp like a pup but that just excited my dog. Your pup will learn naturally, over time, that it is not okay to bite so long as you do it in a positive way. We try to steer clear of things like spray bottles, flicking, and smacking the snout when trying to teach bite inhibition. I guess my only advice on the biting is to wait it out, because that's all you really can do, and try your best not to let him bite! Like I said, offer a toy instead of your hands. I hope his shots went well!
Hi Jon, Some Lab pups do bite very hard - you might find this article: When Do Puppies Stop Biting And How To Cope With A Teething Lab helpful. Your puppy's growth rate should slow down now. Growing too fast is not great for your puppies joints so do keep in touch with your vet about your puppy's weight. There is some puppy growth information here: Puppy Growth FAQ. Enjoy your pup and tell us how you get on!
Thank you Pippa, Our vet was fine about his weight. He said Summer was going to be a big boy. His feet are huge! Jon
My pup was that size that 12 wks (nearly 14kgs). By 18 wks only 15kgs and now at nearly 6 months, barely hitting 20kgs. He's still big (long and tall but very slim). But his growth really went fast from 2-4 months!
Love those big labs! Our 5 year old, Summit, was 18 lbs at 8 weeks and has always been huge. After a diet and some good exercise, we have him holding stead at about 85 lbs. His vet lovingly says that he carries his weight well and is just big-boned.
@raf108 yes, the both are. Our 5 year old is huge and our almost 7 month old is pretty average size. So I guess you just never know!
