Recognized by the AKC as the largest dog breeds, there is little doubt that Great Danes may grow to huge proportions in terms of height or even weight.
Often referred to as “Gentle Giants” or the “Apollo of dogs,” this breed lives up to its moniker.
Therefore, whether you're considering obtaining a Great Dane or currently own one, you may be curious about the rate of growth and, more importantly, the size of these colossal breeds.
We've got you covered; in this post, we'll discuss the Great Dane Growth Chart.
When Do Great Danes Stop Growing?
Fortunately, if you purchase a Great Dane puppy, you will be able to monitor their growth via a precise growth schedule, ensuring that everything is progressing normally!
However, regarding the most pressing question—when do Great Danes stop growing? Around the age of 18-24 months, this “puppy” normally slows down his or her growth, both in height and weight.
The pup reaches full height at a year and a half, but can continue to gain weight well into his or her second year.
Great Dane Growth Pictures
What is the Standard Great Dane Size
Typically, Great Danes achieve full height between 1-1.5 years of age and continue to gain weight until they reach the age of roughly 2 years. Female Great Danes typically measure 28-33 inches at the shoulder and weigh between 100 and 140 pounds, while males are often larger, reaching 30-36 inches and weighing between 140 and 200 pounds.
Great Dane Growth Chart – What To Expect
Great Dane Weight Chart by Age
Great Dane Weight 3-12 weeks
At the infant period, your Great Dane will be a quite adorable—but fairly large “puppy.” At this stage of development, you can anticipate your puppy reaching a maximum height of 42 cm, or over 17 inches!
Although you may feel as though you're missing out on the puppy stage with a giant dog breed, they're still going to be pretty darn cute with those large paws and ears to grow into!
Additionally, you can anticipate your puppy to weigh between 39 and 57 lb—or 18–26 kg!
Great Dane Weight 4-5months
When your Great Dane reaches the age of five months, he or she should be approximately 50% of their full size and weight. You can anticipate them to be over 27 inches tall (almost 2 feet!) and weighing up to 80 pounds
Great Dane Weight 6-8 months
At this stage, your Great Dane will have reached around 80% of his or her adult height and weight.
You may feel as if you have a human child at this point, as they should weigh approximately 58 kg, or 127 lb.
Additionally, they should be as tall as 75 cm, or approximately 29 inches—not much taller than they were a few months earlier in Stage 2.
Great Dane Adult Weight
Your Great Dane should stand around 80 cm or 31 inches tall as an adult and weigh up to 70 kg or 154 pound! As previously stated, this is going to be a large dog—be prepared!
What is the Full Grown Great Dane Weight?
A fully mature male Great Dane can reach a height of 32 inches and weigh up to 175 pounds (79.3 kgs).
While a fully developed female Great Dane can reach a height of 30 inches and weighs approximately 140 pounds (63.5 kgs).
Great Dane Size Chart
Here is the size chart of a Great Dane:
| Age | Weight (f) | Height (f) | Weight (m) |
| 8 Weeks | 18 lbs (8 kg) | 14 inch (36 cm) | 23 lbs (10 kg) |
| 10 Weeks | 22 lbs (10 kg) | 15 inch (38 cm) | 31 lbs (14 kg) |
| 12 Weeks | 30 lbs (14 kg) | 18 inch (46 cm) | 38 lbs (17 kg) |
| 4 Months | 48 lbs (22 kg) | 22 inch (56 cm) | 57 lbs (26 kg) |
| 5 Months | 62 lbs (28 kg) | 24 inch (61 cm) | 72 lbs (33 kg) |
| 6 Months | 75 lbs (34 kg) | 27 inch (69 cm) | 85 lbs (39 kg) |
| 7 Months | 82 lbs (37 kg) | 28 inch (71 cm) | 92 lbs (42 kg) |
| 8 Months | 86 lbs (39 kg) | 29 inch (74 cm) | 100 lbs (45 kg) |
| 9 Months | 90 lbs (41 kg) | 29 inch (74 cm) | 110 lbs (50 kg) |
| 10 Months | 92 lbs (42 kg) | 29 inch (74 cm) | 115 lbs (52 kg) |
| 12 Months | 100 lbs (45 kg) | 29 inch (74 cm) | 120 lbs (54 kg) |
| 24 Months | 115 lbs (52 kg) | 30 inch (76 cm) | 140 lbs (64 kg) |
| Age | Weight (f) | Height (f) | Weight (m) |
| 8 Weeks | 18 lbs (8 kg) | 14 inch (36 cm) | 23 lbs (10 kg) |
How To Weigh Your Great Dane Puppy?
If you want to maintain track of your Great Dane's weight, you must first learn how to weigh him properly.
To begin, you should be able to weigh your Great Dane at home if he is a puppy or if you are just large enough to hold him. This can be accomplished with a standard bathroom scale.
To begin, weigh yourself and record the result. Then, while standing on the scale, pick up your dog and hold him. The difference in weights represents your dog's weight.
If your dog is too huge to carry, you can either invest in a dog scale, which can cost upwards of $100, or contact your veterinarian. The majority of veterinarian offices will enable you to use their scale.
Unless there is a health problem, you can weigh an adult Great Dane once every six months. Once a week is sufficient for a puppy to ensure he is growing normally.
What Is A Great Dane’s Neck Size?
To determine the neck size of your dog, use a soft and flexible tape measure to determine the neck size of your dog where her collar naturally falls. Then, put two fingers between your dog's neck and the tape measure to ensure that the dog collar fits snugly but comfortably. Great Dane’s average neck circumference is between 20 and 26 inches.
How Big Do Great Danes Get?
While Great Danes normally achieve their peak height by 18 months of age, it takes at least two years for them to attain their full potential. If your Great Dane puppy is younger than two years old, he or she is most likely still growing muscle to achieve mature size.
If you got your Great Dane from a breeder, contact them for a more specific height and weight estimate based on the parents and prior litters of your Great Dane. Your breeder should be able to provide you with a more precise estimate of your Great Dane's adult size, as puppies rarely outgrow their parents.
Alternatively, you can examine your Great Dane's paws and compare them to the rest of their body and legs. Are your Great Dane's paws excessively large? This is a classic puppy characteristic indicating that they are still growing.
Great Dane Body Condition Score (BCS)
The body condition score is used to determine a pet's body fat. In other words, it is the metric we use to determine the BMI of dogs. It is critical because it can guide the owner to a level of weight management that would be impossible otherwise.
It examines your Great Dane's silhouette from the side and above, paying particular attention to the ribs, waist, spine, abdomen, overall fat cover, hip bones, and muscle mass. Because Great Danes are renowned to be lean dogs, you should be able to see their waistline plainly when you look at them.
A typical BCS score for a Great Dane would be 3. And this is described as a robust Great Dane with easily felt but not always visible ribs and spine.
Factors That Affect Great Dane Puppy Growth
Genetics
As with any other creature in the animal kingdom, your Great Dane's genetics and family history have a significant impact on his height, weight, and growth pace.
Diet & Nutrition
You may believe that if you have a large dog, the more food you give them, the faster they grow. However, regardless of how much nutritional food is pumped into them, Great Danes tend to grow at their own rate.
If you attempt to increase their height or weight by increasing their protein intake, all you will do is increase their risk of developing health concerns, which we're sure you don't want to do!
Consult your veterinarian for feeding suggestions regarding the quantity and frequency of food. With a dog this large, you're almost certainly going to be recommended highly specific puppy food.
When it comes to feeding, as your dog grows in height, you'll also want to pay attention to their food bowl, which should be set at a height that prevents them from straining their neck and back while eating.
Will Neutering/Spaying Affect My Great Dane’s Growth?
When your Great Dane reaches the age of one year, it is advisable to have him or her neutered or spayed. This is because the testosterone in his blood has already accomplished some of the necessary work.
Testosterone has an effect on your Great Dane's growth. Following this, it is safer for him to be neutered, which will alter his testosterone levels.
Female Great Danes should have had their first heat cycle during the last few months. They often go into heat for the first time around the age of six months.
Spaying them while they are in heat is not a smart idea. However, after the initial heat cycle, this is OK.
The benefits of neutering and spaying include preventing your dog from acquiring certain cancers and maybe lowering the chance of prostate disease in male dogs.
Additionally, there are apparent advantages to eliminating undesired puppies, as they come with additional responsibilities and costs for the owner. Not to mention the chance of your female Great Dane becoming pregnant.
Additionally, it may deter your Great Dane from roaming the neighborhood or fleeing. Additionally, it improves the disposition of some dogs.
Every procedure carries a risk, and spaying and neutering surgery is no exception. Ultimately, your Great Dane must be exposed to a certain degree of risk. Additionally, additional care must be done while they are recovering.
How do I ensure the health of my Great Dane?
Preventative care is critical to maintaining your Great Dane's health and strength.
Purebred dog breeds, such as Great Danes, are predisposed to hereditary health issues. Great Danes are more prone to joint problems, hip dysplasia, hypothyroidism, and bloat than other breeds. The American Kennel Club ranks canine bloat, also known as Gastric Dilatation Volvulus, as the breed's leading killer. This condition develops when the stomach swells and twists. While the cause of canine bloat is not always predictable, experts believe that giving multiple small meals throughout the day, ensuring your pooch does not eat too quickly, and limiting vigorous activity or exercise within an hour before or after meals will help reduce the risk of canine bloat. If you are concerned about your Great Dane puppy developing bloat, speak with your veterinarian about various preventative surgical procedures or the early indications of bloat so you can monitor your pup for them.
Other preventative steps, such as feeding your Great Dane puppy a large-breed growth dog food, are critical for preventing or minimizing the severity of hip dysplasia and other joint problems. Consult your veterinarian for recommendations on the best large-breed growth diet and other preventative health measures for your Great Dane puppy.
Unfortunately, veterinarian care may be quite expensive, especially for huge breed dogs like these. According to the American Veterinary Medical Association, the average household visits a veterinarian clinic 2.4 times each year. This can easily mount expensive, particularly if your Great Dane puppy requires any type of specialized medical attention. As the largest dog breed, Great Danes are also more expensive to buy due to the additional costs associated with treating and feeding such a large dog. This is the point at which pet insurance comes into play.
Pet insurance enables you to care for your dog in the event of an emergency. Pet insurance works by covering up to 90% of the out-of-pocket costs associated with veterinarian treatment, such as diagnostic services, laboratory work, physical exams, surgical procedures, anesthesia, and hospitalization. If you insure your Great Dane puppy, any new accident, illness, or emergency will be covered by your policy, enabling you to focus on what matters most: your pup's health and happiness.
Additionally, many pet insurance policies have wellness add-ons that reimburse you for standard veterinary charges such as annual checkups, routine blood work, and vaccinations, allowing you to provide the finest preventative care possible for your dog. Preventative care is especially useful for purebred dog breeds, such as the Great Dane, because many pet insurance policies cover breed-specific health conditions, such as hip dysplasia and cancer.
Common Questions about Great Dane
At What Age Is A Great Dane Fully Grown?
Great Danes develop rapidly, with their highest growth spurts occurring between the ages of four and six months. According to the Great Dane Club of America, Great Danes mature at the same rate as humans do over their first fourteen years!
Between the ages of 18 and 24 months, Great Danes are considered completely developed. The majority of Great Danes reach full height by 18 months and continue to gain muscle during their second year.
How Long Are Great Danes Pregnant?
Dogs typically gestate for roughly 63 days from conception, though this might vary by several days. While this may appear to be a basic response, conception is frequently difficult to determine.
How Many Puppies Do Great Danes Have?
Typically, Great Dane litters comprise around eight puppies.
What Is The Life Expectancy Of Great Danes?
When it comes to longevity, Great Danes certainly get the short end of the stick. Great Danes live between 8 and 10 years, with some reaching the ripe old age of six or seven, and a fortunate few reaching the ripe old age of twelve.
How Much Does It Cost To Own A Great Dane?
If you're a fan of large dogs, you're probably also a fan of large prices. When it comes to Great Danes, expect to spend a premium.
Initial expenses include adoption or breeder fees, vet care, food (a lot of it! ), a bed, and toys, among other things (depending on how much you want to spend spoiling your dog).
Additionally, you may be paying for grooming, boarding, and spaying and neutering.
You'll most likely spend between $3,000 and $10,000 within the first two years with a healthy Great Dane.
How To Help Your Great Dane Lose Weight If He Is Overweight
As with humans, exercise is critical for your overweight dog's health. Increased movement helps your dog burn off excess energy (and calories consumed). Avoid panic! Exercising your pet does not have to include marathons or lengthy hikes. Regular walks and the opportunity to run and play safely off-leash.
Even creating a stimulating indoor environment that encourages your dog to exercise on a regular basis can help. Bear in mind that different breeds require varying amounts of exercise, so visit your veterinarian, breeder, or your dog's breed standard for recommendations on recommended activity levels.
Distinguish Begging from Hunger
Begging is not necessarily motivated by a desire for more food; it is also used to gain attention. (And, by rewarding the behavior, you reinforce and encourage it to continue.) If your dog begs, do not automatically assume he is hungry. Trust your instincts and keep track of the date and time of your last meal.
If your dog is prone to begging and you are prone to succumb to those puppy dog eyes, choose a high-protein meal with a fiber blend to help control your dog's hunger and voluntary food consumption. This manner, you may feed your dog with the assurance that he will feel fuller and content for a longer period of time.
Restriction on treats and table scraps
Even when our dogs are not begging, many of us provide an excessive amount of treats and table scraps. Dogs are not required to share our food! Consider treats and scraps for your pet in the same way that you would candy for children to help you keep them in check. If you're going to utilize snacks for training, choose low-calorie, low-fat ones and keep the portions small.
As an alternative, keep in mind that clickers are excellent for reinforcement and they have no calories! After all, a few extra pounds can make a significant impact in the lives of dogs, which are significantly smaller than humans. (Even the colossal breeds!) Therefore, focus on a balanced diet and resist the temptation to “reward” them with extra.
Customize Your Dog's Diet
Not all weight-loss foods are created equal, which is why it's critical to match your dog's nutrition plan to their unique needs. Choose a brand that caters to your dog's unique needs, whether they be weight control, dietary sensitivities, or illnesses.
Conclusion on Great Dane Growth Chart
Great Danes are gentle giants that make excellent companions. As a purebred canine breed, Great Danes are predisposed to inherited health concerns such as aortic stenosis and joint disorders, which can swiftly escalate in cost. Veterinary care is likewise becoming more expensive on an annual basis. Your veterinarian is your most useful resource when it comes to caring for your puppy, and pet insurance is an excellent method to cover the majority of the costs connected with routine and emergency veterinary treatment for your dog.
Frequently Asked Questions:
At what age do Great Danes reach maturity?
At the age of 1.5 to 2 years, a Great Dane will reach full maturity. This, however, is subjective, as each dog is unique. Following that, they will begin to develop muscle. A fully mature male Great Dane can reach a height of 32 inches and weigh up to 175 pounds (79.3 kgs).
How can I determine the size of my Great Dane?
However, common sense can often tell you whether your Dane is growing normally. To obtain a sense of how large your Great Dane puppy should be as an adult, you can inquire about the size of your dog's parents and grandparents with the breeder (if you know them).
Why do Great Danes paw at you?
Your Dane may equate this behavior with receiving praise or developing bonds with his human partners. Simultaneously, pawing may be induced by the dog wanting to assert his authority over you or other family members.