# At what age is a Maltese considered "full grown"?



## BentleysMama (Dec 26, 2012)

I guess the title says it all. Bentley is about 6 months now. Should I expect him to continue growing much more or is he about where he's going to be?


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## CloudClan (Jan 31, 2007)

They can grow until they are two years old, but most are done by about a year. They tend to start to slow down in their growth between 6-9 months. It depends though. Some grow like crazy after six months, some do not grow hardly at all after that age. Where did your boy come from? What size were his parents and how fast did they grow? These questions are more likely to give you a better estimate of how much more growing your dog will do. 

How big is he now?


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## BentleysMama (Dec 26, 2012)

Bentley came from MonÉsta's Maltese here in Scottsdale, Az. Parents were each about 5 lbs. I'm not sure on how quickly they grew though. Last time at the vet he was 4 lbs. About 5 weeks ago.


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## Zoe's Mom88 (Apr 25, 2011)

He will probably still do some growing as they fully stop at around 1 1/2 years old. Zoe weighed 3.8 lbs when I got her at 6 months old and now weighs 5.2lbs at 2 1/2 years old. She isn't a big eater so I think that does play a part. It's always hard to judge but I would say at only 6 mos he will grow some more.


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## CloudClan (Jan 31, 2007)

I imagine Adriane could give you an idea of how on target he is for the growth rate of his sire and dam and others they may have produced. 

My own puppies from my most recent litter were between 2-2.6 pounds at the 12 week mark and about 3-3.5 pounds at the 16 week mark. I would say they are on target to top out between 5-6 pounds.


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## BentleysMama (Dec 26, 2012)

Bentley was 2.5 lbs at 12 weeks also. Adrianne is awesome, I think she told me to expect him to be around the same weight as the parents. I so hope he will be around 5 or 6 lbs, but love him even if he's 12!

Thank you both for replying. We have had Bentley since Christmas Eve, and he is just the biggest, little, blessing. He has stolen our hearts and is certainly a spoiled and loved Maltese.


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## Piccolina (Dec 25, 2009)

B................Because he is so cute, I think you should keep him:HistericalSmiley:

E................Eventually, he will probably be cuttter:thmbup:

N................No, can't be any cutttter than that:duh oh:

T................Tell Mommy we like to see pictures 

L................Lovely Maltese:Cute Malt:

E................Eventually will want a sister as playmate :tender:

Y................Yummy little Bentley:smootch:





*


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## Lacie's Mom (Oct 11, 2006)

Adrianne has been breeding for a long time, so I'm sure she would be able to tell you where her fluffs mature (and complete growth) earlier or later.

Lacie, who is from a reputable breeder in Arizona (no longer breeding) continued to grow slightly until she was 18 months. More "filling out" after she was a year old than actual weight.

Secret, a Bonnie Angel, was finished at about 7-8 months old as Bonnie's fluffs tend to mature earlier.

Tilly was a rescue and has had a very different growth pattern and continued to grow after 2 years which is unusual for a Malt from a good breeder. As we're not even certain that Tilly is 100% Malt (from a puppymill situation), I wasn't surprised by the difference in her growth pattern.

My "guess" would be that your boy will grow a little more and then go from being a "gangly teenager" to a "filled out hunk" at about 18 months.


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## babycake7 (Jan 30, 2012)

Bella has been the same weight since she was about 10 months old...4 3/4 lbs. I think each dog is individual.


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