# Average Age to reach physical maturity for Maltese



## Nikki's Mom (Feb 13, 2008)

I was wondering what the average age is for a Maltese to reach "adulthood" or "maturity?" Different dog breeds go from "puppy" to "adult" at different times and of course I know that each individual dog is different. I thought I saw this already posted somewhere, but I can't find it. I was looking around for a growth chart too, but didn't see it.


I'm editing here to clarify: I meant physical maturity like height and weight.


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## Max & Rocky (May 20, 2004)

Depends what you mean by "maturity".... I have a couple 6 to 7 year olds going through puppyhood right now...  


I think Rocky and Max started behaving more like adults and got to their adult sizes some where in the 12 to 18 month old range...


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## sassy's mommy (Aug 29, 2005)

I too think it is what do you mean by maturity? Sassy was 2 yrs. old before she began to mellow out and be more of a lap puppy than a lightening bolt.


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## Nikki's Mom (Feb 13, 2008)

Oh I meant physical growth maturity, like height and weight. I'll fix my topic header


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## coco (Sep 20, 2006)

Coco continued to grow after a year. She seems to have finished at 2. I was a bit surprised by the pound she gained after her first birthday, but I was glad. She's now 5 lbs.


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## tamizami (May 1, 2007)

Stuart had a late growth spurt - he was only 2.8 pounds at 6 months, but then around 8 or 9 months he started to get taller and fill out a bit. He's 15 months now and weighs 4.2 pounds, which he hit around 12 months. Although when I think about it, both of mine went a little higher than the weight they actually settled on - Stewie was up to 4.8 pounds at one time and Shiva was up to 4 pounds and she settled back down to 3.4. 

I think it can vary quite a bit from maltese to maltese and genetics seem to play a part. Stuart's breeder typically has dogs that have a growth spurt around 8-10 months.

I hope that helps a bit....What does your breeder say?


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## Nikki's Mom (Feb 13, 2008)

> Stuart had a late growth spurt - he was only 2.8 pounds at 6 months, but then around 8 or 9 months he started to get taller and fill out a bit. He's 15 months now and weighs 4.2 pounds, which he hit around 12 months. Although when I think about it, both of mine went a little higher than the weight they actually settled on - Stewie was up to 4.8 pounds at one time and Shiva was up to 4 pounds and she settled back down to 3.4.
> 
> I think it can vary quite a bit from maltese to maltese and genetics seem to play a part. Stuart's breeder typically has dogs that have a growth spurt around 8-10 months.
> 
> I hope that helps a bit....What does your breeder say?[/B]



I'll e-mail her now and ask. Thanks for the tip!


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## beckybc03 (Jul 6, 2006)

Lilly also gained weight until around her 2nd birthday. She didn't really get bigger, she just filled out a bit. It was good for her though because she was under 4lbs when she turned one and now at 2 years and 3 months she is around 4.5lbs.


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## jmm (Nov 23, 2004)

18-24 months.


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## cindysilver (May 15, 2005)

As for a larger Maltese example, at 12 weeks, Jack was 4.5 pounds; he was 9.5 pounds at his first birthday, and now at 3 years old, he's 10.5. So a little bit of gain after the year mark, but basically, he was fully grown by 12 months.  Hope this helps!


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## Nikki's Mom (Feb 13, 2008)

Thanks to all!


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

I would say about 18-20 months. that's when they stop being the "gangly" teenager and finish filling out.


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## kathym (Aug 5, 2006)

BACI JUST TURNED 2 1/2 THIS PAST SUMMER HE WAS 4.6 LBS AND WAS IN THAT RANGE MORE OR LESS. WE JUST HAD HIS YEARLY AND HE FILLED OUT A BIT HE IS A LITTLE OVER 5 LBS . I WAS ALSO SURPRISED MAYBE ITS THE TREADMILL FOR THE BOTH OF US .


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## The A Team (Dec 1, 2005)

Abbey stopped growing at around one year old....and then I bought her alot of clothes. Then at 2 1/2 I got her spayed....and in the next six months to a year her chest size got bigger and now some of her clothes don't fit!!! :smmadder:


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## Nikki's Mom (Feb 13, 2008)

Thanks, this is great info! The breeder said that Nikki's mom and dad got their height around 9 months, and both of them were between 4-5 pounds.

Nikki's vet said that she can go off dog food and on home cooked food when she is 9 months old, wanting to wait to ensure that Nikki is getting everything she needs for that puppy adolescent growth period between 6-9 months.


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

In my experience, they have reached their full height, length and most of weight by about 18-20 months, but their chest seems to fill out at about 18-24 months.


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## cloey70 (Jan 6, 2008)

Hopefully Clifford will live at least 16 years.


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