If you are thinking of getting a dog, you are probably going to spend quite some time weighing up the different breeds and trying to choose one that is suitable for you and your home. One of the important factors is how big the dog will get when it is fully grown. After all, you only have so much space in your home, and a big dog can also be harder to handle, especially for children. If you’re weighing this up, you might be wondering about Samoyeds.
How big do Samoyeds get? These are medium dogs, and some grow to as much as twenty-three inches at the shoulder, with heads standing even higher than this. To give you a clearer idea, that’s almost two feet tall! Not all will reach this height, but few people would describe Samoyeds as a small breed.
Today, we are going to explain how big male and female Samoyeds tend to get, as there are some differences between the two. We are also going to explore how large Samoyeds are compared with other dogs and look at how much Samoyed puppies weigh as they grow. Finally, we’ll cover how old Samoyeds usually are when they stop growing. This should give you a good idea of what to expect if you are thinking of adopting a Samoyed puppy or even an adult dog. Understanding your dog’s physical power is key to good ownership!
How Big Do Samoyeds Get? (Female Samoyed VS Male Samoyed)
Female Samoyeds do tend to be rather smaller than the males, as is often the case within a breed. If you want a slightly smaller dog, it would be best to wait for a female to become available, although there is no guarantee about what size it will achieve, and it will still be a fairly large dog.
A female Samoyed will often weigh between thirty-five and fifty pounds when she is fully grown and will stand around twenty inches at the withers. Some are taller than this, but others will be a little shorter. You should still expect your female Samoyed to be well above your knees once she is fully grown.
A male is even larger and can weigh as much as sixty-five pounds. Most males will fall between the fifty pounds and sixty-five-pound mark, so even a light male tends to be somewhat heavier than a female.
In terms of height, there is not usually very much difference; a male might be a couple of inches taller at twenty-two inches, but the difference is rarely very noticeable.
Samoyeds are solid dogs as well as being heavy and tall, so you will need to be a confident dog handler and a good trainer in order to have success with one. These are working breeds with a requirement for lots of attention, so make sure you are capable of taking one of these dogs on before you adopt one.
Is A Samoyed A Large Breed? How Big This Dog Will Get?
Some people class Samoyeds as a medium breed, as they are by no means the biggest dogs out there, but because they are so solid and strong, others consider them large.
To give you an idea of approximately where they fall in terms of other dogs, a Samoyed is smaller than:
- A Golden Retriever
- A Dalmatian
- A Great Dane
- A Labrador
- A German Shepherd
A Samoyed is about the same size as a Husky, and a little larger than many Spaniels. Hopefully, that gives you a clear idea of how this dog compares with other dogs.
By most measurements, a Samoyed is a medium breed of dog, but do bear in mind that, having evolved to pull sleds and hunt reindeer, they are powerful creatures and they have a very strong pull instinct.
They may not be suitable for a young child to walk, as there is a risk of them yanking the child over. You will need to train your Samoyed to walk nicely on a leash when you first get it to avoid issues with it.
Samoyed Weight By Age – Samoyed Growth Chart / Samoyed Weight Chart
If you’re thinking of taking on a puppy, it may be difficult to get an idea of how large the dog is likely to become as it grows. Let’s look at the different weights that your puppy will achieve at the various stages of its life.
| Age | Female Weight (lb.) | Male Weight (lb.) |
| 3 Months | 14-17 | 17-25 |
| 4 Months | 18-23 | 23-30 |
| 5 Months | 22-28 | 28-42 |
| 6 Months | 26-32 | 32-46 |
| 7 Months | 28-35 | 35-52 |
| 8 Months | 30-37 | 38-55 |
| 9 Months | 31-39 | 40-57 |
| 10 Months | 32-40 | 41-59 |
| 11 Months | 33-41 | 42-61 |
| 12 Months (1 year) | 34-41 | 42-63 |
| 13 Months | 34-41 | 43-63 |
| 14 Months | 35-42 | 43-64 |
| 15 Months | 35-42 | 44-65 |
| 16 Months | 35-42 | 45-65 |
You might be surprised by the difference in weight between the two sexes, but a female Samoyed puppy will almost always be smaller than a male one. If your puppy is slightly outside these ranges, you don’t need to worry, but a serious discrepancy should be discussed with a vet to make sure there is nothing wrong.
If your puppy is not growing as fast as you expect, getting it checked could give you peace of mind, or might uncover a health problem that needs addressing. Make sure you are always giving your Samoyed a good diet so that it can grow as it should.
Samoyed Puppy Weight
A newborn Samoyed puppy will be around ten to eighteen ounces, but it will not stay at this size for long. Samoyeds grow quickly, and by only about eight weeks old, most puppies will weigh as much as ten pounds.
Do not overfeed your Samoyed to try and make it grow more quickly. Packing on the pounds won’t increase the growth rate of the dog, but it may make it ill. If a Samoyed gets too heavy, it may suffer from joint problems and even more serious health conditions.
Remember, as working dogs, Samoyeds need a lot of exercises to help them burn off excess fat. You must not get a Samoyed if you are unable to offer it plenty of vigorous exercises.
If you have dietary concerns about your dog, talk to your vet or a pet nutritionist who is qualified to help you understand how much your dog needs to eat.
At What Age Do Samoyeds Stop Growing?
Samoyeds usually stop growing when they are about sixteen months old – so just under a year and a half. As you will see in the above chart, females commonly stop growing a little earlier than males, and most are fully grown at around fourteen months old.
A male may continue growing and filling out until it is about sixteen months old, but once it reaches this point, it should have achieved its full size. You are likely to be able to tell how big it will be before this point, as they usually only gain two or three inches in the last few months.
By the time a Samoyed is a year old, it will usually be almost fully grown, and most of the growth that is left will be filled out. You may notice your Samoyed becoming stockier and stronger, but it will not get hugely taller.
You should note that male Samoyeds tend to have more impressive and noticeable ruffs of fur around their heads than females, which can make them look larger. However, if you stand a male and a female Samoyed side by side at any point during their growth, the female will usually be smaller.
As a very rough rule of thumb, the female’s top average weight is the male’s bottom average weight. There is not much in it, but the two sexes are definitely different sizes, and this may help you to distinguish between them.
If you think your Samoyed is still growing and gaining weight after the sixteen-month mark, you may be over-feeding or under-exercising it. It is important to get on top of this, so again, consider discussing it with a vet or pet nutritionist.
Conclusion
Hopefully, you’ve now got an answer to the question “how big do Samoyeds get?” They are medium dogs, with larger males than females, and they are stockily built and strong. You should think carefully before getting one, as they need a lot of exercises and they can be unmanageable if they are not given enough physical stimulation.
It is best to have a large yard or a local park that you can play in so that your dog gets enough exercise and maintains a healthy weight.