Key takeaways

  • Breed is the most reliable guide to your dog’s healthy weight range.
  • Weight matters in emergencies, smaller dogs are at greater risk from even small amounts of toxic substances.
  • If your dog eats something potentially harmful, contact your vet immediately and be ready to tell them your dog’s weight.

Knowing your dog’s ideal weight is one of the most useful things you can have to hand as a pet owner. It helps your vet assess whether your dog is a healthy size, and it’s essential information in an emergency — particularly if your dog has eaten something potentially toxic.

How much should my dog weigh?

Every dog is different, but breed is the most reliable guide to healthy weight. Use the dog weight chart below to find the typical weight range for your dog’s breed. If your dog falls outside that range, it’s worth speaking to your vet.

Bear in mind that individual dogs of the same breed can vary, and factors like age, build, and whether your dog has been neutered can all affect their ideal weight. Your vet is best placed to advise on what’s right for your specific dog.

Large Rottweiler and small Toy Fox Terrier lying together on grass, showing size difference between dog breeds

Why does my dog's weight matter in an emergency?

If your dog eats something potentially poisonous – such as chocolate or xylitol – one of the first things your vet will ask is how much your dog weighs. This is because smaller dogs are far more likely to fall seriously ill after eating even a small amount of a toxic substance.

Theobromine, the compound in chocolate that is poisonous to dogs, becomes dangerous at doses of around 100-150mg per kilogram of bodyweight. That means a 30kg Labrador could be seriously affected by as little as roughly 3g of theobromine – the amount found in a 500g bar of dark chocolate. For a West Highland Terrier weighing just 10kg, a 175g bar could prove deadly.

If your dog has eaten something harmful, contact your vet immediately or find your nearest Vets Now clinic.

Dog weight chart

BREEDDog (kg)Bitch (kg)
Affenpinscher3-43-4
Afghan Hound27-3223-30
Airedale Terrier20-2320-23
Alaskan Malamute38-5638-56
Australian Cattle Dog20-2220-22
Australian Kelpie20.5-2518-27
Australian Silky Terrier3.5-4.53.5-4.5
Australian Terrier6.56.5
Basset Hound18-2716-23
Beagle13-1611-13
Bearded Collie20.5-2518-27
Bedlington Terrier8.25-10.48.25-10.4
Belgian Shepherd Dog24-2522-24
Bernese Mountain Dog35-5535-45
Bichon Frise8-97-8
Bloodhound41-5036-45
Border Collie19-2418-22
Border Terrier5.9-7.15.1-6.4
Borzoi32-3923-32
Boston Terrier4.5-114.5-11
Bouvier Des Flandres35-4027-35
Boxer30-3225-27
Briard36-4132-36
British Bulldog2522.7
Brittany Spaniel1513
Basenji119.5
Bull Terrier (Miniature)99
Bull Terrier18-2318-23
Bullmastiff50-5941-50
Cairn Terrier6-7.56-7.5
Cane Corso45-5040-45
Cavalier King Charles Spaniel5.4-8.15.4-8.1
Chesapeake Bay Retriever3629.5
Chihuahua (Long Coat)2.72.7
Chihuahua (Smooth Coat)2.72.7
Chinese Crested Dog5-5.55-5.5
Chow Chow23-3218-32
Collie (Rough)20.5-29.518-25
Collie (Smooth)20.5-29.518-25
Dachshund9-129-12
Dachshund Miniature4.54.5
Dalmatian2725
Dandie Dinmont Terrier8-118-11
Deerhound45.536.5
Doberman34-4129.5-36
Dogue de Bordeaux50-6545-55
Elkhound2320
English Toy Terrier2.7-3.62.7-3.6
Finnish Spitz14-1614-16
Fox Terrier (Smooth)7.25-8.256.75-7.75
Fox Terrier (Wire)8.258.25
Foxhound3232
French Bulldog12.710.9
German Shepherd Dog34-38.527-32
German Shorthaired Pointer25-3220-27
German Wirehaired Pointer25-3420.5-29
Great Dane54-7046-59
Greyhound30-3227-30
Griffon Bruxellois2.2-4.92.2-4.9
Hungarian Puli13-1510-13
Hungarian Vizsla20-3020-30
Irish Terrier12.211.3
Irish Wolfhound54.540.9
Italian Greyhound2.7-4.52.7-4.5
Japanese Akita38.6-49.938.6-49.9
Japanese Chin1.8-3.21.8-3.2
Keeshond16-2316-20.5
Kerry Blue Terrier15-1716
King Charles Spaniel3.6-6.33.6-6.3
Lakeland Terrier7.76.8
Large Munsterlander19-2519-25
Lhasa Apso76-7
Lowchen1.8-41.8-4
Maltese2-42-4
Manchester Terrier88
Mastiff57-8957-89
Newfoundland64-6950-54
Norfolk Terrier66
Norwegian Buhund1514
Norwich Terrier66
Old English Sheepdog27-4123-27
Pekingese55.5
Pharoah Hound2320
Pointer23-2523-25
Pomeranian1.8-22-2.5
Poodle (Miniature)5.5-75.5-7
Poodle (Standard)20-3120-31
Poodle (Toy)3.5-5.53.5-5.5
Pug6.3-8.16.3-8.1
Retriever (Curly Coated)32-3632-36
Retriever (Flat Coated)25-3525-34
Retriever (Golden)31.7-36.327.2-31.7
Retriever (Labrador)3530
Rhodesian Ridgeback34-38.529.5-34
Rottweiler45.5-54.536-41
Saluki20-2716-23
Samoyed20-2516-20.5
Schipperke5.4-7.35.4-7.3
Schnauzer (Giant)41-5041-50
Schnauzer (Miniature)7-87-8
Schnauzer16-20.516-20.5
Scottish Terrier8.5-10.58.5-10.5
Sealyham Terrier9.18.2
Setter (English)20.4-3023-27.5
Setter (Gordon)29.525.5
Setter (Irish)27-3025-27
Shar Pei22-3018-25
Shetland Sheepdog8-108-10
Shiba Inu8-117-9
Shih Tzu4.5-8.14.5-8.1
Siberian Husky20-2716-23
Skye Terrier11.310.5
Soft Coated Wheaten16-20.516-20.5
Spaniel (Clumber)25-3220-27
Spaniel (Cocker)12.7-14.512.7-14.5
Spaniel (Cocker, American)11-1311-13
Spaniel (Field)18-2518-25
Spaniel (Irish Water)2727
Spaniel (Springer, Welsh)16-20.516-20.5
Spaniel (Springer, English)2323
Spaniel (Sussex)2323
St Bernard73-7863.5-73.5
Staffordshire Bull Terrier13-1711-15.5
Stumpy Tail Cattle Dog20-2220-22
Tibetan Terrier11-13.511-13.5
Weimaraner25-3020-35
Welsh Corgi (Cardigan)9.1-11.89-10
Welsh Corgi (Pembroke)10-1210-12
Welsh Terrier9-9.59-9.5
West Highland White Terrier8-97-8
Whippet10-138-11
Yorkshire Terrier33