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.
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.
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
BREED | Dog (kg) | Bitch (kg) |
Affenpinscher | 3-4 | 3-4 |
Afghan Hound | 27-32 | 23-30 |
Airedale Terrier | 20-23 | 20-23 |
Alaskan Malamute | 38-56 | 38-56 |
Australian Cattle Dog | 20-22 | 20-22 |
Australian Kelpie | 20.5-25 | 18-27 |
Australian Silky Terrier | 3.5-4.5 | 3.5-4.5 |
Australian Terrier | 6.5 | 6.5 |
Basset Hound | 18-27 | 16-23 |
Beagle | 13-16 | 11-13 |
Bearded Collie | 20.5-25 | 18-27 |
Bedlington Terrier | 8.25-10.4 | 8.25-10.4 |
Belgian Shepherd Dog | 24-25 | 22-24 |
Bernese Mountain Dog | 35-55 | 35-45 |
Bichon Frise | 8-9 | 7-8 |
Bloodhound | 41-50 | 36-45 |
Border Collie | 19-24 | 18-22 |
Border Terrier | 5.9-7.1 | 5.1-6.4 |
Borzoi | 32-39 | 23-32 |
Boston Terrier | 4.5-11 | 4.5-11 |
Bouvier Des Flandres | 35-40 | 27-35 |
Boxer | 30-32 | 25-27 |
Briard | 36-41 | 32-36 |
British Bulldog | 25 | 22.7 |
Brittany Spaniel | 15 | 13 |
Basenji | 11 | 9.5 |
Bull Terrier (Miniature) | 9 | 9 |
Bull Terrier | 18-23 | 18-23 |
Bullmastiff | 50-59 | 41-50 |
Cairn Terrier | 6-7.5 | 6-7.5 |
Cane Corso | 45-50 | 40-45 |
Cavalier King Charles Spaniel | 5.4-8.1 | 5.4-8.1 |
Chesapeake Bay Retriever | 36 | 29.5 |
Chihuahua (Long Coat) | 2.7 | 2.7 |
Chihuahua (Smooth Coat) | 2.7 | 2.7 |
Chinese Crested Dog | 5-5.5 | 5-5.5 |
Chow Chow | 23-32 | 18-32 |
Collie (Rough) | 20.5-29.5 | 18-25 |
Collie (Smooth) | 20.5-29.5 | 18-25 |
Dachshund | 9-12 | 9-12 |
Dachshund Miniature | 4.5 | 4.5 |
Dalmatian | 27 | 25 |
Dandie Dinmont Terrier | 8-11 | 8-11 |
Deerhound | 45.5 | 36.5 |
Doberman | 34-41 | 29.5-36 |
Dogue de Bordeaux | 50-65 | 45-55 |
Elkhound | 23 | 20 |
English Toy Terrier | 2.7-3.6 | 2.7-3.6 |
Finnish Spitz | 14-16 | 14-16 |
Fox Terrier (Smooth) | 7.25-8.25 | 6.75-7.75 |
Fox Terrier (Wire) | 8.25 | 8.25 |
Foxhound | 32 | 32 |
French Bulldog | 12.7 | 10.9 |
German Shepherd Dog | 34-38.5 | 27-32 |
German Shorthaired Pointer | 25-32 | 20-27 |
German Wirehaired Pointer | 25-34 | 20.5-29 |
Great Dane | 54-70 | 46-59 |
Greyhound | 30-32 | 27-30 |
Griffon Bruxellois | 2.2-4.9 | 2.2-4.9 |
Hungarian Puli | 13-15 | 10-13 |
Hungarian Vizsla | 20-30 | 20-30 |
Irish Terrier | 12.2 | 11.3 |
Irish Wolfhound | 54.5 | 40.9 |
Italian Greyhound | 2.7-4.5 | 2.7-4.5 |
Japanese Akita | 38.6-49.9 | 38.6-49.9 |
Japanese Chin | 1.8-3.2 | 1.8-3.2 |
Keeshond | 16-23 | 16-20.5 |
Kerry Blue Terrier | 15-17 | 16 |
King Charles Spaniel | 3.6-6.3 | 3.6-6.3 |
Lakeland Terrier | 7.7 | 6.8 |
Large Munsterlander | 19-25 | 19-25 |
Lhasa Apso | 7 | 6-7 |
Lowchen | 1.8-4 | 1.8-4 |
Maltese | 2-4 | 2-4 |
Manchester Terrier | 8 | 8 |
Mastiff | 57-89 | 57-89 |
Newfoundland | 64-69 | 50-54 |
Norfolk Terrier | 6 | 6 |
Norwegian Buhund | 15 | 14 |
Norwich Terrier | 6 | 6 |
Old English Sheepdog | 27-41 | 23-27 |
Pekingese | 5 | 5.5 |
Pharoah Hound | 23 | 20 |
Pointer | 23-25 | 23-25 |
Pomeranian | 1.8-2 | 2-2.5 |
Poodle (Miniature) | 5.5-7 | 5.5-7 |
Poodle (Standard) | 20-31 | 20-31 |
Poodle (Toy) | 3.5-5.5 | 3.5-5.5 |
Pug | 6.3-8.1 | 6.3-8.1 |
Retriever (Curly Coated) | 32-36 | 32-36 |
Retriever (Flat Coated) | 25-35 | 25-34 |
Retriever (Golden) | 31.7-36.3 | 27.2-31.7 |
Retriever (Labrador) | 35 | 30 |
Rhodesian Ridgeback | 34-38.5 | 29.5-34 |
Rottweiler | 45.5-54.5 | 36-41 |
Saluki | 20-27 | 16-23 |
Samoyed | 20-25 | 16-20.5 |
Schipperke | 5.4-7.3 | 5.4-7.3 |
Schnauzer (Giant) | 41-50 | 41-50 |
Schnauzer (Miniature) | 7-8 | 7-8 |
Schnauzer | 16-20.5 | 16-20.5 |
Scottish Terrier | 8.5-10.5 | 8.5-10.5 |
Sealyham Terrier | 9.1 | 8.2 |
Setter (English) | 20.4-30 | 23-27.5 |
Setter (Gordon) | 29.5 | 25.5 |
Setter (Irish) | 27-30 | 25-27 |
Shar Pei | 22-30 | 18-25 |
Shetland Sheepdog | 8-10 | 8-10 |
Shiba Inu | 8-11 | 7-9 |
Shih Tzu | 4.5-8.1 | 4.5-8.1 |
Siberian Husky | 20-27 | 16-23 |
Skye Terrier | 11.3 | 10.5 |
Soft Coated Wheaten | 16-20.5 | 16-20.5 |
Spaniel (Clumber) | 25-32 | 20-27 |
Spaniel (Cocker) | 12.7-14.5 | 12.7-14.5 |
Spaniel (Cocker, American) | 11-13 | 11-13 |
Spaniel (Field) | 18-25 | 18-25 |
Spaniel (Irish Water) | 27 | 27 |
Spaniel (Springer, Welsh) | 16-20.5 | 16-20.5 |
Spaniel (Springer, English) | 23 | 23 |
Spaniel (Sussex) | 23 | 23 |
St Bernard | 73-78 | 63.5-73.5 |
Staffordshire Bull Terrier | 13-17 | 11-15.5 |
Stumpy Tail Cattle Dog | 20-22 | 20-22 |
Tibetan Terrier | 11-13.5 | 11-13.5 |
Weimaraner | 25-30 | 20-35 |
Welsh Corgi (Cardigan) | 9.1-11.8 | 9-10 |
Welsh Corgi (Pembroke) | 10-12 | 10-12 |
Welsh Terrier | 9-9.5 | 9-9.5 |
West Highland White Terrier | 8-9 | 7-8 |
Whippet | 10-13 | 8-11 |
Yorkshire Terrier | 3 | 3 |
Authors and contributors
Disclaimer
Vets Now assumes no liability for the content of this page. This advice is not a substitute for a proper consultation with a vet and is only intended as a guide. Please contact your local veterinary practice for advice or treatment immediately if you are worried about your pet’s health, even if they are closed, they will always have an out-of-hours service available.