EverythingDogBlog: Passing on Good Information

From Puppy to Dog

How old is my puppy before we call her a dog?

Saint Moose and Puppy Seymour

According to Dogster (April/May 2015), a puppy is a puppy until he reaches reproductive maturity and becomes a junior who is still growing. When he stops growing, he will become an adult. We use the term, mature, for an adult until he reaches about the last 25% of his expected lifespan which depends on breed (small breeds tend to live longer). He becomes a senior from maturity to his expected life expectancy and then he is termed geriatric. (AAHA)

Clear as Mud? Look at This.

Term	Age
Puppy	Until pup reaches reproductive maturity
Junior	Reproductively mature but still growing
Adult	Growth has stopped
Mature Adult	Until dog reaches the last 25% of his expected life span, which differs from breed to breed
Senior	Until his expected life span is reached
Geriatric	A dog who exceeds his expected life expectancy

(photo credit: SBrown)