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)
So Honey is officially a Mature Adult. But I doubt I'll ever stop calling her my puppy.
ReplyDelete