Expert: Liz Gregory - 4/6/2009

Question
I have a 15 week old Cavalier King Charles puppy.  Her mother is 16 pounds, and her father is 18 pounds.  She currently weighs in at right under 8 pounds (7 pounds 14 ounces last Monday).  Is this on track to be between 15-20 pounds full grown?  I'm concerned she's going to be a "big" cavalier, 25 pounds or so.

Answer
Hi Heather,
I don't think that she will be over 20 lbs. If you saw the parents, she will probably be in the general area of them. I have one female that is 11 lbs and one that is 17 lbs. The difference is more bone between them than height. The smaller one has lighter bone and is indeed smaller, but the larger one doesn't look abnormally larger than my other girl even though she weighs more.
I would say she might be on the larger side of average as an adult but perhaps not even large. Her weight could be because she may be slightly overweight as well.
I wouldn't obsess over it. She will be what she is, a loving sweet cavalier!
Good luck!
Liz