Stages of development and maturation of large dogs: how a dog matures

It is very important to know that your large breed dog becomes an adult at 1 year old, and mature at 5 years old. The needs of dogs change with age. How old do you think your dog is in human terms?

Adult dogs of large or very large breeds weigh more than 25 kg and have a shorter life cycle. Half of all dogs are large breeds. Is your dog one of them? 

Mature dogs require food that can maintain and improve their quality of life and reduce their risk of chronic disease. The most common problems in older dogs are dental disease, obesity, kidney disease, and arthritis.

Knowing the age of a dog is especially important if it is a large or very large breed because as they grow older they tend to be more prone to bone and joint disease than other breeds.

Age-appropriate nutrition is the practice of feeding pets food designed to meet their nutritional needs at a particular age or physiological state. Changes to the diet should be made taking into account the life stage of the dog.

Categories of dog life stages include:

• Growth period – for puppies up to 12 months (very large breeds – up to 15-18 months)
• Growth – for dogs from 12 months to 7 years (small and medium breeds) or about 5 and 6 years for giant and large breeds.
• Mature age – for small breed dogs 7 years and older, for large breed animals 6 years and older, and for very large breed dogs 5 years and older.
• Reproduction – for pregnant and (or) lactating dogs.

Be sure to ask your veterinarian if proper nutrition can help treat any illnesses your dog may have and if there is food available. to help her stay active.