Toy Poodles are a size variant of the larger Standard Poodle. Like other Toy breeds, they make excellent pets for small spaces but retain the loyalty, intelligence, and sociability of their larger counterparts. You can think of a Toy Poodle as a shrunken version of the popular Miniature and Standard Poodle.
If you’re considering a Toy Poodle as a pet, you likely don’t need to worry about your dog getting too big to manage like a large or giant breed. Still, it’s important to know what to expect from Toy Poodles, their maximum size and weight, and the differences between males and females.
Facts About Toy Poodles
1. True Toy Poodles Are 10 Inches or Under
According to the breed standard of the American Kennel Club (AKC), Toy Poodles are only a true Toy breed if they’re 10 inches or under, measured at the shoulder. They should weigh between six and nine pounds.
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2. They’re Small But Mighty
Toy poodles may be small apartment dwellers, but they’re just as fierce as their Standard Poodle counterparts that were bred for waterfowl hunting. They have an abundance of energy and high intelligence that needs to be stimulated to keep them happy, healthy, and well-adjusted.
3. Show Toy Poodles Get the Continental Cut
Colloquially known as the “lion cut,” the continental cut (or alternate English saddle clip) is a common show clip for Toy Poodles. The “pompom” cut that’s recognizable in Standard Poodles is used to increase the dog’s speed in water while conserving heat in the chest and joints. Though Toy Poodles may not be aggressively chasing waterfowl into the chilly water, the continental cut is a historic and preserved remnant of the Poodle breed.
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Toy Poodle Size and Growth Chart
Despite the breed standards, Toy Poodle size and weight can vary between individual dogs. While there’s no size and growth chart specific to Toy Poodles, this chart provides a general guideline for tracking and predicting a puppy’s weight.
Age
Weight Range
6 Months
75% fully grown (roughly 4.5 to 6.75 pounds for the breed standard)
9 Months
90% fully grown (roughly 5.4 to 8.1 pounds for the breed standard)
12 Months
100% fully grown (roughly 6 to 9 pounds for the breed standard)
If you’re concerned about your Toy Poodle’s size and growth, be sure to ask your vet.
When Does a Toy Poodle Stop Growing?
Most dogs, Toy Poodle or otherwise, stop growing around 24 months. Otherwise, dogs are considered fully matured by the time they’re one year old. Small dogs, in particular, may stop growing completely before they reach a year old.
Males tend to be larger and taller than females and may continue growing past the 24-month period, though it’s more common in large breeds.
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Factors Affecting the Size of Toy Poodle
Several factors affect a dog’s size, including the breed standard, genetics, and nutrition. While you have minimal control over the first two, you can provide quality nutrition for your pup to encourage its optimal growth.
You can’t overfeed a Toy Poodle to make it a Great Dane, but give a puppy a healthy diet with protein, fat, and essential vitamins and minerals necessary for proper growth. Poor nutrition deprives your puppy of the essential nutrients it needs, which can delay growth, or in severe cases, inhibit growth permanently.
Always speak to your vet about the best puppy for your Toy Poodle to set it up for future success.
Ideal Diet for Maintaining a Healthy Weight
Growing puppies should be fed puppy food that’s specially formulated to meet their nutritional needs during development. Adult maintenance food is not appropriate for a puppy, which needs higher protein, fat, and essential nutrients.
For the first 6 to 12 weeks, puppies may need to eat small portions three or four times a day to meet their nutritional needs. Toy breeds like the Toy Poodle may benefit from a small-breed puppy formula that has smaller kibble that’s easier for little mouths to chew.
Once your puppy reaches 3 to 6 months, the feedings can be decreased to two or three a day. At this point, puppies should lose some of the “baby fat” and show more definition as the body matures. If your pup is still pudgy, stick to smaller portions.
At 6 to 12 months, you can feed your puppy twice daily. If you neuter or spay at this stage, your puppy may need adult maintenance food. Small breeds can typically have adult food around seven to nine months. After one year, dogs are considered mature adults and can be fed two servings of adult maintenance food each day.
Complement this information by using our dog calorie calculator tool here:
The exact amount of calories an individual animal needs to maintain a healthy weight is variable and influenced by many factors including genetics, age, breed, and activity level. This tool is meant to be used only as a guideline for healthy individuals and does not substitute veterinary advice
How to Measure Your Toy Poodle
As your puppy matures, it’s good to keep track of weight and growth progress. Weighing a puppy is easy to do on your own—simply stand on a scale holding your puppy, then weigh yourself alone and subtract the weight. Toy breeds may be too small for a bathroom scale, but you can use a kitchen scale with a bowl to get more precise weights. Compare your recorded weights with your puppy’s weight at its vet visits.
Growth is straightforward to measure with a tape measure or seamstress tape, though it may not be easy with a squirmy puppy! Your Toy Poodle’s length and height aren’t as important as maintaining a healthy weight unless you’re planning to show in conformation classes. If you want to track these numbers, take advantage of the distraction while your puppy is eating to get approximate measurements.
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Conclusion
Toy Poodles are popular for their size, especially for apartment dwellers. Though Toy Poodles are basically guaranteed to stay tiny, some individuals may be a little closer to the Miniature Poodle end of the spectrum. Even if your Toy Poodle gets a little larger than the breed standard, however, you can count on a pint-sized and manageable dog that’s full of personality!
Nicole has loved animals of all sizes her whole life so it's no wonder she has dedicated her career to helping them through what she loves best: learning, writing, and sharing knowledge with others. She’s the proud mom of two dogs, a cat, and a human. With a degree in Education and 15+ years of writing experience, Nicole wants to help pet parents and pets around the planet to live happy, safe, and healthy lives.
