Breed size guides

How big Australian Shepherds get, the drug-safety gene test every buyer should ask about, what merle breeding does and does not do, and what the research says about living with one, each claim with the study behind it, and a plain note where nobody has done the work.

How big Beagles get, what living with one is actually like, what the research colonies can and cannot tell you about your pet, and the health problems worth raising with a vet: every figure sourced, and the gaps named.

How big Bernese Mountain Dogs get, what they are like to live with, what growing up does to a giant breed's joints, and the health picture, including an honest, unrounded account of the short lifespan and why it is short.

The flat-faced breed whose breathing numbers are not like the Bulldog's, why that is not the same as fine, and the four tests a buyer can ask a Boston Terrier breeder to produce.

How big Boxers get, what the measured behaviour research actually says, and a full account of Boxer cardiomyopathy and the breed's cancer burden, including the 24-hour heart recording that a DNA test cannot replace.

How big Bulldogs get, what UK vet records and imaging studies have actually measured in the breed, and the three certificates a buyer can ask a breeder to produce before choosing a puppy.

How big Cane Corsos get, why the breed standard asks for a heavier female than exists, what has and has not been measured about their behaviour, and the health picture from French, Italian and UK datasets, with the gaps named.

How big Cavaliers get, what the measured behaviour research says about them, and a full unrounded account of mitral valve disease and syringomyelia, including the screening schemes you can ask a breeder about by name.

A sourced guide to the Chihuahua: what the breed standard actually sets, what UK primary-care records found in 11,647 of them, why 174 hip X-rays settle nothing, and what the molera does and does not predict.

How big standard and miniature Dachshunds get, what the spinal disease numbers really say, which screening a buyer can ask for, and what happened when somebody finally tested the no-stairs advice.

How big Dobermans get, what has actually been measured about their behaviour, and a full account of dilated cardiomyopathy, including why a stethoscope misses it, and what the DCM DNA test really tells you.

How big French Bulldogs get, what the measured research says about their breathing, birth and lifespan, what they are like to live with, and the two things a buyer can actually check before choosing a puppy.

A working breed most people now keep as a pet. How big German Shepherds get, what the research says they are like to live with, what changes as they grow up, and the health problems worth raising with a vet: each with the study behind it, and a plain note where the evidence stops.

How big German Shorthaired Pointers get, how much exercise anyone has actually measured them getting, what changes during adolescence, and the health findings worth a conversation with your vet, each with a source you can open.

How big Golden Retrievers get, what the research says they are actually like, what changes as they grow up, and the health problems this breed really runs into, each with a source you can open, and an honest list of what nobody has measured.

How big Great Danes get, why our own growth model is least reliable on this breed, and a full escalation-first account of bloat, plus what the evidence really shows about heart disease, wobbler syndrome, bone cancer and merle.

The screening database says 88.7% of tested Havanese carry a chondrodysplasia variant. That is the breed standard as a genotype, not a diagnosis. The finding that should worry a buyer is in the mouth. Every figure sourced.

How big Labradors get, what they are really like to live with, what changes as they grow up, and the health problems worth knowing about, with the evidence behind each one, and an honest note where the evidence runs out.

Miniature Schnauzers score close to the bottom of every orthopaedic and eye registry there is. Their real problems are in the blood and the bladder, and almost nothing that screens dogs looks there. Every figure sourced.

How big Pembroke Welsh Corgis get, what a degenerative myelopathy DNA result does and does not tell you, why the hip figure is high for a small dog, and which claims about this breed nobody has measured.

What the screening registries and the primary-care records actually say about Pomeranian kneecaps, hips, coats and windpipes, with the denominator beside every figure, and the parts nobody can explain yet.

How big each Poodle variety gets, whether the three sizes are really one dog, what has actually been measured about their behaviour, and the health risks that differ between a Standard and a Toy: each with the study behind it.

How big Rottweilers get, what has actually been measured about their behaviour, what changes as they grow up, and the health problems this breed really faces: each with the study behind it, and a plain note where the evidence runs out.

A nine-pound lapdog whose screened hips read like a Rottweiler's, some of the hardest-worked eyes in any breed, and one of the longest measured lifespans on record. Every figure here has a source you can open.

What a Yorkshire Terrier really weighs against what the breed standard allows, why "teacup" is a sales word rather than a size, and the UK primary-care numbers on teeth, kneecaps, windpipes and liver shunts.