Puppy Development Stages
| Period |
Age |
Puppy Development |
What your need to do ..... |
| New Born |
0 to 14 days |
Suckling, sleeping, crawling. Eyes opening at 10-14 days |
|
| Transitional |
14 to 21 days |
Senses start to operate. First teeth push through |
Daily gentle handling by the breeder. Start to get prepared
with the New Puppy Checklist |
| Socialisation Period |
3 to 5 weeks |
Plays with litter mates, urinates and defecates on its own |
Breeder divides sleep and play areas. More handling and
playing with litter mates. |
| 5 to 8 weeks |
Weaning begins, dominance games with
litter mates |
Puppy arrives at new home at 8 weeks.
Introduce dogs and children and consider crate training. Start
housetraining. Lots of toys and human games. |
| 8 to 12 weeks |
Exploratory behaviour, starts assessing
position in the pack |
Start establishing yourself as the pack
leader and work on bite inhibition. Select a good puppy class
and book a place. Start desensitisation to people, objects and
noises |
| Juvenile |
3 to 6 months |
Starts Teething. Not fully independent, but exploring
further |
Start puppy socialisation classes (between 12-20 weeks),
training good manners and lots of chew and teething toys |
| Adolescence |
6 to 18 months |
Starts Teething. Sexual maturity.
Territorial behaviour |
The most difficult time for owners!
Tackle common behaviour problems. Keep reinforcing pack leader
status. Continue basic obedience training and lots of
stimulation with activity toys and games |
| Maturity |
12/18 months + |
Fully formed physically |
Enjoy and indulge your passion for dogs. Keep up regularly
training sessions and perhaps a few dog tricks that could even
make them useful ! |
|
PUPPY CATEGORIES
CHOOSING A PUPPY
PUPPY CHECKLIST
PUPPY DEVELOPMENT
STAGE
PUPPY
CONFIDENCE
PUPPY
TRAINING
MAIN CATEGORIES
DOG ART
DOG POSTERS
DOG BREEDS
BREED GALLERY
DOG BEHAVIOUR
CHOOSING PUPPIES
DOG TRAINING
PET PASSPORT
DOGS AND THE LAW
ONLINE
GAMES
GREETING CARDS
DOG NEWS
DOG PRODUCTS
USA
SHOP
UK SHOP
