| 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 ! |
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