Puppy Development: Raising Puppies to Be Their Best Selves

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What happens after a dog gives birth?

How does a responsible dog owner raise happy, healthy, top notch puppies?

How can we give every puppy the best start to life?

How can we encourage positive habits, healthy behavior, and good mental health in dogs?

It’s so easy to get caught up in preparing for a dog’s birth that we forget about everything that comes afterwards. Let’s remember to prepare for the puppies as well! Here’s everything you need to know about each stage of a puppy’s life and how to make the most of these vital first weeks!

Stage 1: Newborn Phase (Birth to 3 weeks old)

The newborn phase is so much fun!! Mom dog is very hands on, and so is the owner. Puppies need close monitoring to keep them safe- It is even encouraged to sleep near the whelping box to ensure puppy safety at night. (To Learn how to avoid death in the Newborn Phase, click here)

Check the puppies often for the following things:

-Every puppy should be warm

-Every puppy should be nursing every 2-3 hours

-Every puppy should be stimulated by mom’s licking to pee and poop (if not, you can help by wiping the puppy’s bottom with a warm, damp paper towel)

-Double check that the collar is the right size for the puppy as he grows (check at least once every other day, even better to check every day)

-Puppy nails should be trimmed occasionally to make nursing more comfortable for mom

-The puppy area should be kept clean and free of unnecessary items

-Be sure puppies have traction- something to grip with their feet to help them get around until they can walk. Most responsible puppy owners use a blanket or whelping mat- but puppies can get trapped in any folds of the blanket, so be sure to keep an eye on them

-Don’t let mom sit or lay on a puppy

-Keep mom comfortable and calm during this phase

The newborn phase is the perfect time of life for Early Neurological Stimulation and Early Scent Introduction. These exercises are vital and cannot yield the same amazing benefits if you miss this stage! This is the only time to bank on wonderful rewards that will last the puppy’s whole life- don’t miss it!!

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Stage 2: Weaning Phase (4-5 Weeks)

As puppies grow, you’ll start to notice them holding up their heads, standing and walking, exploring the whelping area, and beginning to play by nibbling at their siblings.

The puppies still need a lot of rest during the day, but their activity level will increase.

Here’s what you should be watching out for during this phase:

-Take note of each puppy’s personality as it develops: who is more active or more calm? Who is more social or more reserved? Who is more curious or timid? Who is the leader of the group and who is submissive? Knowing these traits about your puppies will help you match each pup to the perfect forever family!

-The Vital Socialization Period begins! Help the puppies meet lots of new people of all backgrounds, ethnicities, and styles. Interacting with different people in different ways will build positive social skills. Be sure to do so carefully- encourage visitors to wash hands and sanitize to avoid spreading any germs to the puppies. It is not recommended to allow dogs to visit the puppies to avoid spreading illness to the puppies.

-Along with socializing puppies to people, this is a perfect time to introduce puppies to desensitization- a process of decreasing a dog’s fear of an item or sound through repeated exposure and positive associations. For example, a vacuum can be turned on during play time or meal time. The sound will eventually be tuned out and disregarded instead of scaring a puppy. These exercises build confidence and decrease reactivity to sounds and items.

-Puppies will grow their first set of teeth, called milk teeth. They can be slowly introduced to food. Begin with soft foods. Some breeders grind puppy kibble, then soak it in a high quality puppy formula. Others add their own goodies to make the puppy mash more desirable- such as minced boiled meat or liver water. Offer the puppy mash to the litter 1-2 times per day at first, slowly increasing the amount of puppy mash they eat. After puppies are eating 2-3 full meals per day of puppy mash, you can slowly transition towards kibble by decreasing the blending/soaking.

-Puppies will chew, chew, chew! This is a great time to give them lots of interactive, exciting toys!

-Puppies will need more space to play.

-Early potty training can begin as early as 3 weeks and continue during this phase. Mom no longer stimulates potty and no longer cleans the pup’s potty in the whelping box.

-This is the phase of lots of poop and pee! It is very important to keep the puppy area clean and sanitary to prevent illness.

-Puppies should be on a regular deworming routine, ask your vet for his recommendation!

Stage 3: Group Learning Phase (Week 6-8)

Back in the day, it was believed that puppies were ready to go home when they were weaned (usually around 6 weeks old). Now, we know that puppies go through a very important learning phase from weeks 6 to at least week 8. During this time, puppies are watching mom and watching siblings to learn important dog behaviors and social skills. They learn from play, meal times together, interactive time with people, and more.

For example, a puppy who nips a sibling will get different reactions based on how hard he bites. If he is playing gently, the sibling will happily continue the game. If he bites too hard, the sibling will yelp, back off, and stop the game. This is a great learning experience for the pup to learn to control how hard he nips during play time.

Puppies who stay together with their siblings until at least 8 weeks of age have better mental health and social skills.

What can you do for a puppy during this phase?

-Continue interaction with humans to increase positive socialization.

-Continue desensitization exercises. The Fear Period begins around 7 weeks old, so repeat familiar experiences and be extra gentle when introducing new things.

-Puppies will have their first vaccinations. Deworming should continue as recommended by your vet. A vet checkup will help you identify any medical needs for any puppy in the group.

-Volhard’s Puppy Aptitude Test can give great insight into each puppy’s temperament.

-Training can begin during this phase. Although it is unrealistic to train an entire litter of puppies, any jump start they can have to life is very helpful. You may consider kenneling puppies during nap times to help them learn positive associations with the kennel, you may consider taking the puppies outside every hour to begin potty training (and avoid some clean up for yourself at the same time!), you may consider teaching puppies to sit before you set down the food dish.

Stage 4: Building Independence (Week 9-12)

Puppies grow in their independence between weeks 9-12 and prepare to leave the nest. This is the stage that we say goodbye, but we never fall out of touch with our babies. Those amazing homes that we found for every pup is now adopted into our family.

Raising your puppies using safe and ethical practices from pregnancy to 12 weeks old will improve each breed, create better pets, decrease the number of dogs in shelters, and much more!! Imagine the ripple effect that you can cause by raising your babies well, it’s amazing! Thank you for raising your puppies ethically.