Development Stages

DEVELOPMENT STAGES These are approximate stages and may appear slightly different in some books. This is to give you an idea of what to expect from birth to maturity and for you to realize that when your sweet little pup wakes up one day and appears to have come from Mars, that you haven’t done anything wrong – it’s just part of the growing up process!. Different dogs exhibit different stages at different ages and some dogs don’t exhibit many stages at all, like they say – it depends on the dog! 

Birth to 13 days
The first stage is from birth to about 13 days. Imprinting between mother and pups takes place. The pup is born almost helpless; he’s blind, deaf, has no teeth and can only crawl in a limited manner. He can’t control bodily functions such as elimination and body temperature and is really a creature of reflexes. His world consists of food and bodily contact with his mother and littermates. If he doesn’t get food or the body contact he needs he will either whimper or whine.
13 to 21 days
Between days 13 through 19 he will open his eyes and ears but both are very limited and will slowly begin responding to light and movement and sound. The pup starts to be able to control bodily functions. The milk teeth start appearing and he can start eating solid food and pups will attempt to get up on their feet, but continue crawling, often backwards. Towards the end of this period they may begin trying to get out of the whelping box.
21 to 28 days
This is a very important period with rapid sensory development. Pup becomes alert to its environment and will startle easily at sudden sounds and movements and the ear canals are fully open. The pup may start to recognize the breeder and people it sees on a daily basis. It is able to regulate his body temperature.
28 days – 16 weeks (4 months)
This and the previous period overlap. This is also a critical period of development of social awareness both with canine socialization and human socialization. Play behaviour becomes increasingly intense. Pups start to develop problem solving abilities and co-ordination becomes better.

At about 6 weeks the eyes focus completely and weaning takes place between 6 to 8 weeks. At about 8 weeks is the normal time for the brain waves to have developed into that of an adult dog and this is the time many pups go to their new homes.

As mentioned in your other notes the period from 3 to 16 weeks is the most important part of your pups education and the utmost care must be taken to ensure that all experiences are positive ones. Bad experiences occurring at this stage can become permanent. If your pup does have a bad experience and his behaviour seems to change consult a behaviourist as soon as possible to help you to overcome this.
4 – 5 months
As the so called curtain at 16 weeks (4 months) closes, the puppy may suddenly start to exhibit fear behaviour and become scared or nervous of new situations. It is important not to feed these fears and great care must be taken to introduce the puppy in an appropriate manner to fearful situations. You will be shown how to do this in class. It is also important to keep on meeting new people, animals and situations. This is a time when the pup may start to exert dominance over pack members (especially children) and toilet training may be forgotten! If this happens, go back to basics and retrain, rewarding the appropriate behaviour. Your sweet little pup may suddenly become independent and rather wilful. Don’t worry, this is just a stage, ignore the bad behaviour with time outs and reward all positive behaviour. Be aware that some pups seem to forget the recall altogether at this time, so if this starts happening with your pup, simply control the situation by using a long lead when practising recalls or when you are out in the park. Not all puppies exhibit this behaviour. Between 4 – 6 months your pup will start cutting its permanent teeth so be sure to provide additional chewies and do your mouth work.
5 – 7 Months
As the previous period was one when your pup really tested you at every level, this one is one where the opposite happens and he seems to do everything he can to please you and do what you want. TAKE advantage of it! Remember however, that although he has grown, he is still very much a puppy and all training should be fun and not of too long a period. Sexual maturity and hormonal changes may be starting to occur. These take place in females from 6 -1 8 months (average 9 months) and in males from 8 – 15 months (average 11 months). Many male dogs start to cock their legs at about 6 months.
7 – 9 months
During this period pups go through another fear period, suddenly startling at something they happily accepted yesterday. Some puppies start this behaviour slightly younger; once again it depends on the dog. Once again, don’t reinforce the fear by molly coddling the pup and spend more time playing and going over behaviours and exercises that the puppy knows. Remember never to punish fear! Don’t bring in new exercises during this time. Reward positive behaviour and ignore negative behaviour.
10 – 14 months
Most puppies have outgrown the fear stage by now, though the large breeds often seem to have it for a longer period of time. When the fear period has past, this is an excellent time to consolidate all the training you have done. Remember to continue rewarding positive behaviour and ignoring the negative side. At around a year of age you should talk to your vet about changing your dog onto a good adult breed food. Always buy the best you can afford. It may seem expensive but will save you money in the long run with less vet bills as your dog gets older.
15 – 24 months
During this period your dog will reach maturity. Depending on the breed and the dog, this takes place between 12 -24 months. Many dogs will exhibit aggression at this time. They may become protective or territorial and may even start to dominate their owners. It is important that owners establish boundaries as to what will and won’t be allowed. Once again, reward positive behaviour and ignore negative. Depending on the level of aggression you may decide to contact a behaviourist for advice. It is important to bear in mind that aggression breeds aggression and does nothing to improve a situation. The good news is that after this is when all the hard work you have put in really pays off. The puppy and teenager stages are over. It is important to keep on socialization with your dog and keep up an interesting training regime where you both have fun.
Ageing.
Depending on the breed from about 8 years of age. Keep an eye on this with your vet during your check up and always discuss with him when the time is right to change your dog’s diet again onto a ‘senior’ breed.