0-2 weeks
The neonatal stage of your puppy's life is when they are first born and rely on their mothers.
2-4 weeks
A puppy’s eyes will begin to open at this stage and their baby teeth will start to grow in. They will start to interact with their litter and begin to socialize.
3-12 weeks
Your puppy will learn to interact with others and have full use of their senses. At this stage they will learn to play with their litter mates, meaning biting and rough play will start. At 7-12 weeks it is vital to start introducing puppies to new things. This could be people, their environment, and objects. It’s usually during the ages of 10-12 weeks when your pup will join you in your home. It's important to vaccinate your pups before introducing them to other dogs. They will also need to be vaccinated before going for walks. Your pup will begin biting as they are teething and will become curious about the environment around them. It's important to watch your puppy to make sure they don’t chew something dangerous.
3-6 months.
Your pup is now at the ideal stage to start training. This could be by joining a training class or using at-home methods. It’s important not to punish your puppy and to reward good behaviour. This is the age where behavioural problems such as biting and rough play may become harder to manage. Replace your hands, clothes, and shoes with toys when they begin to bite and chew. It may hurt more with the growth of adult teeth and it will be necessary to prevent this habit from continuing. As a general rule for exercising your puppy, they should have 5 minutes of walking for each month of their age. This means a 5-month-old puppy would have 25 minutes of a walking session, 6 months would have 30 minutes etc. This could be once or twice a day. If your puppy is not socialized well, they may display reactive behaviour to other dogs or people. It’s important to socialize your puppy as much as possible. Introduce your puppy to different environments by walking them in busy areas or bringing them to doggy daycare.
6-18 months
The last stage of puppyhood occurs when your puppy begins to mature. They are producing hormones and it might be time they need to be spayed or neutered. Chewing may continue at this age. It’s important to replace anything they’re chewing with toys or chew treats. Your puppy may begin to display unpleasant behaviours like resource guarding, excessive barking, and territory claiming. Keep training your dog to prevent these behaviours. Remember not to punish your dog and keep rewarding good behaviour. There is still time to socialize your dog before entering adulthood. With the right training and socialization, your puppy will enter adulthood well-trained and with good behaviour.
When introducing a puppy to children it’s important to monitor their interactions. Your puppy may unintentionally nip a child which could hurt, this is how a puppy interacts with a litter mate and is not to cause harm. It’s important not to overstimulate your puppy to avoid this happening. Children will also need guidance on how to interact with the puppy gently. Make sure to have plenty of puppy toys to replace any nipping at hands.
For more information on socialising your dog read our blog post: Dog Socialisation with Other Pets, Dogs & People.