Puppy Developement Stages 2011-03-13

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 !