Your puppy will go through several development stages from birth to adulthood. Knowing when these are, and what happens in different stages of development, will help you understand why your puppy might be behaving in a certain way or struggling with certain things.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In this article, we\u2019ll help you understand the 7 stages of puppy development, and what physical and mental changes your puppy will go through during these periods, so you know what to expect. We\u2019ll also discuss how important positive reinforcement training will be throughout this time to build a strong bond with your puppy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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Download the Zigzag puppy training app <\/a>to get a puppy training program that takes you through every stage of your puppy’s development week by week. We have a team of experienced dog trainers<\/a> to support you and answer all of your puppy-related questions, to help you every step of the way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Different sources will give anything between 4 and 7 developmental stages, from when a puppy is firstborn to when they are a mature dog, and there is also overlap and certain periods happening at the same time!. We\u2019re a science based app, so we\u2019re going to give you the in depth guide, to help you fully understand it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n There are also puppy fear periods which add another element to puppy development stages, you can learn even more about them in our article on puppy fear periods.<\/a> <\/p>\n\n\n\n This first stage of puppy development is when a puppy is newly born. At this age, they are totally blind and cannot hear or move around much, and they\u2019re also unable to regulate their temperature well. You\u2019ll typically see them in a puppy pile to stay warm, and they will also stay close to their Mum as they will want access to food all the time. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Towards the end of the neonatal stage, a puppy\u2019s eyes<\/a> will begin to open (roughly between days 10 and 14) allowing them to start to see objects that are close by.<\/p>\n\n\n\n During the transitional stage, a puppy starts to become more sensitive to sound, and they can see objects a few inches away. <\/p>\n\n\n\n They start to move around more, and acquire motor skills which means they can walk and waddle, though it looks pretty clumsy, and they often fall over!<\/p>\n\n\n\n Puppies become much more explorative at this age, and sniff, lick and nibble on things in their environment. Because they\u2019re getting better at regulating their temperature, you\u2019ll typically see them leave the whelping box for a nose around, too. <\/p>\n\n\n\n This stage of puppy development features some big changes as puppies really spring into action and start learning about their world. They move around more, play with their littermates, vocalize with barks <\/a>and growls<\/a>, and also wag their tails<\/a>. They also begin to learn social cues and bite inhibition from their mother and littermates.<\/p>\n\n\n\n During this time, puppies need exposure to normal household noises such as vacuum cleaners and washing machines to learn they are not scary. They should also be handled extensively in a positive way, and meet and interact with plenty of different people. <\/p>\n\n\n\n At 3 weeks, they can slowly start to have solid foods<\/a> introduced as their mother starts to wean them off her milk. They will have their puppy teeth<\/a> coming in and feeding starts to hurt their mother, so it becomes quite natural for her to withdraw a little and for them to eat other foods.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Learn more about puppy socialization in our full guide to puppy socialization.<\/a> <\/p>\n\n\n\n The secondary socialization stage as the name suggests sees puppies learn about the world through the process of socialization and habituation<\/a> so that they understand that different surfaces, people, and sounds are part of everyday life and don\u2019t need to be scary. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Between the ages of 5 and 12 weeks, your puppy will go through a rapid stage of mental development as well as many physical changes, such as cutting all their puppy teeth.<\/a> They will be biting and mouthing<\/a> a lot during this period, usually in play with their littermates, who will squeal when bitten too forcefully, so your puppy can learn bite inhibition. <\/p>\n\n\n\n At 8 weeks, puppies are weaned and move onto puppy food<\/a> entirely, and they also learn where they should go to the bathroom<\/a>. This can be taught by their mother if access to outside is safe, but a puppy indoor potty area<\/a> should also be provided by their breeder. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Puppies also go into their first fear period<\/a>, and can suddenly seem frightened of things they were fine about previously. It\u2019s important not to overwhelm them at this age, and it can be a fine balance between positive exposure to things while keeping them under their stress threshold.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Learn more about what else happens in this developmental stage in our articles on puppy teething<\/a>, puppy fear periods <\/a>and puppy sleep explained.<\/a> <\/p>\n\n\n\n We also go into detail in the Zigzag app<\/a>, and teach you all about puppy development from birth including socialization and habituation as well as what happens after you bring your puppy home with you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Puppies will often be in their new homes either by or at 12 weeks of age. During this developmental period they will be teething extensively, losing their baby teeth <\/a>and will have adult teeth by the age of 5 months. It can often feel like they\u2019re biting and mouthing at everything in sight,<\/a> so it\u2019s worth investing in plenty of Kongs<\/a>, puppy chews<\/a> and other brain games<\/a> for them to go to town on. <\/p>\n\n\n\n They\u2019ll need to be potty-trained<\/a> in their new home, given appropriate exercise<\/a> and start going outside for walks<\/a> when fully vaccinated<\/a>. While we think of the socialization window being up to 12 weeks, in actual fact, puppies continue to learn about the world way after this time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Enrolling in a puppy class<\/a> is a good idea, as well as starting a positive reinforcement based training program,<\/a> like we have for you in the Zigzag app. <\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n During the flight instinct period, your puppy will become more confident and less likely to be glued to your side like they previously were. It generally starts when your puppy is ready to leave their den and explore the world on their own.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n This is commonly when we have problems with things like recall<\/a>, as puppies are less likely to need us! Train your puppy to come when called<\/a> and let them off leash<\/a> when they\u2019re small, so you get plenty of practice before they\u2019re in this stage! <\/p>\n\n\n\n From around 6 months old puppies enter adolescence, often called the terrible teens! This period of development can be up to 2 years in large breeds, though smaller breeds will mature faster.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Adolescence can be a difficult period as puppies begin to experience a wide range of emotions and their behavior<\/a> can feel quite challenging, with owners reporting that it feels like puppies are testing boundaries. It\u2019s important to keep up the good work with training, and not think they\u2019re already trained, they still require plenty of rewards<\/a> to stay on the right track.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Puppies begin to sexually mature at this age, female dogs will begin to have seasons, and male dogs will begin marking their territory and may become interested in receptive females. We typically need to think about when is the right time to neuter or spay<\/a>. From a behavior perspective we like to wait until they are fully mature, though understandably, rescue pups may need to be neutered<\/a> younger.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Learn more in our article why is my puppy humping<\/a>, or read our full guide to neuter and spaying<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n If you already have an adolescent puppy, we now have a specialist terrible teens program in our app,<\/a> and our team<\/a> are ready to support you every step of the way! <\/p>\n\n\n\n Puppies go through distinct fear periods from when they are with their littermates to when they are mature. The behavior<\/a> seen will vary between the individual dog, but is typically categorized by them being wary and not wanting to interact with new things. They can also suddenly become scared of familiar things, or with heightened sensitivity to things they were fine with before. Your puppy might also appear clingy<\/a> during these stages.<\/p>\n\n\n\n1. The Neonatal Stage (0 to 2 Weeks)<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
2. The Transitional Stage (2 to 3 Weeks)<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
3. The Primary Socialization Stage (3 to 5 Weeks)<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
4. The Secondary Socialization Stage (5 to 12 Weeks)<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
5. The Juvenile Stage (12 Weeks to 6 Months)<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
6. The Flight Instinct Period (4 to 9 Months)<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
7. The Adolescent Stage (6 Months to 24 Months)<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
The Fear Periods<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n