Golden Retriever puppy

Puppy Growth: What to Expect During Your Puppy’s First Year

Experts have stated on numerous occasions that understanding the stages of a puppy’s growth in the first 12 months will help the owner have a rich and strong connection with your companion. In this post, you will find some useful details on puppy growth and what you must anticipate during the first year. Let’s begin!

States of Puppy Care

It is witnessed that several changes happen in the first year of a puppy’s life. During the first year only, puppies tend to grow into mature adult dogs from helpless neonates who cannot even see or hear properly. Usually, there are five different stages of puppy care development, and each of them comes with particular requirements. Continue reading the post to know them.

Birth to 4 Weeks: It’s Time to Offer Nutrition and Warmth

This is the time when their mother and the littermates largely influence puppies. While taste and taste remain there, puppies open their eyes around 2-4 weeks. This is when they break their teeth and develop hearing and a sharp sense of smell.

4 Weeks to 3 Months: Time to Visit the First Vet

Around the time of eight weeks old, the puppy is all set to move to your home. This is when they already develop social skills, physical coordination, and an inhibited bite. In some cases, they may also show some signs of fear. Thus, it is important to give positive training in order to get rid of the fear.

You must also take your puppy to your nearby veterinarian for all those primary vaccinations. You may also buy pet medical insurance, but read all the clauses properly before buying one.

3 Months to 6 Months: Start With the Training

This is the time when the puppy starts teething. And this is when they feel the need to chew anything and everything in order to relieve the irritation happening in their gums. You must offer them lots of chewable food to avoid chewing household items. At the age of four months, puppies also tend to experience another fear stage.

Make sure to continue with positive reinforcement training, and it is something that will not outgrow easily. This is the time when you must be very careful for the puppy’s safety. You can install a wireless electric dog fence in your garden area or in the backyard to ensure complete protection from strangers or other potential threats.

6 Months to 9 Months: Do Spaying or Neutering

Both male and female puppies get sexually active by then, and they also start showing behaviour. Thus, being a responsible pet owner, you must start thinking about spaying. Reports suggest that females conceive using during the first heat, and it is after the time of six months from their birth.

9 to 12 Months: Follow the Routine

Usually, this is the time when puppies tend to grow physically. In case of larger breeds, it is seen that they continue to act more like puppies till 18 months of age. For small breeds, they have social maturity by the age of 12 months. With the help of the right training and defined boundaries, the puppy or pup will start settling in the place without continued testing rules and regulations.

Being Responsible and Alert is the Key!

As you go through different stages of puppy development, you must appreciate everything that you enjoy with this parenthood journey. Make sure to collect all those sweet moments and be careful towards the pet in order to become a proud parent.

You can also take the help of modern technology like collar fences, pet cameras and many others to have a look at the pup throughout the day and never miss an update. You should be very careful about your health also.

With time, you must incorporate playing games and teaching social skills to your pet. This will help you to take your puppy along with it anywhere. Going for an outdoor vacation for one day or for a long is also an ideal option to form a strong bond with the puppy.

Hope you have liked the post so far. Please keep coming to this space for more interesting topics like this, where you can learn how to add wellbeing to the life of your pet. Please share your insights as well as regarding the post below in the comment section.

Photo by Bill Stephan on Unsplash.