Puppy Growth Stages Week By Week
The average puppy spends about 9 weeks developing inside of the mother’s dog womb. The mother contains a womb or uterus, that includes two long tubes, and the puppies develop in a row beside each tube slightly similar to a pod.
As the puppy ages, there are certain puppy development key milestones that he will reach on his way to adulthood. We are going to cover the puppy growth starting by week up to 3 months, and then by month up to 9 months and beyond.
The puppies are attached to their mother by a placenta and that gives all the nutrients they need for a couple of weeks while in the development stage.
In the beginning, the puppies have a large amount of room to move but they grow quick and as the time for delivery draws closer, they are packed in quite close together.
The puppy is born wholly furred yet the eyes and ears remain closed therefore he will not be able to see or hear during the first week after birth. The front feet of the puppy is strong and durable enough so he can drag himself towards his mother before he can walk.
If he is feeling uncomfortable and suddenly cries, his mother will react by touching him towards her and licking her puppy for reassurance.
The puppy cannot manage his body temperature and he will need his mothers heat or an artificial heat source to properly maintain his body temperature.
If the puppy will be docked, this strategy should take place within a couple of days for the docking procedure to be successful. In the first seven to ten days of the puppy’s life.
The development stages transition very quickly and the end of the first week will double his birth weight.
In the case that your newborn puppy wont nurse from the mother, is exceptionally small, abandoned, orphaned, or rejected – you will have to nurse the puppy yourself to ensure he gets all of the nutrients he needs during these critical stages. This can be done by Hand Feeding Pets with a Silicone Tipped Soft Syringe.
Throughout this week, the puppys eyes will begin to open. However, he probably still won’t be able to see completely. His forelegs will have grown stronger and he will sustainably continue to grow faster, adding as much as up to 5-10% more of his body weight.
The puppys mother is continuously attentive during these stages of puppy development, only departing from her babies to eat or for toiletry reasons. For the pups, the mother will lick the puppy’s bottom to clean up any bowel or bladder accident. There is no need to clean up after the puppy by this time.
The breeder, or owner, will start to carry the puppies more to get them accustomed to human contact.
Throughout this initial week, a lot will occur as the puppies begin to exhibit their personalities for the first time. Your puppy will also be able to stand and sit for the first time towards the end of the third week. The ears will be opened completely, and it is during this week that puppies interact with each other – growling, socialization, and wagging tails are often developed at this age.
The puppy can now regulate his body temperature more efficiently and will begin to prepare his teeth for weaning. The front, canines, and incisors are cut first and he should be able to have his first taste of puppy food (in tiny, introductory amounts!)
This is the week that puppies begin to become extremely active on their legs and play vigorously with one another. They also begin to roam away from the initial sleeping area when nature calls to empty their bladder and bowels. They may also attempt to climb out of the whelping box and want to frequently explore their surroundings.
The puppies’ mother will start to take more time relaxing away from the puppies. She will slowly stop cleaning after the pups, and you will now have the joyful responsibility to take up after her.
Your puppy will begin to naturally cut his back teeth and will get most of his nourishment from puppy food, as he begins to wean. It is also completely normal and a natural process if the mother regurgitates her dinner for her puppies.
By this time your puppy can now really enjoy running and playing. He will most likely be very noisy, developing his bark playing with other puppies and learning how to bite. The mother will usually teach him not to bite too hard.
By the end of the 6th week, the puppy entirely weans and should be eating 5-6 small meals of puppy food each day. The puppy may still try to suckle milk from his mother but it isnt necessary at this age and the mother may be reluctant to continue feeding at this age.
At about 7 weeks old the puppy may begin to exhibit signs of fearfulness such as jumping or becoming startled of unfamiliar sounds and sights.
This is about a good time to begin considering protecting your puppy naturally from fleas. We recommend natural flea products because most flea products on the market contain harsh chemicals that may harm your pet, especially at a young age! Check out this blog on Why You Need to Protect your Puppy from Fleas Naturally.
If your puppy will be rehomed, this is about the most ideal time to do so. He is now at the peak of his puppy life and ready to explore his new home and life. If your puppy will be staying with you, get ready for a super fun new member of the family as you watch your puppy pass through puppyhood and into doghood!
We’ll now cover the growth development of a puppy month by month, starting from three months up to eight months.
Puppy Growth Chart by Breed Size
Every fur parent wants to assure that their little pup is growing and weighing just right. Now, not all puppies are the same, especially if you compare a Chihuahua to a St. Bernard! This 2004 study shows Body-Weight Changes during Growth in Puppies of Different Breeds. Here’s a handy dog weight chart for the toy, small, medium, large, and giant breeds so you can quickly check if your puppy is on the right track concerning ideal weight.
Chihuahua, Italian Greyhound, English Toy Spaniel, Toy Poodle, Karst Shepherd, Beaglier, Russian Tsvetnaya Bolonka
Affenpinscher, Bichon Frise, Bolognese, Boston Terrier, Brussels Griffon, Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, Chinese Crested, Coton De Tulear, Dachshund, Havanese, Japanese Chin, Lhasa Apso, Lowchen, Maltese, Maltese Shih Tzu, Maltipoo, Manchester Terrier, Miniature Pinscher, Papillon, Peekapoo, Pekingese, Pomeranian, Poodle, Pug, Rat Terrier, Shiba Inu, Shih Tzu, Silky Terrier, Toy Fox Terrier, Yorkipoo, Yorkshire Terrier
Afghan Hound, Airedale Terrier, American Coonhound, Ameerican Eskimo Dog, American Foxhoud, American Water Spaniel, Australian Cattle, Autralian Shepherd, Azawakh, Basenji, Basset Hound, Beagle, Bearded Collie, Belgian Malinois, Border Collie, Boxer, Britanny, Canaan Dog, Cardigan Welsh Corgi, Chow Chow, Cirneco dell’ Etna, Cocker Spaniel American. Collie, English Bulldog, English Pointer, Entlebucher Mountain Dog, Field Spaniel, Finnish Lapphund, Finnish Spitz, German Pinscher, Glen of Imaal Terrier, Goldendoodle, Harrier, Ibizan Hound, Icelandic Sheepdog, Irish Terrier, Irish Water Spaniel, Keeshond, Kerry Blue Terrier, Labradoodle, Miniature Bull Terrier, Norwegian Buhund, Norwegian Eikhound, Nova Scotla Duck Tolling, Pembroke Welsh Corgi, Petit Basset Griffon Vendeen, Pharaoh Hound, Plott Hound, POlish Lowland, Portuguese Water Dog, Puli, Pumi, Pyrenean Shepherd, Redbone Coonhound, Saluki, Samoyed, Sealyham Terrier, Shetland Sheepdog, Siberian Husky, Skye Terrier, Sloughi, Soft Coated Wheaten Terrier, Spriner Spaniel English, Stafford Bull Terrier, Standard Schnauzer, Sussex Spaniel, Swedish Bullhund, Tibetan Terrier, Treeing Walker Coonhound, Vizsla, Welsh Springer Spaniel, Whippet, Wirehaired Pointing Griffon, Wirehaired Vizsla
German Shepherd, Goldern Retriever, Rottweiler, German Shorthaired Pointer, Doberman Pinscher, Bernese Mountain Dog, Cane Corso, Collie, Rhodesian Ridgeback, Chesapeake Bay Retriever, Akita, Bloodhound, Bullmastiff, Alaskan Malamute, Dalmataian, Dogue de Bordeaux, Old English Sheepdog, Irish Setter, Greater Swiss Mountain Dog, Bouvier des Fiandres, Anatolian Shepherd Dog, Afghan Hound, English Setter, Flat Coated Retriever, Borzoi, Gordon Stter, Spinone Italiano, Black Russian Terrier, Belgian Sheepdog, Saluki, Boerboel,
Briard, Black and Tan Coonhound, Bluetick Coonhound, Beauceron, Tibetan Mastiff, Irish Red and White Setter, Komondor, Ibiza Hound, curly-Coated Retriever, Chinook, Bergamasco, Otterhound, American Foxhound, Sloughi, Grand Bleu de Gascogne, Kangal Dog, Spanish Greyhound, Akbash Dog, Alano Espanol, Alapaha Blue Blood Bulldog, American Mastiff, American Staghound, Argentine Dogo, Ariege Pointer, Azawakh, Blue Picardy Spaniel, Bracco Italiano, Bukovina Sheepdog, Bulgarian Shepherd Dog, Canadian Eskimo Dog, Caravan Hound, Carpathian Sheepdog, Caucasian Ovcharka, Central Asian Ovtcharka, Czechoslovakian Wolfdog, Dutch Shepherd Dog, East Siberian Laika, East-European Shepherd, Francais Bianc et Noir, German Longhaired Pointer, Greenland Dog, Large Munsterlander, Northern Inuit Dog, Perro de Presa Canario, Picardy Spaniel, Pudelpointer, Rajapalayam Dog, Saarloos Wolfdog, South Russian Ovcharka, Tamaskan Dog, Tornjak, Tosa ken, West Siberian Laika, Alaskan Husky, American Bulldog, Bull Arab, Majestic Tree Hound, Maremma Sheepdog, Slovensky Cuvac, Moscow Watchdog, Mountain Cur, Polish Tatra Sheepdog
Example of the Giant Breed include:
Great Dane, Mastiff, Newfoundland, St. Bernard, Great Pyrenees, Irish Wolfhound, Giant Schnauzer, Leonberger, Neapolitan Mastiff, Greyhound, Kuvasz, Scottish Deerhound, Chart Polski, Landseer, Pakistani Mastiff, Shiloh Shepherd Dog, Spanish Mastiff, King Shepherd
Physical maturity is when a puppy reaches their adult height, depending on their breed. Smaller breeds generally are considered fully grown at about 12 months of age. Larger breeds can take up to a year or two to finish growing.
Mental maturity is when our puppies officially become…well, dogs! This type of maturity takes time to develop. Mental maturity won’t happen overnight, but it’s a process that you will gradually begin to notice as he begins to pass through what we could consider the equivalent of the “teenage” phase in humans.
You might find your pup stepping out of boundaries and taking risks, and often getting into trouble. But there will be a fine line where he will become an adult and settle down.
Our cute little puppies and fluffs of furball eventually have to grow up sometimes, and this brings us to sexual maturity. Unlike humans, dogs don’t get acne (lucky them!), but they do experience hormonal changes that will affect their behavior.
Sexual maturity is different for males and females and it’s important to take note of these changes. Sexual maturity is dependent upon size and breed. Typically, sexually maturity begins in puppies at six to nine months of age.
When females are sexually mature, they will go into heat twice a year. During proestrus or the start of a female’s heat, the vulva will swell and develop some vaginal discharge for about 7 to 10 days.
Female pups can experience sexual maturity even before they become adults during their first heat, so if your female has not yet been spayed, be sure to keep a close eye on her as complications can develop for a sexually matured puppy.
Unlike females, males can become sexually active once they have fully physically developed – around the age of 12 – 15 months. The first signs of a sexually matured male marking their territory, mounting, or aggressive behavior such as the urge to roam.
Some pet parents often wonder if their dog is underweight, overweight, or at their ideal weight. Having an ideal weight for your pet is not only healthy, but it also allows him to live a healthy and active lifestyle.
But how can you tell if your pup is at a healthy weight without frequent trips to the vet and having different numbers scaled at you?
If you can see the ribs of your puppy, or dog, the chances are he is underweight. Sometimes a pup with a thick coat can be awkward to determine if he’s underweight at a glance.
You can also place both of your thumbs on your pup’s spine and have the opening of your hands on the rib cage. If you can distinctly feel the rib bones and very little fat, chances are he may need an extra meal added to his diet.
If you follow the same procedure as above and find that you cannot see your dog’s ribs, or can’t feel them, chances are he is overweight and exercise should be implemented or lessen his meal proportions to help him get back onto the right track to an ideal weight. This is also noticeable if his waist is slightly larger than where his ribs meet.
He has a slight slope just up from beneath his stomach if you look at him from a side view.
The Growth of our Shih poo puppy from 2-5months ❤️
A puppy weight chart can help you estimate how big that cute little bundle of fur is going to be when full grown.
However, its not one size fits all, its dependent on breed size. So, if youre asking yourself just how big will my pup get? These puppy growth charts should give you a good idea. Not only will it give you an idea of what your pup should weigh, it will also enable you to monitor their health and growth.
If so, heres a puppy weight chart for each breed size category which should answer the question “how big will my dog get!“
Youll also get an idea of how much weight, on average, a puppy gains each week as well as what weight to expect at each milestone.