I started to write about my friend's dog who just gave birth to her little cute pups for the first time, getting my friend both nervous and excited as it was a first-time experience for her, it's been a month now and gladly, progress is being made. Understandably, there are so many pet owners out there whose pets are also first-time mothers, and on most occasion, the confusion on the next line of action to take could be a lot. Let me take you through some of the growth stages that your pup will need to go through, if you have someone who needs to read this, you can also send it to them to help them.
The growth of little puppies into becoming an adult dogs is an entirely long procedure. You need to understand that, puppies are born blind and deaf, they basically have their eyes and ears shut. During the first eight weeks of their life, puppies will be completely dependent on their mother and this is because they need special attention and care to enable them to become strong and healthy. During this period, the mother will be responsible for providing them with the nutrition needed to survive, this will go on until they become totally weaned and they do not depend so much on her for further survival.
These eight weeks are highly crucial stages of their life, the puppies would grow out of infancy and they will start learning how to move around and play, they will also begin to socialize with themselves and other members of the household once they are physically strong enough to do so. During this formation stage, you can start introducing the little puppy to people as it will help him/her become a social and friendly breed, but be sure that the person handling the puppy is doing so with care and gently so.
Newborn puppies basically move through life through their sense of touch and smell, and during the first two to three weeks, the only thing they can visibly smell and touch is their mother and the breast milk of their mother. At the third week, their eyes and their ears begin to gradually open, as such, providing the little pups with the opportunity to experience life with a great difference, one thing about puppies is that, they were born with their brain fully developed, unlike other mammals whose period of gestation is always longer.
At this point of development, the puppies are affcted by the attitude of their mother, if the mother is playful, there is a possibility that they become very playful too and if on the other hand, the mother is aggressive, there is a great possibility that the pups would also be like that. Be careful not to introduce your pups to other dogs or cat until they get vaccinated, as it may be easy for them to pick up diseases at this stage. If you are however sure that the puppy has been vaccinated, then introduce them without fear. Puppies are born without teeth, their milk teeth will begin to show when they are around 3-4 weeks of age and will continue to grow until they become 8 weeks old.
Puppies will begin to sound at the time their senses starts developing, and by the third week, they will begin to tak their first clumsy steps, providing them with sorm form of independence. As soon as the teeth of little pups begins to show, they will want to start sampling their mums food and by the fourth week, the mother's milk production will begin to slow down and tey should gradually be introduced to solid food. By eight weeks, they should be weand fully.
These little puppies at this stage will also begin to form emotional connections with the people they see around them, it is always advisable that people who want to adopt the puppy begins to come around at this age as it is not advisable to seperate mother from child instantly. You may begin to notice how energetic the puppies are and how they really want to play, but do not exercise them too much as they may over do it.
As a pup owner, training is very important if you desire to live comfortably with your pet, so you begin to train the pet on how to behave inside and outside, how to obey orders and this will help the pup behave normally either in the midst of other dogs or inside the house. The training your provide is what will build a respectful and fun relationship betwen you and your dog, this will make it a pleasure to always have your dog around. By the ninth week, your puppy is ready to be adopted, thy can now leave the mother and their old family and get into a new home. This could be a very delicate time as he is changing family and opened to the acceptance of new family members, he could move into a fear zone and would require lots of re-assurances from the new family members to have her adopt.
By the twelvth week, your pup begins to understand the role he fits into in the family. Within 3-6 months of age, your puppy gets into the stage of consistent chewing, and you may want to move away anything you do not want to be chewed as a pet owner, because he could chew your favourit shoe to even your living room rug. Watching a puppy develop has associated challenges and usually, these challenges will test the patience of pet owners, it could be highly annoying on some days, but as a lover of pet you also know how rewarding the entire experience could be.
References.
https://www.royalcanin.com/au/dogs/puppy/puppy-development-from-birth-to-adulthood
https://www.hillspet.com/dog-care/new-pet-parent/puppy-growth-timeline?lightboxfired=true#
https://resources.bestfriends.org/article/puppy-development-stages-birth-two-years-old
https://www.thesprucepets.com/puppy-development-part-1-2804676