Good dog care starts with routine, prevention, and noticing small changes early. Keep meals consistent, provide daily exercise suited to age and breed, and stay on top of vaccinations, flea control, worming, and dental checks.
Use these early milestones as a practical guide for sleep, feeding, socialisation, and safe first steps into family life.
Newborn puppies are completely dependent on their mother. They are born unable to see or hear and cannot regulate their body temperature, so they rely on warmth and constant care.
During this stage, their main activities are sleeping and feeding, which helps them grow stronger and gain weight quickly.
For owners or caregivers, this period requires close attention to ensure both the mother and puppies are safe, warm, and well-fed.
Around the second week, puppies start to open their eyes, although their vision is still unclear at first. Their hearing also begins to improve, allowing them to slowly respond to sounds.
They start gaining strength in their legs, making it easier to move toward their mother for feeding. You may also notice changes in physical features, such as nose pigmentation becoming darker.
By week three, puppies become more active and can support their own body weight. This allows them to explore their surroundings and begin interacting with their littermates.
Their baby teeth start to appear, and this is usually when the weaning process begins. They become less dependent on their mother for warmth and start developing early social behaviours.
At this stage, puppies' senses are fully developed, and they begin learning through play and interaction.
This is the ideal time to gently introduce them to new people, everyday sounds, and light handling.
These early experiences help build confidence and reduce fear later in life. Keep interactions short, calm, and positive.
Puppies become more coordinated and playful, strengthening both physically and socially. Play with other puppies becomes essential for learning behaviour and communication.
They are now mostly weaned onto solid food and rely less on their mother. While they are curious, they may also start to become slightly cautious of new experiences, so gradual exposure is key.
From 8 weeks old, puppies can move into their new homes. At this point, they should be microchipped, begin vaccinations, and continue socialisation in a safe environment.
The period up to 16 weeks old is crucial for learning and development. Positive experiences during this time help shape a confident and well-behaved adult dog.
