When going for a puppy adoption in San Diego, you should note that most dogs are considered to be puppies until they are a year old. When you adopt a puppy, it is good to familiarize yourself with the growth stages in the first twelve months and treat him accordingly in order to create a strong bond. In this post, we will be looking at the development stages and what you should be doing in each stage.
Birth to 4 weeks
You will not be able to bring a puppy home from an animal shelter when in this stage. Focus here is to provide warmth and nutrition to the puppy. The puppy will be influenced by the mother and the littermates. The eyes of the puppy will open after 2 to 4 weeks. The baby teeth will also break out in this stage. The hearing and sense of smell will develop by week 4.
4 weeks to 3 months
After 8 weeks, you can proceed with the dog adoption and bring your puppy home. By this time, the puppy will have developed social skills, inhibited bite and also physical coordination. Signs of fear might be seen. It is imperative that you give him lots of positive training to help overcome the fear. It is also at week 8 that you can take the puppy to the vet to examine his health and discuss food, feeding schedule and training.
3 to 6 months
Puppy training will start at this stage. Please note that at this age your puppy will have a strong need to chew because he is teething. Teething causes gum irritation. Make sure you get him a lot of acceptable chew toys. Doing so will prevent unwanted chewing on your items. You may notice a second fear stage when he turns 4 months. Continue with positive training. This is also the age when not properly trained your dog may become territorial. Don’t take too long to train him after a dog rescue in San Diego.
6 to 9 months
This is the best time to get him spayed or neutered. You will start noticing sexual behavior at this age. Females can get pregnant at this age. You will also notice a second chew phase in which they might destroyed the toys they have outgrown. Buy more chew toys.
9 to 12 months
You just need to keep up the routine from now on. Your dog will continue to act like a puppy until he is 18 months old. The smaller breeds may be socially matured by the time they turn 12 months.
These are the five stages you should be ready for when going for a puppy rescue. Don’t forget to take videos and pictures through the stages. It is also good to always keep in mind that no matter how old your dog gets, he will always rely on you to make the best decisions for him. Always be there for him.