When a puppy arrives at your home, it feels as if the puppy’s story has just begun.
The children have chosen the puppy’s name. There is a bed in the corner for the puppy to sleep on. There are toys around the house, food in a bowl in the kitchen and at least one family member who tends to follow the puppy with their camera.
However, once the puppy is sleeping on your lap, there is one important part of the puppy’s life that has just taken place.
During the first eight weeks of a puppy’s life, it transforms from a tiny newborn puppy that relies on its mother to one that is curious about the new family that has adopted it. During this period, the puppy is fed, cleaned, weighed, socialised with other dogs, provided with healthcare and enjoys as many broken sleep periods as the puppy’s breeder.
By understanding what occurs in the life of a puppy before it is adopted by a human family, the human family can recognise the work that was done to ensure that the puppy comes to the home ready to be a part of the family.
Before the puppies arrive
A responsible breeder begins to prepare themselves well before the first puppy is born.
The breeding dog will need a quiet, clean, and secure area for giving birth and caring for their puppies. This area is known as the whelping area and will include a whelping box for the mother and puppies. This area needs to provide the mother dog with enough room to lie down and for the puppies to remain contained within the whelping box. The whelping area will need various whelping supplies such as bedding that can be easily washed, temperature controls to ensure the puppies remain warm, and provide warmth for the newborn puppies as they cannot control their body temperature like the older dogs.
Beyond providing a comfortable location for the mother dog and puppies, the breeder will need to prepare clean towels, puppy scales to monitor the puppies’ weights, identification collars, eating equipment, first aid kits, and have the veterinarian and emergency clinic contact information.
A closer look at preparing the whelping area for puppies will reveal the various items that the breeder will need before the puppies are born. Even though this may not be the part of dog breeding that the puppy families will see, it is a vital part of the responsible breeding process to ensure that the mother and puppies are cared for before the puppies are even born.
Weeks one and two: Sleep, milk and warmth
Newborn puppies look nothing like the bouncy dogs that jump around in people’s backyards.
Their eyes and ears are closed, their legs are weak and their days are spent eating and sleeping. They require their mother to stay warm, to nurse them, to keep them clean and to provide comfort.
The breeder’s job is to observe the puppies without disturbing the mother and puppies too much.
Each puppy will be weighed and given an identification to monitor their growth. If there are several puppies in a litter, each will wear coloured identification collars to identify which puppy needs to be watched versus those who are doing well.
The whelping area must be kept clean and comfortable for the mother and puppies. The bedding must be changed regularly in the area and the temperature of the room, as well as the behaviour of the mother dog, must be monitored.
These are the reasons why breeder’s families should be cautious of advertisements that reveal little information about where the puppies were born and raised.
Weeks two and three: The world starts opening
At around two weeks old, a puppy’s world begins to change.
Its eyes start to open, followed by its ears. Its first view of the world may be blurry, but light, movement and sound begin to form part of its day.
The puppy also starts trying to stand. These first attempts can look more like a wobble than a walk, with tiny legs sliding in different directions. Before long, the puppies begin moving around the whelping box and interacting with their littermates.
This stage is exciting for children to learn about because it shows how much development can happen in a short period. A puppy that could do little more than sleep and feed may begin responding to voices, movement and gentle touch within days.
The breeder must keep watching each puppy’s progress. Development can differ between puppies, even within the same litter, so records help identify a puppy that may need veterinary support.
Weeks three and four: Learning to be a dog
Once the puppies have developed their sight, hearing and walking abilities, life becomes more interesting for them.
Puppies begin to play with their brothers and sisters. Their play can be clumsy as they learn about their bodies, how to control their paws and mouths, and how to interact with others.
Puppies begin to learn about how their body and actions communicate to others. For instance, biting too hard can result in a squeal or the loss of a playmate. These social interactions allow puppies to begin to develop their social skills with others.
The mother dog may begin to distance herself from her puppies as she gains more strength or as she corrects their rough playing behaviour with others.
Puppies benefit from these early weeks with their mother and littermate puppies as they are learning skills and knowledge that cannot be taught to them in the same way by humans.
Weeks four to six: New sights, sounds and textures
Around this stage, puppies become little explorers.
They may move from their original whelping space to a larger area for the puppies to explore and play.
A responsible breeder will expose them to several experiences within the home such as:
- Different floor surfaces
- Gentle handling
- People of different ages
- Common household noises
- Safe toys and obstacles
- Grooming tools
- Short periods away from the litter
- Calm contact with suitable animals
These experiences should not frighten or overwhelm the puppies. On the contrary, they should be shown that new things can be safe.
For puppies that may eventually be living with children, various household sounds will be important to expose them to such as vacuum cleaners, doors closing, the kitchens and the laughter and feet of the children in the home.
Children must learn to respect a puppy’s boundaries and never chase or squeeze them. Even with positive experiences with children while young, supervision around the puppy is always required.
Weeks six to eight: Preparing for family life
By six weeks, the quiet whelping box has become a busy puppy playground.
The puppies may spend more time eating suitable puppy food, although the weaning process continues over time. They become more coordinated and their personalities start to show.
One may be the first to investigate a new toy. Another may prefer to stay on the periphery and watch as the others join in on the play. Some may be seeking the attention of a human companion while others are far more interested in their siblings.
During this time, breeders can focus upon continuing to socialise the puppies, monitoring their development and preparing them for life beyond their litter.
Depending upon the recommendations of the veterinarian and local requirements, the puppies may also be checked for health, parasites, vaccinated and microchipped prior to their departure from the breeder.
Finally, these breeder families will have records and information regarding the puppy’s food, health care and experiences.
What families should ask a breeder
When choosing a puppy, it is easy to focus on colour, size or which puppy runs into your arms first.
The puppy’s first eight weeks deserve as much attention.
Consider asking the breeder:
- Where were the puppies born and raised?
- Can I meet the mother dog?
- How have the puppies been socialised?
- Have their weights and development been recorded?
- What noises, people and household experiences have they met?
- What veterinary care have they received?
- What food are they eating?
- At what age will they leave their mother?
- What support is available after the puppy comes home?
A responsible breeder should welcome questions. They are also likely to have questions for you, because they want to understand where the puppy will live and who will care for it.
A breeder who seems interested only in payment, refuses to show where the puppies live or pressures you to collect a young puppy should raise concern.
Helping children understand the puppy’s journey
Learning about a puppy’s first weeks can help children see their new pet as a living animal rather than a surprise gift.
Before bringing your puppy home, show the kids photos from the puppy’s early development. Talk about how the mother cared for the litter and how the breeder helped keep them safe.
You can also explain that arriving in a new home is a big change. The puppy has left its mother, littermates and familiar surroundings.
During the first few days, children can help by:
- Keeping noise levels low
- Sitting on the floor and allowing the puppy to approach
- Offering gentle strokes when the puppy is comfortable
- Giving the puppy space to sleep
- Helping with calm feeding and toilet routines
- Leaving the puppy alone when it moves to its bed or safe area
There will be plenty of time for games, walks and adventures. At the start, patience is one of the kindest things a family can offer.
The beginning before the beginning
The day a puppy joins your home is a milestone your children may remember for years.
Yet that day is possible because of everything that came before it: the prepared whelping area, the late-night checks, the clean bedding, the weight records, the mother’s care and the first gentle introductions to the world.
When families understand this journey, they are better placed to choose a responsible breeder and continue the care their puppy received during its first eight weeks.
Your puppy’s story did not begin at your front door. By the time those tiny paws cross it, the first chapter has already been written.
