What to expect in your puppy's first 12 weeks

The first eight weeks  

No matter how much of a great pet pawrent you are, your puppy will want (and need) to spend their first eight weeks with their mother. In the early puppy stages, they won’t even be able to open their eyes.
There are a few reasons why puppies need to stay with their mother and litter mates, including:

• Closed eyes. When puppies are born, they can’t open their eyes for the first five to 14 days on average. They’ll find comfort being huddled around their mother and their littermates.
• Socialising. Pups will need time to socialise with you eventually, but early on it’s essential they spend time with their litter mates and mother. 
• Solid food. At around three to four weeks, a pup can be introduced to high-quality, nourishing wet puppy food. However, before that they’ll be entirely dependent on their mother for milk. 
• Toilet. Newborn pups can’t go to the toilet on their own until about three to four weeks in. That means early on, the mother needs to be present to help them by licking them to help them poo and wee. Usually, she’ll handle clean up as well.

Whether you’re raising your own puppies or buying from a breeder, make sure that they’re not separated from their mother before eight weeks. Throughout these first eight weeks your puppy will be hitting many milestones, developing (and growing) at an astonishing rate.

8-12 weeks: the first month in their new home

At eight to 12 weeks, you’re ready to tackle the next stage of your puppy’s development. General advice says that eight weeks is the minimum age for a puppy to go to a new home, and this time is when they’ll be getting to grips with everything from their puppy routine to developing behaviours.

That means it’s important for you to help them put the right paw forward as they start the rest of their lives – no pressure. 

Development

One thing you should know is that your puppy is going to grow – and fast. During this time, they’re going to begin teething too – that means nothing is safe from destructive nibbling if you’re not careful. If your puppy thinks the leg of your sofa or the skirting board make great chew toys, try to gently divert their attention to the things they’re allowed to chew on. Use positive reinforcement, commands, treats or a clicker to help train your puppy.

Try not to let your puppy chew anything harder than what you could mark with your nail. Some resistance is okay, but you don’t want your puppy to damage their baby teeth, as this could impact their adult teeth down the line. 

When your puppy isn’t chewing everything they can sink their teeth into, they’ll be testing the boundaries and starting to explore. This means you need to secure their area. The good news is, when they’re not adventuring, they’ll be sleeping. A lot. All that growing means sleeping about 15-20 hours a day. 

Behaviour 

As your puppy gets used to their new home, get ready to be nipped. It’s a way for your pup to communicate, usually saying they’re ready to play and explore, but it’s important to discourage this gently. When this happens, make an audible yelp, then ignore your puppy and walk away for 10 to 20 seconds. After the timeout is over, you can go back to playing. Eventually, this will teach your puppy that gentle play gets to continue but rough play stops. 

When you’re training your puppy or teaching behaviours, it’s important to be kind and calm – especially during weeks eight to ten. This age is often referred to as the fear period, where your puppy is more vulnerable to negative experiences, and may retain fear of people, places, animals or objects. It’s an important milestone for your pup, and a vital time for them socialise. You don’t want to hide them away in this time, and giving them plenty of opportunities for positive experiences with people, places, or vaccinated dogs can be an important (if not scary) step. 

Training

We’ve all got high hopes for our fur babies – they’re the smartest, goodest, cheekiest boys and girls. However, it’s important to remember that at this stage, complex commands can confuse your puppy. Instead, try to focus on positive reinforcement reward-based training, with brief sessions. Believe us, you’ll only keep your puppy’s attention for so long. So, keep treats, toys and praise coming aplenty to help retain their interest.

There are different types of training you’ll want to focus on at this stage:

• The basics. While your puppy may not be ready for complex commands, it’s a good time to teach them the basics. Try to teach your puppy their name, and basic commands like ‘sit’. It’s an important time to teach them what they can or can’t chew on. 
• Crate training. Crate training is a good step to help with house (toilet) training. Because your puppy is probably used to limited spaces, and they don’t like to go where they sleep or eat, it can help your puppy to learn to hold their bladder. Plus, it can act as a little den for them to hide away in. This secure space can help give them a refuge as you slowly introduce them to the home. 
• Toilet training. Toilet training your puppy early is going to help avoid accidents. Try to establish a routine and make a habit of taking them out after they eat, nap, play, drink or wake up. Remember, don’t scold your puppy if they wee indoors. Instead, reinforce good behaviours.
• Handling. Try to get your puppy used to being handled, but don’t stress them out. That means only handling your puppy when both of you are relaxed, ideally in a quiet area that your puppy recognises. Focus on low-stress  handling, which means touching ears, lifting their lips, touching teeth or gums, playing with their toe beans and rubbing their tummy. Start slowly, reward positive behaviours, and slowly introduce new things.
• Independence. You’ll want to be with your puppy all day, every day – especially when they sleep so much! But you need to give them space to explore and become comfortable spending time alone. You won’t be around 24/7, and they need to learn to soothe themselves sometimes. Giving them their own space to retreat to, such as a crate, is a great way to teach this.

Routine  

Routine is everything, from peeing to playing. Breaking routine can cause worry, but more importantly an established routine helps puppies to learn behaviours. Your puppy is a furry sponge at this point in their development – and consistency is key for helping them learn w hat to expect and when.

Try to make consistent time for play, feeding, training, cuddling and sleeping (complete with a bedtime routine.) It’s a good idea to find time to exercise your puppy before bed as part of your routine too, so they can burn off excess energy. When you’re planning out your puppy’s routine, try not to feed them close to bedtime. If you delay their eating, you may delay their toilet time, which could cause them to get restless. 

Nutrition

What’s best for your dog depends on their size, age and breed. Nutrition can have a direct impact on your puppy’s growth and health – and remember, they grow fast. At this point, your furball should be weaned off milk, and will be eating puppy food. In most cases, the food your breeder used should provide the complete nutrition your puppy needs. 

While frequency and portion size can vary, most puppies will need three or four meals a day. As they got older, this will reduce. As a rule of thumb, a good mix of calories, proteins, vitamins and minerals should cover most of your pup’s needs. 

With proper nutrition, your dog will grow healthy, quickly, and have the comfiest coat for cuddling.

Vaccinations 

In the early days, your puppy’s routine will involve a lot of vet visits,it’s important they get their vaccinations and boosters. Before your pup gets vaccinated, it’s best not to take them for walks or let them interact with other pets. 

Core vaccinations include:

• Canine Distemper (CDV)
• Carnine Parvovirus (CPV)
• Infectious Canine Hepatitis (CAV)

In some instances, your dog may need additional vaccinations – like kennel cough. Additionally, if you want to take your dog abroad, they may require a rabies vaccination.

Health

In your puppy’s development stage, as they’re growing, they’re more at risk of contracting health conditions like diseases or parasites. While your puppy’s vaccination schedule is ongoing, it’s important to be careful about what other animals or pets they interact with. To reduce the risk, only interact with pets you know, and dogs of the same age for a while. 

Your puppy is also at risk of picking up parasites from chewing on sticks, grass or whatever else they can find outdoors. Remember, your puppy isn’t just more vulnerable at this age – they’re curious too and may stick their snout into all sorts of trouble. They’re also not as trained, so commanding them to ‘drop it’ may not work as smoothly as you’d like. 

With Sainsbury’s Bank Dog Insurance, you can get cover for your pup against medical conditions and 24/7 vet assistance for any emergency pet queries.