Life Stages Of A Dog.

Puppies - Birth to Three Weeks of Age

Born after approximately sixty days gestation, a puppy's eyes and ears are sealed shut, and his strongest sense is touch. Warmth is essential, since he can not regulate his body temperature and his nervous system hasn't matured yet.

At about two weeks of age, possibly earlier, his eyes will open, although he still can not see well, and bright light hurts his eyes.

Puppies - Three to Five Weeks of Age

Once your puppy starts to become more alert, he'll begin exploring his surroundings more. He's still a weak and round little thing, so much of his wandering is done by rolling and crawling.

Puppies - Five to Twelve Weeks!!!

A critical period of time, puppies five weeks old are exploring their surroundings more, wrestling with their littermates and learning from each other the boundaries of acceptable behaviour.

At eight to twelve weeks, a puppy might be sent off to a new home, separating him from his littermates.

Puppy Proofing - A new environment can be a dangerous place for a curious little critter. Make sure that home is a safe one! Here's to look for when removing hazards and valuables.

What You'll Need for Your New Puppy - A first time puppy owner will need quite a few things to start off with, and it's best if you've acquired these items before you bring your new pet home.

Toddlerhood - Three to Seven Months!!

Teething, an obscene amount of energy followed by sudden crashes into napping mode, and rough play all characterize this stage of puppyhood. By now your puppy should know the basics: sit, lie down, and off.

Puppies start to lose their milk teeth at this stage, so don't panic if you see a trace of blood on your puppy's chew toys. Be sure and provide plenty of acceptable things to gnaw on though, and now is the perfect age to start reinforcing good "trade" and "redirection" habits, as your puppy may find your shoes more tasty than a plastic teether. It's also time to start a good dental schedule, with appropriate doggy toothbrushes and pastes (not human toothpaste).

The Adolescent Dog.

Dubbed by experienced dog owners as the "question period" of your dog's life (as in "why on earth did I think I wanted a dog?!") - at approximately eight months to eighteen months, dogs go through a teenage-like rebelliousness. He now has most of his full-size, and an energy-level that has him bouncing off walls and over furniture, and suddenly he seems to testing every boundary you ever set.

Young Adult!

He's now past all that puppy craziness and should be well settled into adulthood. His routine should be established, with fairly regular times to eat, work, and play, with rest and relaxation always a favoured option as well. The continuous "need" to be played with has settled and your dog is now content to be a companion in all things.

The Senior Dog:)

From seven years of age and older, larger dogs are considered to be in their senior years, despite their utter defiance of such a title. You now have a laid-back, mellow companion, as content to hang out with you on the sofa for the afternoon as he is to romp the morning away in a field or hike a mile or two.

The Twilight Years.

He's now your couch companion, content to just while away the hours in restful contemplation or short and sedate walks. Your best friend is an elderly dog now, and it's also time to start considering the inevitable.

From bouncing baby pup to elderly matriarch, your dog will express different needs--and tender a range of rewards--at each stage of her life. Puppies are demanding and energetic,adolescents unpredictable. Adult dogs are eager and self-assured, and by the time they're seniors, they will have slowed to a comfortably lazy pace.
As with human relationships, ups and downs are guaranteed throughout your years together, but knowing what to expect will keep you one step ahead of the pack. During your dog's life, she will:

• Upset you--or, at the very least, frustrate you.Housetraining is no picnic, nor is cleaning up vomit or finding your slippers chewed beyond recognition. Even if your puppy never misbehaves (ha!), her never-ending need for you will sometimes feel overwhelming.
• Surprise you. Your Australian Shepherd loves agility training. Your Doberman can bark her name. Or yourCocker Spaniel actually draws a smile from the grumpy neighbor across the street. Sometimes, you'll just be astonished by your adolescent dog's endless desire to please you.
• Bring you incredible joy. She doesn't care whether you made your sales goals or how good you look for your high school reunion. Your dog is thrilled simply to be around you--and she'll demonstrate those feelings on a regular basis.
• And probably grief. No matter how long she lives,saying goodbye to a treasured friend is difficult. If it weren't, the relationship wouldn't be worth it.

How long each stage lasts

On average, smaller dogs mature faster and live longer than larger breeds; bigger dogs mature later and generally know shorter spans of adulthood and senior citizenship. That said, every dog develops and ages at her own rate. The following is a rough breakdown of the stages of canine life:

• Puppyhood ends between six and 18 months of age.
• Adolescence starts between six and 18 months of age.
• Adulthood starts between 12 months and three years of age.
• The senior years begin between six and 10 years of age.

Keep in mind

Dogs are as individual as people; there's no hard-and-fast rule for what she'll do and when she'll do it. If you treat your dog with the love and respect she deserves, what you can count on in return is devotion, adoration, and a mistake or two along the way as the two of you learn to communicate across the human-canine divide.
Bottom line: Dogs age at different speeds, with large dogs generally maturing more slowly than small dogs. But timing aside, they all go through the same stages: energeticpuppyhood, unpredictable adolescence, the relatively smooth ride of adulthood, and the slower, lazier senior years.