Developmental Puppy Phases

A Beagle is not an adult until 3 years of age.  Repeat, a dog is STILL an adolescent if under 3 YEARS OLD.

These are the phases that pups go through when born, missing important handling techniques during any of these phases can be detrimental to a dog.  We take great care in making sure our dogs are solid at each phase:

Neonatal Period (0-12 Days / 1-2 weeks): The puppy responds only to warmth, touch, and smell. He cannot regulate body functions such as temperature and elimination. Very important to keep the room/box temperature at 76-80 degrees.

Transition Period (13 – 20 Days / 3 weeks): Eyes and ears are open, but sight and hearing are limited. Tail wagging begins and the puppy begins to control body functions.

Awareness Period (21 – 28 Days / 4 weeks): Sight and hearing functions well. The puppy is learning that he is a dog and has a great deal of need for a stable environment.

Canine Socialization Period (21 – 49 Days / 3-5 weeks / 1 month): Interacting with his mother and littermates, the pup learns various canine behaviors. He is now aware of the differences between canine and human societies.

Human Socialization Period (7 to 12 Weeks / 1 mo – 3 mo): The pup has the brain wave of and adult dog. The best time for going to a new home. He now has the ability to learn respect, simple behavioral responses: sit, stay, come. Housebreaking begins. He now learns by association. The permanent man/dog bonding begins, and he is able to accept gentle discipline and establish confidence. C2R transfers ownership on day 49, 7 weeks.

Fear Impact Period (8 – 11 Weeks /1 mo – 3 mo): Try to avoid frightening the puppy during this time, since traumatic experiences can have an effect during this period. This is when you need to be careful when implementing any training techniques, so they do not scare your pup.  As you can see, this period overlaps that of the previous definition and children or animal should not be allowed to hurt or scare the puppy — either maliciously or inadvertently. It is very important now to introduce other humans, but he must be closely supervised to minimize adverse conditioning. Learning at this age is permanent. This is the stage where you wonder if your dog is going to be a woosy butt all his life. Also introducing your puppy to other dogs at this time will help him become more socialized.

Second Fear impact period (6 – 14 Months): Also called, “The fear of situations period”, usually corresponds to growths spurts. This critical age may depend on the size of the dog. Small dogs tend to experience these periods earlier than large dogs. Great care must be taken not to reinforce negative behavior. Force can frighten the dog, and soothing tones serve to encourage his fear. His fear should be handled with patience and kindness, and training during this period puts the dog in a position of success, while allowing him to work things out while building self-confidence.

Maturity (1 – 4 years): Many breeds’ especially giant breeds continue to grow and physically change well beyond four years of age. The average dog develops to full maturity between 1-1 1/2 years and three years of age. This period is often marked by an increase in aggression and by a renewed testing for leadership. During this time, while testing for leadership, the dog should be handled firmly. Regular training throughout this testing period, praise him for the proper response. Giving him no inroads to affirm his leadership will remind him that this issue has already been settled.