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When I brought Maggie home for the first time, I was overwhelmed with love and excitement.
I’d been waiting my whole life to adopt my first puppy, and she was a dream from the very beginning.
I’d grown up with other dogs who were brought home as puppies, so I figured that I knew what to expect.
It turns out, there’s a lot you have to learn on the go as you raise a puppy!
Here’s what I learned and experienced during each of the puppy development stages.
One Week
The first week is a big time of life for puppies. There’s a whole world waiting for them and they’re ready to start exploring.
What to Expect
All puppies are born blind and deaf, so they won’t be able to see or hear anything for a while.
This is because the gestation period for puppies is only two months.
The puppies will spend most of their time with their mom, nursing, and sleeping.
Milestones at this age
One week old puppies learn to:
Nurse
Smell their surroundings
Taste their surroundings
Two Weeks
The second week of life is a big time for puppies, as they begin to grasp their senses and abilities.
What to Expect
Although they won’t appear much different on the outside, puppies are experiencing more of the world at two weeks old.
They’ll still be blind, but their hearing is developing quickly.
They won’t be able to hear perfectly yet, but they’ll try to mimic their mother by whining and grunting.
Milestones at this age
Two week old puppies learn to:
Smell better
Taste better
Mimic the muffled sounds they hear
Three Weeks
Three week old puppies undergo some of their most drastic developments yet, with a little support from their mom and caretaker.
What to Expect
Puppies up until the third week wiggle around to get where they want to go, but at this point, they’ll take their first wobbly steps.
Their eyes also open, so they can see a not quite fully developed version of their world.
Caretakers will also begin to wean puppies from their mother and introduce them to solid, soft foods.
This is because their milk teeth begin to develop, which can handle a bit of solid food.
Milestones at this age
Three week old puppies learn to:
Open their eyes (blurry vision)
Take their first steps
Chew with their first teeth
Begin to socialize with each other through their sight and hearing.
Four Weeks
The fourth week of life is when you’ll get to meet your puppy!
They’re slightly more playful and interactive with their environment.
What to Expect
Puppies will take full advantage of their shaky ability to walk, even if their exploration is interrupted by frequent naps.
Gentle handling can begin now, since they’re able to see and hear their surroundings.
You may notice that puppies will try to gnaw on things like toys and fingers, but they won’t have much jaw strength. They’re just still trying to test out their new teeth.
When I met Maggie, she didn’t have much interest in chewing anything.
She mostly napped and bumped around the room with her siblings!
Milestones at this age
Four week old puppies learn to:
Have their paws handled
Be held
Be loved on by their future family members
Five Weeks
During the fifth week, the mother will take a step back and allow the puppies to become more independent, although a slight change in parenting is noticeable.
What to Expect
Your pup will play more with their siblings and eat solid food multiple times per day.
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Their mother will only standby for the infrequent nursing session, teaching their pups not to bite as hard as they used to.
Puppies also need more human interaction at this point, so they learn that people are their friends and nothing to be afraid of.
During their sixth week, puppies would like to imagine that they can take on the world by themselves, but their moms know to stick around for important training.
What to Expect
As long as they don’t interact with other adult dogs, puppies can go outside and run around on their own.
They won’t be as dependent on their mom, but she still has some lessons to teach them.
Puppies will chew harder on solid foods, so they think they have to chew that hard on everything else.
The final week with their siblings reinforces what each puppy has learned before they go home.
What to Expect
Your puppy will look less like a newborn and more like a dog now.
Maggie had grown out her beautiful wavy curls and had perky ears at this point.
Their walking will be much more confident and their personalities will start to differ.
Depending on what breeder they come from, they may even be trained to go to the bathroom on potty pads at this point.
Milestones at this age
Seven week old puppies learn to:
Rough house with each other
Go to the bathroom in the right places
Play with the people around them
Eight Weeks
The big eight week mark is when you can finally bring your puppy home and spend your time learning about what they like and dislike.
What to Expect
Your puppy will want to alternate between playing and sleeping, and while they may seem grown up, they won’t like being left alone.
Puppy anxiety from being alone for the first time while you’re out running errands or in another room may lead to chewing and bathroom accidents.
Maggie would make the occasional mess while I was gone and also tip her head back and howl. It was adorable, but also very sad.
Puppies at eight weeks will have to go to the bathroom frequently.
Puppies generally add an hour to their bathroom schedule for every month they get older. At two months old, they’ll be able to hold their pee for two hours tops.
Crate training can also begin at eight weeks, although puppies shouldn’t be left alone in their crate for long periods of time.
Puppy parents should also note that puppy eyesight is fully developed at eight weeks old!
They can see, smell and hear you with completely developed senses.
Milestones at this age
Eight week old puppies learn to:
Live in their new home
Adjust to a potentially new bathroom routine
Start crate training
See with clear vision
Three Months
Your dog graduates at three months old to being even more of a partner when it comes to adventuring through life together.
Some four month changes in your puppy may not be noticeable, but they’re still happening all the same.
What to Expect
At the start of their fourth month of life, puppies will begin to lose their milk teeth. Their adult teeth are beginning to develop and push their way through the gums, so a couple of things could happen.
Your puppy may chew on toys and leave a little blood behind. This is normal!
As long as the bleeding stops, it’s a normal part of dog’s roughhousing through their teething stage.
You may not notice any teeth fall out at all.
Maggie never had any traditional tooth gaps and I never found any in the carpet. She could have potentially swallowed her loose teeth while she ate, which is also normal for puppies to do.
Milestones at this age
Four month old puppies learn to:
Use the bathroom every four hours
Wiggle their teeth until they fall out
Chew with more force
Five Months
Your puppy will be getting much stronger during their fifth month, so it’s the perfect time to focus more on leash training.
What to Expect
Puppies may not be fully potty trained at this point, so don’t worry too much if they still make an occasional mess.
When Maggie reached five months, she was fully potty pad trained, but still had an accident if people came over and she got too excited.
You might notice your pup tugging more on the leash at this age.
While it may have been cute when they were smaller, constantly being pulled by your dog while you’re out on walks isn’t fun.
Five months old is a great time to start leash training your pup. Come up with specific commands and bring treats on your walks to reinforce good behavior.
Milestones at this age
Five month old puppies will:
Hold their bladder for up to five hours
Love to tug and chomp with their new strength
Still be losing their baby teeth
Six Months
Six month old puppies are mini versions of their adult selves. Celebrate with a half birthday treat and a trip to the vet to get fixed.
What to Expect
Your pup’s six month birthday is a time to celebrate.
By now, you’ll know their personality and what they like to do.
They should also be done potty training. Yay for infrequent messes!
Their metabolism is slowing with their growth rate, so they just don’t need as many calories if they aren’t super active.
Another important part of becoming six months old is getting fixed. Male and female dogs will reach sexual maturity at six months old, which is why breeders and adoption centers will advise you to get them fixed no later than this stage.
Your pup will be just fine with a little extra love.
Milestones at this age
Six month old puppies will:
Eat twice a day
Be fully potty trained
Need to be spayed or neutered
Seven Months
Seven month old puppies will be hitting adolescence, so they’ll want to test boundaries and act out a little more.
What to Expect
Around seven months old, Maggie began to act like I was old news.
She preferred to sleep on the floor instead of in the bed, or chew on her toys instead of snuggle on the couch with me.
This is totally normal, since adolescence begins around the seven month mark. They’ll want more independence, but they’ll still need you at the end of the day.
This phase will pass and soon they’ll find a middle ground between depending on you and wanting space.
They could also act more forgetful, like not sitting or holding still when you tell them to.
This behavior, added to their increased desire to explore and destroy their surroundings, will also pass. Be patient with your pup and always remember the tricks you used to train them up until this point.
Milestones at this age
Seven month old puppies will:
Want some personal space
Potentially destroy more things around the home
Be generally more playful by themselves
Eight Months
Brace yourself—eight month old puppies are officially teenagers.
What to Expect
Your dog may start listening to Punk Bark. This is normal!
The typical bad teenage behavior we see in humans is also exhibited in puppies at this stage.
Their focus will decrease, so don’t be discouraged if they won’t fetch for very long.
They may act bratty by barking and whining more, or even nipping outside of play.
Your pup might even be more selective about how friendly they are with other dogs at the park.
Don’t worry! These are all temporary and will pass with time.
Milestones at this age
Eight month old puppies will:
Have less ability to focus
Be more moody
Potentially not be as friendly towards other dogs
Conclusion
Every puppy will act a little different as they grow.
I never noticed any of these negative puppy-teenager symptoms in my family’s dogs, but Maggie definitely showed attitude and independence.
It’s good to be aware of what changes your dog will be facing during their first year of life. They grow at a super-fast rate, so things will change a bit every week.
When Maggie turned one years old, it’s like a switch turned off.
Her moodiness and desire for destruction stopped completely and she was back to her old self.
Remember these stages when your pup goes through them and above all, have patience with them.
You’re both going to be doing your best and everything is going to be okay in the end.
FAQs
When Do Puppies Open Their Eyes?
Puppies will first open their eyes at two weeks old, although their vision will be blurry and not fully developed for another four to six weeks.
At What Age Do Puppies Start to Walk?
Around three weeks old, puppies will go from wiggling around on the ground to trying to climb. Their steps will be shaky at best, but by four weeks they’ll be able to run and play.
When Do Puppies Start Barking?
Puppies will try to make noises between weeks two and three, but they won’t be able to bark like adults until their fourth month.
Can You Tell How Big a Puppy Will Get?
Sometimes it’s easiest to guess how big your puppy will be by looking at their parents, but if that’s not possible, you can do some math.
Adult dogs are generally four times the weight and height that they were when they were four months old.
What Age Does a Puppy Stop Biting?
Biting and nipping will begin as soon as six weeks old, but it could continue throughout their first year.
With gentle training, the chewing can be reduced to a minimum and focused on only their toys.
When Do Dogs Stop Growing?
It depends on their breed.
Smaller breeds will stop growing around six to eight months old, but medium to larger breeds could grow up to 18 months old.
What Are the Puppy Socialization Stages
Puppies have two socializations stages—the canine and human stages.
The first is the canine stage, which begins with their mother and siblings at birth.
The human stage begins at four weeks old.
When Will My Puppy Be an Adult?
Again, this depends on the breed.
Smaller breeds can reach adulthood as early as nine months old, and larger breeds may take until they’re 16 months old.
