PUPPY MILESTONES: What to expect when you’re adopting
Congratulations on your new puppy! As you watch your playful little new furfriend grow, you may have some questions. When does the pup start learning? When do its permanent teeth come in? When is your pup considered an adult? Read below to find answers to some of these common questions.
Five puppy milestones
- Whelp: A newborn puppy that lacks the ability to see, hear, or regulate body temperature.
- Neonate (0-13 days): The pup cannot see, hear, regulate body temperature, or eliminate without stimulation from its mom.
- Transition period (13-21 days): The pup’s eyes and ears gradually open, and it begins to hear and respond to taste and smell.
- Awareness period (21-23 days): The pup is able to use its senses of sight and hearing. Learning begins.
- Canine socialization period (3-7 weeks): The pup learns specific behaviors that make it a dog, such as barking, chasing, biting, and body posturing. The pup also begins to eliminate on its own at 3-4 weeks.
Dentition details
- 3 to 4 weeks: canine teeth start to erupt
- 4 to 6 weeks: full temporary teeth erupt
- 3 to 5 months: permanent teeth begin to replace temporary puppy teeth
- 7 months: full permanent teeth have erupted
Life stages
- Puppyhood ends between 6 to 18 months and adolescence begins.
- Adulthood starts between 12 months and 3 years.
- Seniorhood begins between 6 and 10 years.
