Picture taken from www.puppydogweb.com
Good day and welcome everyone!
This is Sharda with another Pugs newsletter.
Today we will discuss about Pug puppy development stages!
Are you worried because your Pug puppy won’t listen to you sometimes?
To know why this happens, you need to understand each stage of development that your pup goes through to become an adult.
As we go through these seven stages, let’s take a moment to realize that these stages are but generalizations, and that each dog will grow at his own special pace.
STAGE 1:THE TRANSITIONAL STAGE
Beginning from day one of his birth, this stage lasts till the end of his first two or three weeks of age.
In this stage, your Pug pup will first open his eyes, and begin to respond to light and movements and sounds around him.
At this stage, he will begin to move around a little, adjusting to the earth beneath his feet and crawling in his box. He will begin to recognize his mother and his siblings and any objects you place in his box.
STAGE2: GETTING READY TO BE PART OF THE WORLD
When the transitional stage is passed, for the next three to four weeks, your Pug pup will begin to experience rapid sensory development.
He will be alert and sensitive to his environment and begin to recognize you and your family. Don’t expose him to loud noise or sudden change as these negative events can have a devastating effect on him and his personality development.
This is a crucial stage in his growth as now he learns all it takes to be a dog, so let him be with his mother and siblings.
STAGE 3: THE SOCIAL INTERACTION STAGE:
When he is about four weeks old and until he reaches seven weeks of age, he will learn more crucial lessons. He will learn now to interact with his littermates and play and how to overcome his bite inhibition.
In addition, he will learn to be disciplined while his mother weans him and teaches him dog manners, as also that she is the leader of the pack. At this stage, you can safely introduce him to food at the same time as the mother is weaning him.
While his mother does her bit by her Pug puppies, you should not give up handling your pup every day, at least for 10 minutes at a time.
Take care not to completely separate your pup from his mother’s warmth too early as this will make him nervous, barking-prone and will bite, apart from also being difficult to socialize and train. It is best to leave newborns with their mother until seven weeks of age if not longer so that they are better socially developed.
According to canine experts, the best time a pup can learn social skills is when he is between three and 16 weeks of age because anything he learns now contributes to making him a well-adjusted dog.
So, leave him with his mother and siblings now for as long as possible. This is not the appropriate time for disciplining him if he is play-fighting or has housebreaking mistakes because this is a normal step in his growth.
STAGE 4: THE FEARFUL STAGE
Between eight weeks and three months of age, your Pug puppy will learn very rapidly, while also going through what is called a “fearful period” beginning around the eighth and 10th weeks.
So don’t be worried if your pup appears frightened of just about everything or those things that he took for granted earlier. Don’t discipline him now, as it is still not the opportune time for that. No harsh talk or loud voices either or even traumatic events.
Now’s the time your pup will gain enough control over his bladder and bowel movements, and he will sleep comfortably right through the night. If you like, you could now begin to teach him simple commands such as come, sit, stay and down.
Accustom him to using a leash now and take care not to keep him away from the rest of your family, as he must continue to learn social etiquette and behaviour that he will need for the rest of his life.
STAGE 5: THE TODDLER STAGE
When he is about three to four months old, he is a toddler. At this stage, he will appear to be just a little more independent and might even start ignoring all the commands you taught him only recently. Don’t beat him or manhandle him for this, but teach him to be obedient by being firm and gentle with him and train him, if required.
Take care, however, as he might just bite you or nip you in an attempt to challenge your power over him. Retort by saying “No!” or “No bite!” sharply so that he knows you mean business, and follow this up by ignoring him for a few minutes.
Don’t stop handling him as you have been, but don’t play rough games with him such as tug of war or wrestling. He may interpret the former game as a sign of dominance, especially if he wins while with wrestling, things can get completely out of control.
As your puppy grows in strength, he will want to play games of strength, perhaps even with you. If you win, he will understand that it’s all right to fight with you. But surely that’s not ok with you!
STAGE 6: THE BRAT STAGE
At age four to six months, your Pug puppy will be even more independent and willful. He will no longer be keen to please you and will display cheeky behaviour. He will now begin teething and will search for things to chew on if only to relieve the pain and pressure. To help him through this period, give him frozen doggie bones.
He may try to bully over other members of your family, especially children. But don’t stop training him in obedience and basic commands and make sure you don’t leave him unleashed, unless he is in a confined area like your yard. If you shout out to him to come over to you, at this stage he will choose to ignore you.
This can be a dangerous situation, because if he does this in a public place and runs away from you, he may meet with an accident and injure himself badly and even die. So, don’t risk it.
At this stage, he will also go through all the hormonal changes a teenage boy or girl would. He will now be sexually ready and may display a rebellious streak. This is the right time to have him neutered or spayed if you have a female.
STAGE 7: THE YOUNG GROWN-UP STAGE
Between six months of age and 18 months, your Pug pup sets off on a course of being a young adult. This is the best time of his life when he’s young, with loads of attitude, joie de vivre and full of beans.
Though he is not seasoned and experienced in the ways of the dog world, you still need to treat him as you would an adult son or daughter. Be realistic about him and give him his freedom.
You can do this by increasing the scope of his activities and his training. Give him advanced training sessions, if you choose, such as herding or agility training. Or you could include more people and animals in his sphere of contact so that he learns not to be aggressive or jealous or even a threat to other dogs and people.
I hope that you learned a lot from today’s Pugs newsletter.
All the best and take care
Warmly,
Sharda Baker