The Socialization Stage

The next stage to puppy growth is from 6 to 8 weeks old.  This stage is called the Socialization Period.  This is the most exciting stage of puppy growth because the puppies are now fully mobile and very curious about anything and everything.  At this time, you can now introduce the puppies to new things.  For example, you can now take the puppies outside to explore.  They should also be introduced to a car when they start their first round of booster shots.  The puppies should also be introduced to puppy food.  At this stage, the puppy’s puppy teeth have fully come in which now makes it more painful for the mother to nurse them.  That is why the mom starts to wean the puppies during this stage as well.  When you first start to feed the puppies puppy food, you should start with small amounts and slowly add more over time. The mother will also start to discipline her babies more during this stage.  The mother will teach the pups things like how to get a long with their siblings (or other dogs).  She will also teach them to be submissive by showing that she is in charge.  That is an important learning experience for the pup to have because it will prevent the pup to be over dominant when it gets older.  You will want to start handling the puppies a lot more during this stage (which will not be hard to do).  By handling the puppies when they are young teaches them to trust and like humans which is another huge important lesson for the puppies to learn. You should not try to correct or train the puppies at this stage because the puppy just won’t have the attention span to understand what you are trying to do.  When my puppies were in this stage, I took them outside to play and explore many times a day.  It was very entertaining watching the puppies experience new things like other animals for the first time and flowers bending in the wind.  They were supper observant and intrigued over everything. I also made sure that the puppies were getting handled by more people than just me. So, my sister, mom and dad would often help me give the pups one on one human interaction, daily. Many people will try to give the puppies away early when they turn 6 to 7 weeks, but it is best for the puppy’s well-being to stay with their mother until they reach 8 weeks of age.