What are the puppy socialization stages. Puppy socialization is the process that all dogs need to go through in order to help them live comfortably in our human world. Its all about learning not to be scared of new experiences, and to welcome human beings as friends. The Pitbull Training Handbook Review' title='The Pitbull Training Handbook Review' />You probably know that puppies need some help with this process because at just around three months old, they start to become nervous of unfamiliar people and events. The Kennel Club in the UK divide this puppy socialization process into ten stages. You can use that link to find out more and download a list of tasks to carry out with your puppy. The important key phases for you to be aware of are. The window for socialisation in puppies. The teenage dog fear period. The window for socialisation closes at around three months old and is the time when your puppy will most readily accept and adapt to new experiences. This is the stage where you need to take him everywhere and ensure he meets as much of the world as he possibly can. The teenage fear period is a time between 6 1. Differences in puppy growth rates. People often write to me and say I have a 3 month old or 4 or 5 months Cocker Spaniel or Labrador, or Springer, how much should he weighThey often tell me how much food in grams or ounces he is getting, and ask me if this is enough. As you have probably guessed, there isnt an exact answer to a question of this nature. However, we can and do give you some rough guides in the charts and graphs youll find in this article. The most important thing, is to give you the tools to recognise when your own individual puppy is growing and thriving, and when things are not right. Growth rates in different breeds of dog. The reason we cant be more exact, is that dogs vary in their growth rates, as well as in the final size that they are likely to reach. There are not just differences between breeds, there are differences between individuals of each breed, and even between littermates. Development in dogs of different sizes. The most significant differences in growth rates and patterns though, is between dogs of different sizes. And in the growth charts youll be able to see just how much more intense the growth rate of larger dogs is, and how much longer they carry on growing. Weve divided the dogs into five groups. And well look at those more closely below. When will my puppy be a grown upIt seems crazy doesnt it. But one of the first things we think about when we bring a new puppy home, is when will he be grown up What divides an adult dog from a puppy At what age does a puppy finally become an adult It is understandable that people want to know these things. You want to know how much time you have left to enjoy this precious little creature. And to know that your puppy is developing as he should. Puppyhood disappears all too quickly. But the question of when will a puppy be grown up, is not clear cut. It also depends to some extent on your puppys breed. There are actually three aspects to puppy development that all need to come together in order for him to be truly an adult dog. Physical maturity. Sexual maturity. Mental maturity. Your puppy needs to reach all three aspects of maturity before he is an adult dog. To confuse matters, these processes dont happen at the same rate. And the point at which all three are complete varies from one dog breed to another. Lets take physical maturity first. When Do Puppies Stop GrowingHow old are dogs when they stop growing Its a common question. Physical maturity is reached at different ages, depending largely on the size of your dog. Little dogs stop growing much sooner than big dogs. So the answer to the question at what age do dogs stop growing, varies from dog to dog. The chart below will give you an idea of what I mean. The squares that are left blank indicate that the dog has stopped growing by that point. At what age are dogs full grown Check out the way that breed size has an influence. The chart above will also give you an idea of what you might expect your puppy to weigh at different stages in his development. Again, this is closely linked to the size of the breed he belongs to. But if this is just a rough guide, how will you know for sure if your puppy is underweight or overweight, or just right And what exactly do I mean by Toy, Small, Medium, Large and Giant. Lets look at the size categories first. Ive picked examples of a well known breed in each category to give you an idea. Toy dogs. The example given here is based on the growth rate of a Toy Poodle. Mysql Get Date Now here. Dogs of this kind of size and weight typically stop growing somewhere between 6 and 8 months of age, but the vast majority of their growth is complete by around six months of age. Small and medium dogs. The example given of a small dog is based on a Miniature Schnauzer. The medium dog is an English Springer Spaniel. Bear in mind that Springers come in a wide range of sizes. From very small working bred dogs to the larger chunkier show type. Weve picked a moderately sized Springer for the purposes of this illustration. Small to medium sized dogs tend to have completed their growth by around the end of the first year. With close to their adult height reached by around nine months. Again, this is not set in stone. Just a rough guide. Large Dogs. In this example the growth rate of the large dog is based on the growth rate of a moderate sized German Shepherd Dog. Most larger breeds will finally complete their growth somewhere between 1. Giant Dogs. Our Giant Dog is a Great Dane. Some giant breeds reach even greater weights than this and grow for even longer. Some giant breeds will continue growing for up to three years. Again, these are general guidelines. For more information on your specific breed, visit our breed review page. But the general rule is this the larger the dog, the longer he grows for. How to tell how big a puppy will get.