WHEN PUPPIES MOVE ON

Making the transition from puppy to young dog is an important journey, the rest of their adult lives stretch ahead of them with many wags of the tail and walkies to enjoy. But for most of us, we miss that stage as our pet will probably come to us after this has happened so what is it all about?

Learning how to wean can help the puppy develop emotionally and socially. Approx three weeks after birth the mother begins to discourages nursing by the puppies. At the same time, puppies also naturally begin to show a decline in the length of time they nurse in order to spend more time exploring the new world around them! At this point, the breeder starts offering food for the puppies to try and increasing gentle human handling.

Until they start to wean, the puppies have been suckling to gain nourishment but now need to learn to open their mouths and bite to get food, which can result in some messy feeding times often with puppy falling into the food dish! Some puppies will try and suckle their food and you can only smile at the thought of a young scamp of a puppy with a face covered in soft puppy food!

But every dog is different, and some mothers do not begin to push away their puppies as soon as others, and after four weeks or so some need a little gentle help. Progress should be slow, to reduce anxiety and possible mammary gland inflammation in the mother.

By the time the puppies are around eight weeks of age, they should be eating solid food and no longer nursing. This is the age when the pups may be ready for their new homes and life without their mother, but sometimes it is longer depending on what the breeder feels is most suitable for all concerned.

If you choose to buy your new puppy from a reputable breeder rather than give a home to a rescue dog, it’s possible that you will be able to choose and visit your puppy during the latter stages of weaning.

These are fun and carefree times to be part of, but it does mean that you can start to bond with your puppy before they come home plus take the time while you wait to get lots of good advice from your vet and welfare organisations. Dog food manufacturers often offer free information and leaflets as well.