The puppy timeline: Physical and mental changes

Raising adorable puppies can be as challenging as it is exciting, especially because of the speed at which they are developing, both physically and mentally. So, knowing the general timeline of their growth can help owners prepare to meet a puppy’s evolving needs.

Harmony Diers, a veterinary technician at the Texas A&M School of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences, says a puppy’s growth timeline includes five major stages: neonatal, transitional, socialization, juvenile, and adolescence.

The neonatal stage roughly lasts for the first two weeks of a puppy’s life and is marked by a puppy’s inability to do very much.