Insights from Breeders on Early Feeding, Handling, and Training of Your Puppy in the First 8 Weeks

When you bring a puppy home, there will be lots of cuddles, play, and a few sleepless nights. But what’s going on in those eight weeks of life before your puppy even comes to you? If you want the best puppy and to be the best puppy owner, you need to learn about puppy development.

We’ve talked with professional breeders with decades of experience in raising puppies and first-stage development. If your puppy is not yet ready to come home, or you want to learn how those adorable little faces come to be, we’re sharing everything you need to know to prepare yourself for every week of the process!

Week 1-2: The Neonatal Stage

During the first two weeks, the puppies are completely dependent on their mother. Puppies are born with eyes and ears sealed, cannot regulate their body temperature , and most of the time, sleep and nurse

What Breeders Care About:

Breeders will pay attention to weight gain, since this is the only thing we can really measure at this point. Every puppy in the litter should be gaining weight (and we weigh them twice a day). Breeders try to maintain a warm, quiet environment.

Nutrition at this stage comes entirely from the mother’s milk, which provides all the antibodies and nutrients puppies need. If a mother isn’t producing enough milk or if there’s a large litter, breeders may supplement with specially formulated puppy milk replacer.

Early Handling Begins:

While puppies look completely oblivious to their world, it’s good to handle them gently during this phase. Most breeders do Early Neurological Stimulation (ENS) which is a military-developed program in which puppies undergo short gentle exercises, are held in different positions and are mildly stimulated, to build stress tolerance for life.

Week 3-4: The Transitional Period

This is the fun part. Puppies’ eyes open around day 10-14 and ear canals open soon afterwards. They become aware of their environment. By week three they are up on wobbly legs and beginning to interact with the other puppies.

Feeding Developments:

Around weeks three or four, the weaning process begins. Not weaning in that they stop nursing, but the puppies are introduced to solids. Most breeders will start with a gruel made of high quality puppy food mixed with water or puppy milk replacer. The consistency of the mixture gets thicker over the next few weeks.

The puppies are RIDICULOUSLY messy eaters. They will walk through their food, get it all over their face, and they often seem to play in it more than they actually eat it. It’s part of the process.

Socialization Starts:

This is a critical period of early litter mate socialization. Bite inhibition is learned from siblings and some rudimentary rules of dog communication are established. If one puppy bites too hard, the other will yelp and withdraw from play. The message – play nice to carry on.

Week 5-6: The Awareness Period

By 5 weeks of age, puppies are walking and are very curious. They are eating solids (but nursing, too) and are starting to play with littermates and develop personalities.

Feeding Schedule:

Most breeders have puppies on four meals a day by this stage. They should be eating good quality puppy food appropriate for the adult size they will be. Large breed puppies need food that promotes slow and steady growth. On the other hand, small breed puppies need calorie-dense food to support their high metabolic rate.

Food should be appropriate for the breed size. Large breed puppy food has special calcium and phosphorus ratio. This helps to limit the rate of growth to a safe and healthy level. Rapid growth in large breed puppies can lead to severe skeletal problems.

Handling and Exposure:

This is when the intensive socialization process begins. Puppies are exposed to a variety of surfaces including grass, carpet, tile and wood. They are exposed to all sorts of sounds from the vacuum, the TV and even recordings of thunderstorms and fireworks. Some breeders have gone so far as to play classical music or sound tracks specifically designed for calming puppies.

The gentle handling continues and the puppies are picked up, held and have their feet, ears and mouths handled. All of this prepares them for the veterinary visits, grooming and care that will be expected by their new families. Breeders may expose the puppies to safe, vaccinated adult dogs with good temperaments so that the puppies have some adult role models from whom to learn appropriate behaviors.

Week 7-8: Ready for the World

These final weeks before going home are all about refinement and preparation. Puppies are confident, playful, and starting to show their true personalities. They’re fully weaned and eating solid food exclusively, though they may still comfort nurse from mom occasionally if she allows it.

Feeding Routine:

At seven to eight weeks, puppies are typically on a schedule of three to four meals per day. Reputable breeders will provide new owners with extensive information about the puppy’s current diet, including brand and formula, portion sizes, and feeding times.

Switching a puppy’s food should always be done gradually over 7-10 days to avoid digestive upset. For this reason, many breeders send puppies home with a supply of their current food and feeding instructions.

Training Foundations:

While formal training doesn’t start this early, the foundation for all future learning is being established. Puppies at this age are beginning to learn:

• House training basics: Many breeders start introducing puppies to going potty in a designated area, separate from their sleeping and eating spaces. This makes house training easier when puppies go to their new homes.
• Crate introduction: Progressive breeders introduce puppies to crates as safe, comfortable spaces rather than punishment. Puppies might nap in crates with the doors open or eat meals in them.
• Basic handling: Puppies should be comfortable being picked up, held, and having all parts of their body touched. This includes checking ears, looking at teeth, holding paws, and gentle grooming.
• Name recognition: Some breeders start using puppies’ names (or at least calling them) so they begin associating a sound with attention and positive experiences.

Socialization Intensifies:

From three to fourteen weeks is the critical socialization period. During the period with the breeder, puppies should be exposed to as many positive experiences as possible. This includes:

• Meeting different people of various ages, including children (supervised carefully)
• Experiencing different environments within the home
• Encountering novel objects like umbrellas, hats, or bags
• Hearing household sounds and voices
• Playing with age-appropriate toys with different textures

The key word here is “positive.” These experiences should never be overwhelming or frightening. Good breeders watch puppies’ body language carefully and proceed at each puppy’s pace.

What This Means for New Puppy Owners

Understanding what happens during these first eight weeks helps you appreciate the work responsible breeders put into their puppies. It also sets realistic expectations for what your puppy knows when they come home.

When You Bring Your Puppy Home:

Your puppy will be much bigger but still a baby!  You will need to:

• feed on schedule (stay with the breeder’s schedule and food for at least a few weeks; puppies stay on four meals a day until 12-16 weeks, three meals until 6 months, then two meals per day for life)
• continue socialization (the critical period is until 14-16 weeks so you will need to continue the positive experiences, preferably with puppy socialization classes)
• keep handling them (the breeder will have started this but you need to keep it up!  Touch those paws, ears, mouth, and body!!  It will make grooming and vet visits a breeze)
• be patient with house training (even if the breeder has started this you will need to be consistent and patient)
• remember that this is still a very young puppy!  At eight weeks he/she won’t be able to hold it for long, won’t have reliable recall, and won’t have much of an attention span (training sessions should be brief and fun!)

Red Flags to Watch For

Understanding normal development in puppies can also help you recognize when things are not normal. Puppies that go to a new home at 8 weeks should be:

• Active and playful when awake
• Curious
• Sociable
• Should have a good appetite
• Should be gaining weight

Puppies that are lethargic, fearful of everything, aggressive (beyond typical puppy mouthing) or look ill need a vet visit. Any breeder who wants to send a puppy to a new home before 8 weeks (unless in very extreme circumstances) should raise huge red flags.

The Breeder-Owner Partnership

The best breeders see puppy placement as the beginning, not the end, of a relationship. The should provide:

• Health records and vaccination certificates
• Feeding instructions and some food
• Information about the puppy’s personality and quirks
• A contract that protects you and the puppy
• Support while you’re going through puppyhood

Looking Ahead

Those first eight weeks prepare but the real work starts when you get your puppy home.

The work the breeders do while your puppy is there, from feeding them well to handling them daily and starting the socialization has a big effect on your puppy. You will just have to continue to reinforce the right behaviors with consistency, patience and love.

Every puppy is different and there will be challenges along the way. Some puppies are just born naturally confident, some are more sensitive. Some are food motivated and eager to please when training while some may be a bit more aloof.

Knowing what your puppy went through before coming to you will enable you to cater for their individual needs and personality.

The sleepless nights and puddles on the floor are well worth it though and just a small price to pay for the lifetime bond you will build with your puppy! Those eight weeks of preparation before you even met were just the beginning!