Know When to Wean Puppies
If you have a litter of puppies that you are selling or giving away, you have to be careful about when you take them away from their mothers. If you ask your vet when to wean puppies, the vet will tell you that the weaning period usually starts at about the 4th week. It may take you some time to accomplish this task, so the weaning period usually lasts until about the 8th week.
It is important to understand the developmental stages that a puppy goes through in order to find the best time to wean the puppies. From birth to 12 days, puppies stay close to their mother. They cant see or hear very well at this stage and they need a warm environment. From 13 to 30 days, the puppy starts to explore its surroundings. Although it can walk, its legs are still a little wobbly. Their eyes are open and they can hear. This is the time when they start responding to tastes and smells. Breeders will tell you that this is the stage in which they put different things in the puppy bed, such as a small towel with knots in it. If you have a cat and it is friendly, this is the time when you can introduce it to the puppy. You should spend some time with the puppies at this stage and get them used to hearing someone talk to them.
The main socialization stage for puppies starts when they are about three weeks old. The puppy still needs to stay with the rest of the litter and the mother, but you should introduce each one to different surfaces, such as carpet, concrete, wood, etc. It is less hectic for everyone, if you do this with only one or two puppies at a time.
Weaning a puppy means taking it away from its mother and teaching it the rules of the house. You can start doing this when the puppy is about 30 days old by having it away from the mother and the rest of the litter for short periods of time that get longer each day. This avoids having problems with the puppy crying all night when it moves to a new home. Take the puppy outside for regular walks and spend time playing with it each day.
House training the puppy is also an important part of weaning. The first thing you have to do is train the puppy where to use the bathroom. You can start by keeping the puppy in its crate and letting it out at regular intervals to use the bathroom. Spread newspapers on the floor if you dont want to start training the puppy to go outdoors right away. Make sure you confine the puppy to a small space instead of giving it the run of the house. Introduce it to different rooms one at a time so that you can train it how you want it to behave in these areas. When the puppy does good, make sure you reward it with lots of praise.
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