Do you know what the different stages in your pet’s life are? There are six of them, and I will try to tell you about them. It is good to know at what stage of life our pet is. It is easier for us to understand his needs and help him with every coin of his life.
A dog’s life divides into six different stages. Interestingly, they significantly differ when it comes to their duration. The fifth stage of a dog’s life, adulthood, is the longest. The doggy is fully developed physically, and his character is already primarily shaped. The shortest time in a dog’s life is the transitional phase, which ends around the third week of life.
What will you learn from this article:
• The dog’s life can be divided into six stages
• Different stages of a dog’s life vary in length
• The fifth stage, adulthood, is the longest
The stages of a dog’s life
As a guardian dog, you have certainly noticed that the life cycle of our dogs is slightly different from the one we know well. Different phases of dogs growing up have different concern periods than is the case for the average person. Therefore, if you want to discover the various stages of your dog’s life, you’ve come to the right place. I am in a hurry to answer you.
Why is it important to know our dogs’ life stages? Because it will help us better care for our pets’ needs in particular periods of their lives. It is constructive in raising the dog.
Dogs and humans have different needs at different stages of their lives. Other things will be necessary for a small, energetic puppy and entirely different for a calm canine senior. Therefore, as a responsible caregiver, I believe it is good for you to know the various stages in your dog’s life.
Different stages of a dog’s life
We can distinguish seven main stages in the life of our pets, starting with the puppy period and ending with old age. The duration of each period in your pet’s life varies greatly. Some steps are concise, and others are very long.
I will introduce you to these stages and briefly discuss their characteristics. However, remember that every doggy is different, so you will not always see everything I mention here in your pet’s case. It’s okay, and you don’t have to stress about it.
The first phase – neonatal
This stage in our dogs begins at the time of their birth. It lasts around two weeks of your dog’s life. That is the moment in our pets’ lives when their perception of the outside world is minimal.
That is because, at this stage in his life, your little dog still has his eyes unopened, and his ear canals are closed. What’s more, such a small dog still moves quite awkwardly. I’d describe his way of moving as creeping. Indeed you have seen a tiny puppy more than once, which, being hungry, is how it instinctively moves towards his mother.
It is worth mentioning that even in the neonatal phase, dogs have a good sense of smell. It is then one of the primary senses with which they perceive what is around them. In this way, they know, among other things, where their mother is, whom they cannot see at this stage of their lives.
Although puppies in the first phase of their lives are vulnerable and very fragile, it is also essential to stimulate their senses from such an early age. How should this be done? By very gently stroking the puppy or by carefully lifting it. Doing so improves the functioning of your dog’s circulatory system.
Phase two – transitional
When they are about two weeks old, your puppy goes into a transitional phase. That is the moment in the dogs’ lives when their other senses begin to perceive the surrounding reality. I mean sight and hearing, which were still dormant in the neonatal phase.
The transition phase is when your puppy starts to stand up on his own and tries to move around. It is true that when moving from place to place, dogs often still stumble, but they can reach the chosen destination on their own.
At this stage in a dog’s life, he interacts with other dogs. In this way, it starts learning to communicate with other pets. It is also the initial stage of a puppy’s socialization that will develop in the subsequent phases of his life. Therefore, it is essential not to limit your little dog.
As the name suggests, the transitional stage is relatively short in dogs. It ends roughly when the quadruped is three weeks old.
The third phase – socialization
This stage is a special moment in the life of dogs when it comes to developing their ability to communicate with the outside world, both with other dogs and people. The dog learns to transmit information and establish relationships with others.
The socialization phase is the moment when the dog learns what the warning signals are. He also tries to use them in communication with others. I discuss the most popular signals in it and what the dog wants to convey to us using them.
In this phase of a dog’s life, the place where he is staying becomes something essential for him too. He becomes attached to him, giving him a sense of security and constancy.
Interestingly, this is also a point in a puppy’s life when he becomes a bit distrustful of strangers. Initially, dogs in the socialization phase are open to everyone they meet on their way. Over time, however, to establish a relationship with a pet, he must first place his trust in us.
Dogs in the phase of socialization begin to feel the fear of the unknown. They treat everything foreign and strange to them with reserve. It is crucial to let your dog get used to the world around him at his own pace.
For example, if you have bought a new bed for your socialized puppy, let him get used to it before you put it on. Let him know the smell of a new thing, feel the material’s structure, and judge its size and shape on your own.
The fourth phase – youthful
That is the longest-lasting phase in a dog’s life, considering those already behind him. Namely, it starts around the fourth month of life and lasts until the dog is one year old.
That is a time in your dog’s life when he has many behaviours typical of a puppy and an adult dog. Therefore, predicting how a young dog will behave in a given situation is not easy.
The adolescent phase is also the moment when the doggie’s hormones are buzzing, which is why it can be highly active.
Unfortunately, this is also the time when our dogs are damaged a lot. Therefore, if you do not want your dog destroy accessories, ensure they are high quality. Then it will be challenging for the dog to cause something devastated.
I put on the URBAN lair from Bowl & Bone Republic. The solid craft and high quality of the materials meant that my dog could still enjoy this lair, and it is in excellent condition.
Dog bed |URBAN graphite
The fifth phase – adulthood
We consider a doggie an adult after he is about twelve months old. Then he is almost fully developed physically and in terms of his character. The dog’s personality begins to take root, and we can already initially assess what temperament our pet will have.
Adulthood is by far the longest stage in a dog’s life.
The sixth phase – old age
That is when, unfortunately, the dog slowly loses his full physical fitness. His condition is weakening. That also applies to his learning ability, much lower than in the previous stages of the dog’s life.
More about caring for a canine senior can be found in the entry HERE. I hope you can find answers to all your questions there.
The dog is man’s best friend
You cannot deny that no matter what stage of life our pet is in, he is our best friend. He has great trust and love for us. It is up to us as guardians whether our pets will lead a peaceful and happy life by our side.
My dog is currently in the adult stage, and at what stage of life is your pet? I was hoping you could write me your answer by leaving a comment below.
If you have any questions or want me to discuss a topic in the next post, share it with me in the comments section.
