Puppy Development

Puppies double their birth weight by 1 week of age. They are like infants for the first 3 weeks of life. They nurse and sleep, cuddling together for warmth and comfort. Their eyes open between 2 1/2- 3 weeks of age, and they begin to look around and explore their environment. Their bodies are heavy and big in proportion to their legs, so it's difficult to hold their body's weight up. The attempts at crawling and walking are strengthening their legs and by 3 wks they can sit up for a few seconds at a time. By 4 weeks, they are able to walk but are still clumsy in coordination. They begin to play and make growl and chatter vocalizations. At 5 weeks, they clumsily run, play, and fall over a lot! They interact with each other, with humans, and begin their intake of solid foods while still nursing. Some breeders may start solids earlier, but we don't start solids until 5 weeks of age. Their baby teeth are starting to come in, with the incisors breaking through first. They like to try their sharp teeth on things, and begin teething and chewing. Personality differences in the Cairn breed are not apparent at 5 weeks of age. Some puppies may display a more outgoing or a more reserved personality, but this may change by 8 weeks or adulthood. All of our 5 week old puppies wag their tails, lick you, crawl on your lap, chase a toy, chew, and are happy sweet puppies. At 4-5 weeks of age they start exploring the doggy door as they watch Mom go in and out. They soon figure out how to potty outside, keeping the interior "den" clean according to their instincts. They continue to gain coordination and experiment with rough play at 6 weeks. Adult and peer socialization is important at 6-8 weeks of age, so they learn what is socially appropriate. Puppies who bite too hard, get bitten back. They learn dominance, submission, and appropriate dog interaction. For this reason we do not separate or wean puppies from their mother. Mom weans the puppies at 6-7 weeks of age on her own. They transition slowly from their mother's milk to solid foods, and have enough sharp teeth to easily eat dry food at 7 weeks of age. Puppies are then ready to go home at 8 weeks of age, with their mother's instinct naturally reduced by that time, so that they aren't upset about the puppies being taken away. The puppies approach new situations and their new home with intrigue and vigor. But expect the first few nights alone to be difficult for the puppy. They're used to sleeping with their warm siblings and to be alone is scary and uncomfortable. We recommend taking home plush toys with Mom and sibling's scent on it. The warm puppy cuddle pal is an excellent sibling substitute, particularly with their scent rubbed on it. It's also helpful to place something you've worn in the crate with them, to give them the comfort of your smell after bonding the first day.