Puppy Growth

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Puppies aren’t puppies for long which means as owners we only have a short time to give them the best start. Of course it depends on the breed of dog you have how long the puppy stage lasts. The general rule is to allow one month for every inch (2.5cm) of growth until your dog reaches it’s full height at it’s shoulder. So if you expect your dog to be 18 inches tall they will take 18 months to grow.. It’s important to know this so we can exercise and feed them appropriately. While puppies are growing their bones are still forming and can be damaged by too much exercise or by carrying too much weight. Generally a puppy’s smallest bones grow first, which explains why they go through a stage of looking like their feet are too big, and then all the other bones follow on in order of size, finishing with the skull. This also explains why they can look as if they’ve got tiny heads while the skull bones catch up with the rest of them.
Puppyhood is also the best time to get your dog really well socialized to avoid fear and phobias in later life. The earlier a puppy experiences something the more they accept it as normal. As they get older their natural self protective instincts kick in and new experiences are viewed as something which might be harmful and therefore to be wary of.
I’ll be going into more detail about how we can protect our puppies as they grow in future posts.

 

Massage and Puppies
Massage is a great way to bond with your puppy and also to get used to how your puppy feels so you are more likely to pick up problems in the future. It also gets them used to being relaxed while being handled and having all parts of them touched – especially the sensitive areas of feet and ears. This makes it so much easier when your dog has to go to the vets. Call me for more information 07761 826736

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