"THE WEANING PERIOD: WEEKS 3-7
At this age, your puppy is starting to learn dog behavior. Its at this age that your puppy learns how to be a dog. The mother plays a large role in this stage. The mother will teach your puppy bite inhibition. Meaning, if your puppy starts to nip too hard, the mother will usually let out a growl, snarl, or even snap at the puppy. These are all parts of learning process that every puppy goes through. Your puppy will also learn bite inhibition from playing with their litter mates. When a puppy is playing with a fellow litter mate, you will likely hear yelps and screams while the puppies are playing. This is perfectly normal and part of the learning process which teaches your puppy not to bite so hard. This stage in your puppies life is very important. Never buy a dog from a breeder that releases puppies before 7 weeks of age. Again, if you are looking for a toy breed dog, I would not take your puppy home until they are 10-12 weeks of age. Taking your puppy home too early can cause future complications such as:
1. Aggression towards other dogs
2. Difficulty house training
3. Separation anxiety
4. Excessive barking
5. Biting the owner
6. Nervousness
7. An unhealthy attachment to humans |