How long are dogs puppies

Is your puppy becoming an adult dog? It may be hard to tell. If you've had them since they were a young puppy, you'll remember the many changes they experienced: their teeth coming in, learning to play fetch, potty training and socializing.

But the older your pooch gets, the smaller and more subtle their developmental growth becomes. It's important for you, as the pet parent, to understand the changes occurring at every stage of puppy development so that you can keep up with their changing needs as they grow into an adult dog.

When Does a Puppy Become an Adult Dog?

Your puppy won't reach maturity all at once. Like humans, dogs transition from baby to adult in stages, though the transition happens much more quickly for dogs. 

• Sexual Maturity: Most dogs become sexually mature by 6 months when they're still in the puppy stage of development both physically and emotionally. At this point, your pup's sex organs are fully developed, making them capable of reproducing. Spaying or neutering your dog is recommended in order to avoid unwanted pregnancies and adverse behaviors, such as roaming or marking. While the traditional age for spaying or neutering is 6 to 9 months old, the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) explains that healthy puppies as young as 8 weeks old can be eligible. Consult your veterinarian to determine the best age for your pup's unique needs.
• Physical Maturity: Physically speaking, dogs are fully grown by the time they're 1 year old, although large breeds may keep growing until they're 2 years old. When your pup reaches physical maturity, they may still engage in puppy-like behaviors but their physical needs, including the number of calories they need to consume and how much exercise they require to stay healthy, become that of an adult dog.
• Emotional Maturity: You'll know your dog has reached emotional maturity when they stop acting like a puppy or an adolescent and fully settle into the role of an adult dog. Typically, emotionally mature adults are less distractible, better at listening and obeying and have a calmer and more settled demeanor. The precise timing of this milestone differs, but most dogs reach emotional maturity by their second birthday.

How to Manage Puppy Adolescence

In puppy development, the time between reaching sexual maturity and emotional maturity is akin to human adolescence. This can be a challenging stage — at times your pup's behavior might remind you of that of a rebellious teenager. While not all adolescent puppies exhibit behavior problems, it is extremely common. It's important to be patient, but firm and consistent when establishing boundaries and expectations for behavior.

Meeting Your Growing Dog's Needs: Food, Care, Exercise & More

Though they may still have some emotional maturing left to do, your puppy's physical needs become those of a dog once they reach physical maturity. Here's how you should expect to meet your growing dog's changing needs:

• Adult Dog Food: Growing puppies burn through a lot of energy in a day and need specialized food that's high in protein, fat and calories in order to keep up. Once they're fully grown, though, they should switch to adult dog food that will meet their nutritional needs and prevent them from becoming overweight. In order to avoid tummy troubles, it's best to transition slowly over the space of a week, gradually reducing the amount of puppy food while adding in their new adult food.
• Veterinary Care: Barring illness or injury, healthy adult dogs in their prime typically only need to visit a vet once a year for an annual wellness check and, depending on the laws in your state, an annual rabies vaccine. For puppies, however, vets will administer a series of vaccinations starting at 6 to 8 weeks of age, ending with a final dose at 16 weeks, says the ASPCA.

• Exercise: An adult dog's exercise needs vary depending on size, breed, sex, age and health, says the ASPCA. Some small and toy breeds can meet their exercise requirements by simply following you around the house and engaging in occasional play, while larger dogs tend to need at least 30 minutes a day of vigorous activity in order to stay calm and fit. Without the puppy-like urge to romp and explore, your adult pooch may need more structured forms of exercise such as going on walks, accompanying you on hikes or playing fetch in the backyard.
• Dog Supplies: Depending on how big your dog becomes relative to their puppy size, you may need to invest in new supplies. In addition to a larger collar and leash, your grown pup may also need to upgrade to larger food and water dishes, a roomier bed, a larger crate or carrier and new toys that are both bigger and sturdier to withstand rougher play.

It can be bittersweet to watch your puppy becoming an adult — but as much fun as the first year can be, there are few things more rewarding for a pet parent than getting to know the personality of the dog your pup was destined to become. Meeting their changing needs will help set the stage for a loving relationship that will reward you both for years to come.

Amy Shojai, CABC

Amy Shojai is a certified animal behavior consultant, and nationally known authority on pet care and behavior. She began her career as a veterinary technician and is the award-winning author of more than 35 prescriptive nonfiction pet books.

Puppy development involves a lot of stages and milestones as puppies grow into adulthood. Whether you've adopted a puppy and you're wondering when they'll calm down and stop chewing on everything — or you're simply curious about what puppies go through to become full-fledged dogs — this puppy timeline has the answers you're looking for.

1. When Puppies Open Their Eyes and Ears

Puppies are born blind and deaf, with both their eyes and ears sealed shut. For their first two weeks of life, newborn pups experience the world entirely through touch and smell. During the third week their eyes and ears open, giving tiny pups a whole new way to experience life. This is typically because puppies are born without their brains fully developed unlike other mammals that have longer gestation periods.

2. When Puppies Learn to Bark

Once puppies are able to hear, they begin to mimic the sounds they hear from their mother. It doesn't take long after their ears open for puppies to go from soft grunts to full-fledged whining and barking.

3. When Puppies Learn to Walk

Puppies begin to stand around the same time their senses develop. By the third week, they begin taking their first clumsy steps, giving them a new sense of independence.

4. When Puppies Learn to Play

Once puppies become mobile, it's not long before walking leads to scampering around and playing with their littermates. At about three weeks of age, this marks the beginning of the crucial socialization stage as pups learn from their mom and siblings what it means to be a dog.

5. When Puppy Teeth Come In

The third week is a big week in the puppy timeline. In addition to the other puppy development milestones mentioned above, those sharp little puppy teeth also start to erupt. Typically, by week eight they have their entire set of deciduous teeth (puppy teeth).

6. When Puppies Learn to Go Potty

Weeks three to four is also the time when pups develop control over their bladder and bowel movements, and learn to leave their sleeping area before relieving themselves.

7. When Puppies Start Eating Solid Food

While puppies may start trying to sample mom's solid food as soon as their teeth start coming in, it's not until the fourth week that the mother's milk production starts to slow down and pups begin the permanent transition to solid puppy food. This weaning process typically takes about four more weeks, and puppies are fully weaned by week eight.

8. When Puppies Begin to Like People

The fourth week in the puppy timeline is also when puppies begin forming emotional attachments and bonds with the people around them. While it's still too early to separate a pup from their mother and littermates, this is a great time to start getting to know the puppy you intend to adopt.

9. When Puppies Need to Be Socialized

Although puppies start learning about the world and the social order within their litter by week three, weeks four through twelve make up a crucial window for socialization that will make the difference between a pup growing into a well-adjusted dog or one with emotional and behavioral problems. The earlier puppies in this stage of development can start meeting new people, interacting with other pets (but you'll want to make sure these pups are also vaccinated and have gone through their vet checks so as to not expose your puppy to anything), exploring the world, and gaining new and positive experiences, the better.

10. When Puppies Need to Be Vaccinated

According to the American Kennel Club, puppies should start receiving vaccinations between six and eight weeks. By the time a puppy is ready to be adopted, they should already be vaccinated for distemper, parvovirus, and parainfluenza. A pup will be ready for his next round of vaccinations between ten and twelve weeks of age.

11. When Puppies Can Start Being House-Trained

By week seven, says Dogtime, a puppy has developed the physical coordination and muscle control necessary to begin house-training. Accidents are still likely. Their muscles continue to develop and they gain new neural pathways that help them understand how and where to properly relieve himself.

12. When Puppies Are Ready to Adopt

Once puppies are fully weaned at week eight, they're ready to leave their canine birth family and go to their new homes. This can be a delicate time. While a pup this age is still within the time frame of readily accepting new family members and new experiences, they're also shifting into a fear stage that can last until about week twelve. Puppies at this age need a lot of reassurance and positivity to keep from becoming anxious adults.

13. When Puppies Are Ready for Obedience Training

By week nine, after they've had a chance to settle into their new home and form a bond with his new family, a pup is ready to begin basic obedience training. While some pet parents are reluctant to enroll their pups in obedience classes prior to obtaining all of their vaccinations, the American Veterinary Society of Animal Behavior points out that the socialization benefits of attending obedience classes at this age far outweigh any risks posed by not having completed vaccinations. Make sure to check with your pup's veterinarian to get their opinion first.

14. When Puppies Learn Their Place in the Household

At week twelve, a puppy's dominance and submission instincts start coming to the fore and he starts to figure out where they fit in the social order of the household. At week twelve, the fear stage gives way to curiosity as he becomes more independent and assertive. Now, he needs plenty of reassurance from his loved ones. Usually, pups are secure about their place in the family by about six months of age.

15. When Teething and Chewing Begins

Adult teeth start coming in between three and six months of age, which is when the dreaded chewing begins. It's important to puppy-proof the house at this stage, hiding or placing out of reach anything you don't want to get chewed, as well as anything that might pose a choking hazard or otherwise harm the pup, such as power cords or toxic plants. Providing chew toys during this time can help prevent him from satisfying his urge to chew on the living room rug or your favorite shoes.

16. When Puppies Are Ready to Be Spayed or Neutered

Puppies can be spayed or neutered between four and six months. This should be discussed with your veterinarian to understand the benefits for your puppy and best timing to schedule.

17. When Puppies Start Testing Boundaries

As adolescent pups become more independent, they may try to assert themselves, establish dominance, and stake out their territory. It's common for pups between six and eighteen months of age to push their boundaries and challenge the authority of their human, as well as any other pets that make up their "pack."

18. When Puppies Mature and Settle Down

Puppies typically develop the emotional maturity and temperament of an adult dog between twelve and eighteen months of age, although they may continue to occasionally exhibit puppy behavior like chewing and nipping until they're about two years old. Generally, by the time a pup reaches eighteen months, he's settled into his grown-up personality and fully acclimated to his place in the family. Now this doesn't mean he won't still be a bundle of energy — this can continue for a few years depending on the dog, which is why regular exercise and training is important for him to learn proper behaviors.

Normal puppy development certainly comes with challenges, and more often than not those challenges will try the patience of new puppy parents. But the puppy timeline, watching a pup grow from infancy to adulthood, also comes with a multitude of rewards.

Jean Marie Bauhaus

Jean Marie Bauhaus is a pet parent, pet blogger and novelist from Tulsa, Oklahoma, where she usually writes under the supervision of a lapful of furbabies.