Early Socialization Developmental Chart

For Your Olde English Bulldogge Puppy

Puppies go through a series of developmental stages.  Understanding your bulldog puppy’s developmental stages and his socialization needs at each stage will enable you to help him navigate each stage successfully.  The chart below provides at a glance an overview of a bulldog puppy’s development and needs from birth to twelve weeks.

The first three weeks of a puppy’s life are spent sleeping, eating and developing.  Puppies are born blind and deaf.  Their eyes and ears do not open until around two weeks of age.  Once eyes and ears are open they continue rapidly developing and fine-tuning their sight and hearing for another week or two.  By four weeks their ears and eyes are open and their eyes are bright. 

Weeks three through twelve are critical to a bulldog puppy’s physical and social development.  During this period, a puppy’s personality and sociability are greatly determined by the amount and consistency of socialization and stimuli.   Understanding puppy development and appropriately interacting with your Olde English Bulldogge puppy is essential to avoid inappropriate behavior and personality problems later on. Timidity, fear-biting, phobias, and dominance aggression can be minimized or eliminated through proper socialization.  Positive interactions lead to a well-adjusted puppy.

After three weeks, bulldogge puppies should be picked up, petted and handled in a pleasurable manner with increasing frequency.  Taking puppies for car rides and for walks, seeing and interacting with other people and dogs allows the puppies to get used to the noises and distractions of life.  A bulldog puppy with little or no exposure to people and dogs during the first three months of life adjusts poorly as an adult dog.  Despite attempts to compensate for lack of socialization during this critical developmental time period, social, behaviorial and personality problems stubbornly linger throughout a bulldog’s life. Socialize your Olde English Bulldogge puppy to the fullest extent for a long, happy, successful relationship.

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