Home / Puppy / Puppy Development / Weeks 1 to 2
This page is one stage of our puppy development series, which splits the first year into the stretches where life actually changes for a puppy and for the people living with one. The full timeline in a single read is our wave companion guide, puppy development week by week; this series goes slower, one stage at a time, so you can check what is normal right now, what feeding looks like right now, and which vet and socialization jobs belong to these exact weeks or months. Timings are typical ranges from the sources listed below. Small breeds often run ahead of large ones, and individual puppies vary more than any chart admits.
A puppy in its first two weeks lives in a very small world. The eyes are sealed shut and the ear canals are closed, so the world arrives through smell, touch and warmth. Newborns cannot hold their own body temperature, which is why they sleep piled against their mother and littermates and why a chilled puppy is an urgent problem rather than a wait-and-see one. Almost the whole day is nursing and sleeping, in short cycles: wake, feed, be cleaned by the mother, sleep again. A contented litter is a quiet one between feeds, and steady crying is a signal worth investigating, because it usually means a puppy is cold, hungry or unwell.
Growth in these two weeks is fast and measurable. Healthy puppies gain weight every day and roughly double their birth weight across the first week or so. Breeders weigh puppies daily at this stage because the scale notices trouble, a puppy that is not getting enough milk or is falling ill, before the eye does. Towards the end of week 2 the first big change arrives: the eyes begin to open, usually somewhere around 10 to 14 days, although the new vision is blurry and light sensitive for a while yet.
There is only one food in this stage: the mother's milk. The first milk, colostrum, also passes the mother some of her own protection against infection, which is the same maternal protection that later shapes the vaccine schedule. Orphaned or rejected puppies are a veterinarian-guided job from the first day, fed a proper puppy milk replacer on a strict schedule, and never cow's milk from the fridge, which does not match what a puppy needs. No weaning food, no supplements and no extras belong in this stage for a puppy feeding well from its mother.
Socialization in the usual sense has not started, because the senses it depends on are still switched off. What does start, in well-run breeding setups, is gentle human contact: brief daily handling, being held securely, touched on the paws and body, and put down again, all in the warmth near the mother. The AKC's early development guidance describes breeders beginning this kind of gentle stimulation in the first days of life. It is measured in seconds and minutes, not long cuddle sessions away from the litter, and the mother dog's comfort sets the limits.
For most future owners, this stage belongs to the breeder, and your job is choosing well rather than doing. Ask how puppies are weighed and recorded, how the whelping area is kept warm and clean, and when the litter's first veterinary check and worming happen. The MSD Veterinary Manual notes that puppies often pick up intestinal worms from their mother and are usually treated with deworming medicine as a precaution a few weeks after birth, so a breeder who can show you a worming record is showing you basic competence. If you are hand-rearing an orphan litter yourself, treat it as a veterinary project: warmth, feeding schedules, toileting help after feeds and daily weights all need a professional plan.
Vet milestones for this whole series follow two published guides. The AKC's generally accepted guideline starts the core vaccine series at 6 to 8 weeks (distemper and parvovirus), gives a DHPP booster at 10 to 12 weeks, and a further DHPP booster plus rabies at 16 to 18 weeks, with lifestyle vaccines decided with your veterinarian. The MSD Veterinary Manual owner guide adds why the series repeats: the protection puppies get from their mother fades at an unknown point, so doses repeat every 2 to 3 weeks until about 4 months, and puppies should be kept away from unvaccinated dogs and dogs of unknown status until the series is finished. Your own veterinarian's dates for your puppy always win over any general chart.
Series navigation: all development stages | our single-page summary, puppy development week by week | the first year hub.
Usually at around 10 to 14 days, near the end of this stage. The eyes open gradually, the early vision is blurry, and bright light should still be avoided while the eyes finish developing over the following weeks.
Birth weights vary enormously by breed, from a few ounces in toy breeds to well over a pound in giant breeds. The number that matters is the trend: healthy puppies gain steadily and roughly double their birth weight in the first week or so. A puppy that stalls or loses weight needs a veterinary check the same day.
No. For the first weeks puppies depend on their mother, littermates and a warm whelping area to stay warm. A puppy that feels cold, cries persistently or is pushed away from the group needs warmth and a veterinary call, in that order and quickly.
Only its mother's milk, or a proper puppy milk replacer under veterinary guidance if the mother cannot feed. The first milk also carries the mother's infection protection, which is part of why the early weeks are protected ones.
The MSD Veterinary Manual notes that puppies often carry intestinal worms passed on by their mother and are usually given deworming medicine as a precaution a few weeks after birth, with stool checks following. Your breeder's record and your veterinarian's plan cover the exact products and dates.
This page is general information drawn from the published guidance of the organizations listed under Sources below. It is not veterinary advice, and it does not replace your own veterinarian, who knows your dog. If your dog has eaten something toxic, contact your veterinarian, the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center on (888) 426-4435, or the Pet Poison Helpline on (855) 764-7661 straight away. A consultation fee may apply on the helplines.
Last updated: November 2026. Timings are the typical ranges described by the sources above; individual puppies vary, and your veterinarian's advice governs vaccines and feeding changes. How we work: our methodology.