German Shepherd Growth Stages

German Shepherd Growth Stages

If you are having a German Shepherd dog as a pet, or this is your first time, I think this information might be useful for you. Also, if you are a new breeder or someone who just wants to do research, this information below about German Shepherd Growth Stages will be added to your knowledge, and making sure not to take the wrong step for whatever you want to do.

The German Shepherd Growth Stages can be breakdown into 7 stages.

  • First stage – Newborn.
    After the pup is immediately born ( 0 weeks) it is considered a newborn.
  • Second stage – Neonatal.
    At the age of 2 weeks, the puppy will take a lot of sleeping and only awake for milk from the mother. This stage is important as it builds an antibody, muscles, and motoric sensor or coordination.
  • Third stage – Transitional.
    At the age of 2-4 weeks, the puppy will develop their sense, such as ear raising, nose; smelling anything, sound, and other senses.
  • Fourth stage – Socialisation.
    The puppy will develop a social skill with other living environments, this stage at the age of 4-8 weeks.
  • Fifth stage – Training and Bonding.
    At the age of 8 weeks to 6 months, the puppy will continue to grow and develop their characteristic by actively having a social with humans, other animals, and the environment.
  • Sixth stage – Adolescent.
    A puppy can be count as in transition to be an adult dog in the age range 8 weeks to 2-3 years, this stage will release hormones from the puppy or dogs if it’s male they will always try to mark their territories by peeing on anything.
  • Seventh stage – Adult.
    At the age of 3 years, the puppy is changing to an adult dog. They will grow and develop fully mentally, physically, and sexually.

There you go, the German Shepherd Growth Stages, I hope this short information can be useful for you or others.

German Shepherd Growth Stages

German Shepherds are a smart breed of dogs, with some characteristics of being a very headstrong dog, needing its owner to be physically and mentally prepared for that. They can be aggressive at this stage if provoked, but as they grow older, they become calmer and more submissive. The first German Shepherd stage is known as the theoretic stage, which refers to a condition where the puppy has not yet reached puberty. When this occurs, the puppy is considered a juvenile.

These stages are important because it helps in determining the health, temperament, and life expectancy of the puppies being considered. A good German shepherd guide must contain all the necessary information about German Shepherd growth stages to help the breeder or owner understand the different stages and what to look out for as far as behavior and traits.

In addition, the guide should be able to tell the exact time when each of these specific stages occurs. That way, the owner can be prepared by making sure that he or she will be able to attend to the puppy during each stage. A lot of information is available on the internet, including German Shepherd puppy care tips.

As mentioned earlier, the first of the four German shepherd growth stages is known as the anogenital stage.

Here, the puppy becomes sexually mature. In terms of physical traits, it’s important to note that during this stage, the hips and ribs are fully developed, the ribs have stopped growing, and there is no evidence of menstruation. The eyes, on the other hand, remain closed. At this point, the puppy may still be a virgin.

In the second week of the second German shepherd growth stage, the puppy’s ribs stop growing and the pelvic muscles are fully developed. The puppy will also have its tail. If you feel that your German Shepherd pup is in this stage already, you might want to take him to the vet for a regular physical. Also, it’s advisable to start feeding smaller, more dry dog foods.

During the third and fourth German shepherd growth stages, the puppy’s eyes, muzzle, and head have stopped growing. The puppy is now at the stage where its chest has begun to develop, and it is starting to take shape as well. However, the eyes and ears may still be a bit small, which is why it’s important to pay close attention to them and observe how they are improving. You can use the German Shepherd puppy weight chart to know what percentage of the dog’s total body weight should be taken by each of the four stages.

As mentioned before, each of the four stages in the German Shepherd puppy growth chart lasts for seven to ten weeks, with the final stage lasting for two weeks. Each of the stages has a specific name. The transition stage is called “I’m a Healthy Living Dog!”

During the second week of the transitional stage, your dog should no longer feel cold.

He should be eating normally for the first three weeks. He should appear to be actively playing and be very active and happy. The eyes of your puppy should not be reddish anymore but rather glistening or silver-grey.

At the weekend of the second German Shepherd stage, your dog should no longer grow hair on his face, nor on his back, stomach, or tail. He should not be drooling or gasping for air. At this point, your German Shepherd should begin to grow thicker hair around his ears. His muzzle should not be pink or black anymore. Generally, by the end of the second year of age, your shepherd should be growing at about twice the speed he did when he was just a puppy.