English Toy Spaniel Puppies

It is very interesting and fun to know about the growth of the puppies until their adulthood. The developmental stages of the puppies vary from their size. If it was a large breed, then the development is not much seen until two years. However, the English Toy Spaniel (also known as King Charles Spaniel) is a small breed, so its growth and developmental process are quick.

Therefore, the English Toy Spaniel puppy tends to physically mature at an early age, unlike other larger breeds.

The English Toy Spaniel can give birth to 4-6 puppies at a time. Dog remain pregnant for around 63 days (several days may vary) till they give birth to their puppies. The developmental stages of English Toy Spaniel puppies are explained below from birth to adulthood (until 1 year).

Stage 1: Newborn

The newly born puppies of the English Toy Spaniel is so small that it will fit perfectly on your palm. The puppy is completely deaf, blind, toothless and unable to walk for about two weeks of its birth. They are so helpless that they cannot even urinate or defecate by themselves. The mother will lick the abdomen of her puppies and it helps in stimulation that makes them urinate and defecate.

At this stage, they need warm, so they pile up against their mother body for warmth. If they are separated from the warmth, they might soon die of hypothermia.

Stage 2: Neonatal (0-2 weeks)

The neonatal stage starts from the puppies birth up to two weeks. They use their sense of smell and touch in the first week to get to their mother and siblings. They fully depend on their mother’s breast milk during the first few weeks of their birth.

Do not feed any solid food but only their mother’s milk as they are toothless and most importantly, breast milk contains colostrum. It is rich in antibodies that help protect the puppies from any kind of fatal diseases.

During his period, the puppies need a lot of sleep, which is about 90% in order to develop physically. You can see them growing in double size in the first week.

As the puppies are not able to support their body weight and cannot move, they crawl to get to their mother. These few movements in a day provide them with enough exercise for their muscles to develop.

Stage 3: Transitional Stage (2-4 weeks)

The transitional stage of the puppies is a very important period, as they begin to get their sense of hearing and seeing. At about two weeks of their birth, their ears start to open and they begin to hear the sound of their surrounding.

Between 10 to 16 days, the puppies eyelids start to open and they begin to see blurry images which become clear in few weeks. The puppies learn their mother and siblings looks and try to communicate with them with their own vocabulary from grunts yelps, whines, and barks. They start to walk a little, stand and wag their tail and height and weight starts to increase rapidly.

Stage 4: Socialization Stage (4-12 weeks)

Socialization is another important stage for your English Toy Spaniel puppies as in this stage they need to know their environment, people around and other canines.

At this period, their interaction with people around increases and it is also known as a critical stage. The puppies will accept anyone as a part of their life, so it is important to teach the puppies whom they interact with. The people and dog they met should be selective and do not let them accept anyone into their life as in future they will accept even intruders.

At 8 weeks old, you should separate the puppies from their mother so that they learn to be on their own.

The English Toy Spaniel should be given a vaccination of distemper, measles, parainfluenza at the age of 6 to 8 weeks. The optional vaccination for this is bordetella.

You should start giving solid food at this period but do not separate them from milk right away. Start by giving dry kibble and also letting them have breast mill one two times a day. Their mother will refuse to nurse them after some time and they will stop having breast milk.

Stage 5: Juvenile Stage (3-6 months)

The juvenile stage is a period where your English Toy Spaniel puppy needs to learn many things so that it grows up to be a smart and intelligent adult.

At the age of about 4 months, the puppy small face starts to fade and it looks more like its mini adult self. It needs proper training at this age.

Start with basic training like house training, potty training, general obedience training, and other basic commands. Starting from 3 months up to 6 months, your puppy starts to rank regarding dominance and submission. It is like in elementary school where children learn to differentiate between principle, teachers, and their playmates.

At about 3 months, your English Toy spaniel should be given the vaccination of DHPP (Distemper Hepatitis Parainfluenza and Parvovirus). At about 4-6 months, vaccination for rabies should be given.

Stage 6: Adolescent Stage (6-12 months)

It is the most important period of your English Toy Spaniel puppy life as it is somewhat fully grown and is stepping on the stage of adulthood. Many physical things changes at this time like in about 7 months, your puppy develops all set of 42 teeth. It will be sexually mature at 8-9 months but are still a puppy for a few more months.

The female dog will be able to mate and have puppies after she is about 7 months. The male will starts showing interest in the female after 6 months and it can be assumed that it is ready to breed. In a year, they begin to be mentally mature and starts behaving like a good adult dog.

In every 1-2 years, DHPP vaccination should be given and in every 1-3 years, rabies vaccination should be given according to the law of the country.

Visit Doglime for information about different dog breed puppies.

• About English Toy Spaniel Dogs
• Dog Breeds That Start With E