INTENTIONAL EARLY DEVELOPMENT
Our Next Level Puppy Development Program
Every Harman Corgi puppy goes through our Next Level Puppy Development Program from birth until go-home day. I follow each litter through the different stages of puppy development, introducing new experiences as the puppies are ready for them.
The program includes early neurological stimulation, early scent introduction, socialization, household sounds, different surfaces, people, animals, grooming, crate and potty training foundations, and early learning experiences. I don’t introduce something simply because the puppies have reached a certain age. I watch the puppies and adjust what we’re doing based on how they are developing.
Why Early Experiences Matter
Puppies change incredibly fast during their first few months. Their eyes and ears open, they begin walking and exploring, and their brains are developing right along with their bodies. What a puppy is ready for at three weeks is very different from what that same puppy can handle at six or seven weeks.
My Next Level Puppy Development Program is based in part on Puppy Culture, along with what I’ve learned from research in canine development and from raising puppies over the years. I use those ideas as a guide, but I don’t follow a calendar and assume every litter should be doing exactly the same thing on the same day.
I watch the puppies. When they are developmentally ready for something new, I introduce it. There isn’t much point in working with household sounds before their ears are open, for example. As they grow, I gradually add new sounds, surfaces, objects, people and other experiences.
This becomes especially important as puppies enter the early socialization period. My goal isn’t to expose them to as many things as possible. I want them to have positive experiences they are ready for and learn that new things aren’t something they need to worry about.
Puppy Development Stages: Birth to Go-Home
Puppies change a lot from birth to go-home day. They aren’t just growing physically—their brains, senses, coordination, confidence and social skills are developing too. Each stage brings new abilities and new things they’re ready to experience.
Here’s what those puppy development stages look like in my litters and some of the things I introduce along the way. The exact timing can vary a little from one puppy or litter to another, so I always watch the puppies rather than relying only on their age.
Birth–2 Weeks: Newborn Puppy Development
During the first two weeks, puppies spend nearly all of their time nursing and sleeping while their bodies and nervous systems develop. Their eyes and ears remain closed, so their world is experienced primarily through touch and scent.
Beginning around day three, puppies who are healthy and thriving begin Early Neurological Stimulation (ENS) and Early Scent Introduction (ESI). These brief, carefully controlled exercises introduce tiny amounts of stress at a time when the nervous system is rapidly developing.
Just as importantly, each puppy receives daily gentle handling and close observation to ensure they are healthy, comfortable, and growing appropriately.
Week 3: Eyes and Ears Open
Week three is one of my favorite stages because the puppies’ world starts changing very quickly. Their eyes usually begin opening first, followed by their ears a few days later. They also start getting stronger on their feet and taking those first wobbly steps.
Once their eyes and ears are open, I can begin introducing very gentle sights, sounds and other new experiences. I keep things simple at first and watch how the puppies respond rather than trying to introduce too much at once.
This is also when puppies begin eliminating on their own. I add a separate potty area to the whelping area so they can begin learning that there is one place to sleep and another place to potty. They are obviously much too young to be potty trained, but this is where that foundation begins.
During Week Three, Puppies Begin Experiencing:
- Daily handling and interaction with people
- Gentle household sounds and music once their ears are open
- Changes in light as their eyes adjust
- New textures and their first bed
- A separate potty area
- Gradually more room to move and explore
Week 4: Puppy Socialization Begins
During Week Four, Puppies Begin Experiencing:
By week four, the puppies are much more aware of what is happening around them. They are walking better, playing with each other and beginning to investigate anything new that appears in their space.
This is when I begin more intentional puppy socialization. Socialization isn’t simply exposing puppies to as many things as possible. I want them to have positive, age-appropriate experiences with new sights, sounds, surfaces, objects and people while they are learning how to respond to the world around them.
I begin introducing a new item each day and gradually expand what the puppies experience. I also introduce a mild startle followed by recovery, so I can watch how they respond when something unexpected happens and how quickly they return to what they were doing.
This is also when I begin offering puppy mush as they start the transition from relying completely on mom to eating on their own.
- A new object or experience each day
- Different surfaces and textures
- New household sounds
- More interaction with people
- Mild startle-and-recovery experiences
- Puppy mush and the beginning of weaning
- More room to play and explore
Week 5: Confidence, Independence & New Experiences
By week five, the puppies are becoming much more active and independent. They are playing harder, exploring more and beginning to show more of their individual personalities.
I continue adding new sights, sounds, surfaces and objects, but I pay close attention to how each puppy responds. Puppies don’t all react to something new in the same way. One may walk right up to investigate while another hangs back for a minute before deciding it’s safe. I want to give them the opportunity to work through new experiences without forcing them.
The puppies also begin meeting more people and spending time around my adult dogs and other animals here on the farm. I sometimes change the way a person looks by adding a hat, coat or something else they haven’t seen before. The idea is to keep adding to their experience with the everyday differences they’ll encounter later in life.
I also begin feeding puppies individually in crates during this stage. This gives them a positive introduction to being separated from their littermates and starts building the foundation for crate training before they ever leave here.
During Week Five, Puppies Begin Experiencing:
- New sights, sounds, textures and objects each day
- More interaction with different people
- Safe interaction with adult dogs and other animals
- Changes in people's appearance, such as hats and coats
- Individual meals in crates
- Continued potty-area habits
- Brushing, nail trims and other gentle grooming
- Daily opportunities to explore and problem-solve
Week 6: Building Relationships & Everyday Skills
By week six, the puppies are becoming much more social and interactive. They are interested in people, more engaged with what is happening around them, and ready to begin learning some of the everyday skills they’ll need as family dogs.
I continue introducing different household sounds, surfaces, textures, people and safe new experiences. At this age, I can also begin asking a little more from the puppies. We work on coming when called, appropriate play and beginning manners. When puppies use their mouths too hard during play, I begin helping them learn that biting people isn’t part of the game.
I introduce harnesses during this week and continue getting the puppies comfortable with being handled. They get baths, brushing and nail trims so grooming and having their feet, ears and bodies handled are already familiar experiences before they go home.
I still keep these sessions short. At six weeks old, I’m not expecting a trained puppy. I’m introducing skills and experiences in a way that gives families something to continue building on once their puppy comes home.
During Week Six, Puppies Continue Experiencing:
- Continued exposure to household sounds
- Novel objects, new surfaces, and enrichment activities
- Interaction with different people and safe, friendly animals
- Beginning recall — learning to come when called
- Beginning manners and appropriate play
- Redirection when puppy biting becomes too rough
- Wearing a harness
- Baths, brushing, nail trims and regular handling
- Continued individual crate feeding
- Continued potty-area habits
- Short learning and problem-solving activities
Week 7: Learning, Confidence & Problem Solving
By Week Seven, puppies become confident, curious, and increasingly engaged with the world around them. They become more independent and want to explore, investigate new things and figure out how things work.
Since they are open to new experiences, this is a great time to introduce simple learning and problem-solving activities while building positive associations with new people, places, and activities.
By now they are learning simple manners, including sitting calmly before meals and for attention and early marker training.
At this age, I am also seeing much more of who each puppy is. Differences in energy level, confidence, independence and how people-oriented they are become easier to see. I have been watching these traits develop since the puppies were born, and those observations become especially important as we get closer to temperament testing and puppy selection.
During Week Seven, Puppies Experience:
- Sitting calmly before meals and for attention
- Early marker training
- Recall games
- Barriers and simple problem-solving activities
- Car and stroller rides
- Safe outdoor experiences
- Different surfaces and textures
- Moving objects and everyday activity
- Continued household sounds and new experiences
- Continued grooming, handling, crate and potty foundations
As the puppies’ personalities become more consistent, I begin looking even more closely at the individual traits I’ve been watching all along, including energy level, confidence, independence and how people-oriented each puppy is. At about seven weeks, each puppy also has a formal temperament evaluation. I use those results along with everything I’ve observed over the previous weeks to help families better understand the differences between the puppies before puppy selection.
Week 8-9: Preparing for Life With Their Families
By weeks eight and nine, the puppies’ personalities are really showing. They are busy, playful and much more confident about telling you what they think. There is plenty of wrestling, puppy nipping, barking and those crazy puppy zoomies.
I continue building on everything we’ve already started rather than introducing an entirely new program at this age. We work on recall, calm manners and simple problem-solving activities. I also introduce nose-work games that encourage the puppies to use their sense of smell to search and figure things out.
Teething and chewing are becoming a bigger part of puppy life, so I give them appropriate things to chew and begin short chew sessions. This gives me another opportunity to work on settling and being calm instead of always being on the go.
The puppies continue going on car and stroller rides, spending time outdoors in safe areas and experiencing household sounds, movement, different surfaces and new situations. I also continue baths, brushing, nail trims, crate routines and potty-area habits.
At this point, my goal isn’t to send home a perfectly trained puppy. It’s to give each puppy a good foundation and enough different experiences that their family has something to build on when they get home.
During Weeks Eight & Nine, Puppies Continue Experiencing:
- New objects and experiences
- Nose work and scent games
- Recall practice
- Calm manners
- Appropriate chew sessions
- Barriers and problem-solving activities
- Car and stroller rides
- Safe outdoor adventures
- Household sounds and movement
- Grooming, baths and nail trims
- Continued crate and potty foundations
The Learning Continues at Home
Puppy development and socialization don’t stop when your puppy goes home. In many ways, those first few weeks with you are just as important because your puppy is suddenly experiencing a whole new world.
I want families to continue building on what I’ve already started. That means gradually introducing your puppy to new people, places, sounds, surfaces and everyday experiences while also establishing the routines that make living with a puppy easier.
I provide resources to help with crate training, potty training, puppy biting, grooming, socialization and other things you’ll encounter during those first weeks at home. I also stay in touch after your puppy leaves because questions often don’t come up until you’re actually living with your puppy.
My goal isn’t to finish your puppy’s education before they leave me. It’s to give them a strong start and give you the information and support you need to keep building on it.