Adopting a Puppy:  First You Must Let the Puppy Learn Dog Speak

Advisable: Wait Til Puppy Learns Dog Communication

It is important that you never let yourself be tempted to take a new puppy home too soon!  He has to first learn

dog speak

(or dog language) & certain essential life lessons;  one of these lessons is learning to inhibit his bite (i.e., not bite down hard on something).  If you’ll just give puppy the time he needs to learn this from his brothers and sisters, you’ll not regret it.  You should wait until after 7 weeks of age for

adopting a puppy

How to Stop a Puppy From Biting: Litter Play is Important

Attention:  If you want to know

how to stop a puppy from biting

you must heed THIS  advice:  Do NOT bring pup home too soon .

When a pup bites down too hard on his sibling, the littermate will squeal, and either bites him in retaliation, or is rejected for a time from playing with others.  The siblings will view him as a bully, and refuse to play with him. This instructs a puppy not to bite so hard; so, in the future, while the pup will still engage in play fighting and wrestling, he will adjust his

puppy biting

(so as not to harm the other pup).

A dog that does not learn this lesson could cause serious harm to you. When they bite, they won’t inhibit, and an uninhibited bite will require stitches. A dog can do a lot of damage with its mouth, and it is important that it remain with the litter to get this “weapons safety course” from its siblings.

How Long Must I Wait?

This training takes place between the ages of 6 and 7 weeks, so the puppy shouldn’t be adopted prior to this. At this time, the puppy is learning some very critical skills.  He’s learning to speak “dog.” He’s learning the social skills that will enable him to interpret unspoken messages from other dogs and give appropriate replies.

There are certain signals that your pup will begin to learn (for certain, if he does not get to remain with the litter until about 7 weeks, he’ll miss out on some vital skills).  The lessons your future pup learns will stand him in good stead for communicating with other dogs.

Dog Speak:  Dog Communication


Should he get taken from the litter too early, he will be unequipped and he may get attacked frequently by other dogs. This is due to crossed signals, so to speak, between dogs.  And when the other dogs don’t receive the special information they need from him, they could attack.

If he doesn’t know the language (dog language), it will be a very challenging world for him.  Alternatively, he could perhaps become a “bully” himself, since he can’t understand which communication is a signal to “back off. So you can see why your family might want to avoid this.

Worst Case Scenario

It is possible that your precious pup wouldn’t comprehend that it is a dog, and would start to be very frightened of all dogs (as if they were aliens or something). This would be quite difficult for you, particularly if you would want your pet to be quite social.

Further Reading:  Potty Training Your Dog and  ALSO:

How to Stop a Puppy From Biting

**Special Note:   Cleaning Dog Urine Stains

by HealthyKids

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Filed under: Dog Selection • Parenting Strategies

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