PuppyweeksPuppy guide
Puppy development guides compared
Week-by-week puppy guides are not interchangeable. They differ on whether the weeks shift with breed size, whether the advice updates as the puppy grows, and whether the sources are named. The right one depends on the job: a reference, a lesson plan, or “is this normal this week?”
Last updated 20 August 2026
At a glance
| Puppyweeks guide | AKC / org guides | Generic blog roundups | Training-app curricula | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Job | What’s normal this week for this puppy | Authoritative one-shot reference | A quick skim | Lesson plans and tricks (Zigzag, Puppr, Dogo) |
| Size-tuned weeks | Yes — toy through large | Partial | Rarely | Rarely |
| Updates with the puppy | Yes — week cards, notifications, a journal | No | No | Lesson unlocks, not developmental context |
| Named sources | Yes — see sources | Yes | Often uncited | Varies |
| Best for | Overwhelmed first-time owners asking “is this normal?” | Research and a print-quality reference | A fast overview | Owners who want a training syllabus |
Who each is best for
AKC and veterinary behaviour orgs if you want the institutional voice — a reference you can trust, not something that changes every Monday. Start at the AKC puppy guides.
A training app if the job is sit, stay, recall, and a curriculum with videos. Zigzag, Puppr, and Dogo are built for that. They are not week-by-week development journals.
A blog roundup if you want a skim. Treat uncited week numbers, especially around adolescence, as rough.
Puppyweeks if the job is developmental context for this puppy this week, plus a journal you can share with whoever else is raising them. Read the week-by-week guide.
Common questions
What’s the difference between a puppy development guide and a training app?
A development guide answers what’s happening and what’s normal at this age. A training app (Zigzag, Puppr, Dogo, and similar) is a lesson plan — sit, stay, recall, tricks. Many owners want both; they are different jobs.
Is the AKC puppy development timeline enough on its own?
The AKC is a solid one-shot reference, including some size differences. It doesn’t sit on your phone and change with this puppy’s week, and it isn’t a journal. Use it to research; use something else if you want the current week in front of you.
Why do blog “week by week” articles disagree with each other?
Most are written once for search, often without named sources or size bands. Socialisation and the first fear period are fairly stable across reputable guides; adolescence timing is where they drift, because it really does depend on size.
When is Puppyweeks the wrong choice?
If you want a clicker-training syllabus, a live trainer in the app, or medical advice. Puppyweeks does not diagnose, and it is not a substitute for a vet or a certified trainer (CPDT-KA).
Grounded in established canine behavioural science — see our sources.