3-week-old puppy care By about three weeks of age, you can—and should! —begin gently handling the puppies1 for short periods for reasons other than basic health care. Once the puppies have their eyes open, you can try carefully picking them up, holding them for a bit, and placing them back in the box.
Is it okay to hold newborn puppies?
Holding newborn puppies You can hold newborn puppies as soon as they come out of the mother's womb. While it's important that newborns spend ample time feeding from and bonding with their mother and other puppies in their litter, it won't harm them if you gently hold them.
When can you touch a newborn puppy?
Once the puppies are about three weeks old, they will begin to move around on their own. This is when you can begin to pet them and interact with them more. You should only touch or pick up a newborn puppy if you observe that it is sick, if the mother abandons it, or in the case of orphaned puppies.
What happens if you touch newborn puppies?
There is a long-standing myth that touching newborn animals will cause their mothers to reject them. This is almost never true, and puppies are no exception. In fact, family dogs are often very tolerant of their favorite humans touching their babies.
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