Your Puppy: 11 Weeks Old

Mental and Physical Development

Giving Proper Attention At 11 weeks old, puppies need plenty of attention, physical affection and mental stimulation. Attention and physical affection will help your puppy grow into a secure and confident adult, and mental stimulation will prevent boredom and destructive behavior.

Playtime, exercise sessions and training lessons are all moments when you can challenge, praise and pet your puppy. But it is best to limit these moments to 10 to 15 minutes at a time. Although puppies need a lot of attention, they also need downtime to relax and sleep.

Most puppies like to play rough, but don't encourage them, as it can lead to ingrained bad behavior. Instead, through gentle grooming habits and plenty of cuddle time, you can teach them to be gentle and well-mannered in return.

Treats Treats are a great way to reward your puppy for an accomplishment, whether it's sitting on command or urinating outdoors instead of on your floor. However, you should budget treats wisely. Only 10 percent of a puppy's daily caloric intake should come from treats.

A baby carrot has five calories, so your puppy could have a few of them. A cup of air-popped popcorn has 30 calories, and you can engage your puppy by having them fetch the popcorn. A small biscuit can contain 20 calories, so you should break up these treats for your puppy.

Health and Veterinary Care: Leptospirosis

At 11 weeks, your puppy will need another round of the combination vaccine they received at eight weeks. You may also want your puppy to receive the optional vaccine for leptospirosis, a life-threatening illness caused by spirochete bacteria. Symptoms of leptospirosis include sudden fever, muscle pain, lethargy, vomiting and dehydration, and the infection can lead to kidney and liver failure.

Animals infected with leptospirosis, which can be spread from animal to animal or from animals to humans, shed the bacteria in their urine, and contaminated urine is the most common source of the disease.

Your veterinarian can diagnose the illness with blood serum testing, although false negatives may occur in the early phases of infection. Leptospirosis is preventable through vaccinations, and your veterinarian can treat an infected dog with antibiotics and supportive care.

Training: Collars and Leashes

Most 11-week-old puppies react to a collar and leash by chewing on the leash, spinning in circles and trying to get the collar off with their paws. A good collar and leash will be able to withstand these reactions.

The collar and leash need to be lightweight, fairly thick and made out of a sturdy material. The collar should fit your puppy snugly, but you should be able to fit your index and middle fingers underneath. The leash should be long enough to give your puppy some slack, but not so long that they will trip on it or become wrapped up in it.

It is important that your puppy gets used to being on a leash from an early age. Once they hit their rambunctious adolescence around eight months of age, they'll need to be on one every time they step outside.