2 week old pup shakes when attempting to walk.

by Brian
(White Bear Lake, MN USA)

I am considering buying a pup from this specific litter, and one of the pups was trying to walk, but was shaking very aggressively.

Looked kinda cute at first as he was the only one trying to walk at this age, but every time it tried to stand it would happen, in fact i never saw it stand without shaking or wobbling. All shaking and wobbling would stop as soon as the puppy relaxed.

All the pups were very clean and quite healthy looking. just wondered if this was a red flag, or if this is common when first attempting to stand or walk?


Hi Brian
Puppies don't begin trying to walk until around 2 weeks of age, often a bit older, and it's perfectly normal for them to shake, wobble, fall over etc. They can't really balance properly and don't have much control over their muscles yet.

If the momma dog and the other pups were clean and healthy, they were in a sanitary environment, and are with a responsible breeder, chances are what you observed in this pup is perfectly normal.

I'd recommend waiting a couple more weeks and visiting with these pups again before making a decision to buy. It's much too early to tell anything definitive about personality/character in a pup at this age anyway.

You can check out my Puppy Development page for more information on the stages and phases puppies go through.

Best of luck with your pup.