Without it, a dog may never be able to handle himself with confidence in the ring. A winning dog is flashy in appearance and spirit. In order for a show quality puppy to fulfill his early promise, his environment must provide all the necessary conditions to insure ultimate growth and development, both physical and mental. The person responsible for providing such an environment is you, the breeder or owner. A puppy's first contact with the world can have a significant effect upon his later development.
Some bitches are simply poor mothers and are unable to get their puppies off to a good start.
Luckily, normal healthy puppies that do get off to a poor start will usually catch up with those that are in a more positive environment. They may not grow as quickly, and their growing period will usually be longer, but by the time they reach maturity, there should be little difference in size. The same usually holds true for the older puppy which has received a setback due to illness. Growth may be temporarily be halted during the illness, but such puppies have be known to make up that period of growth at a later date. Many breeders are tempted to write off puppies such as these- and many do, only to discover later that they made a mistake.