A
puppy is a
juvenileA juvenile is an individual organism that has not yet reached its adult form, sexual maturity or size. Juveniles sometimes look very different from the adult form, particularly in terms of their colour....
dogThe dog is a domesticated form of the Gray Wolf, a member of the Canidae family of the order Carnivora. The term is used for both feral and pet varieties. The domestic dog has been one of the most widely kept working and companion animals in human history...
, whose size varies among
breedA breed is a group of domestic animals with a homogeneous appearance, behavior, and other characteristics that distinguish it from other animals of the same species. When bred together, animals of the same breed pass on these uniform traits to their offspring, and this ability—known as "breeding...
s: smaller puppies may weigh , while larger ones can weigh up to . All healthy puppies grow quickly after birth. A puppy's coat color may change as the puppy grows older, as is commonly seen in breeds such as the
Yorkshire TerrierThe Yorkshire Terrier is a small dog breed of Terrier type, developed in the 1800s in the historical area of Yorkshire in England. The defining features of the breed are its small size and its silky blue and tan coat...
. In vernacular English,
puppy refers specifically to dogs while
pup may often be used for other mammals such as seals or even rats.
Born after approximately 61 days of
gestationGestation is the carrying of an embryo or fetus inside a female viviparous animal. Mammals duringpregnancy can have one or more gestations at the same time ....
, puppies emerge in an
amnionThe amnion is a membrane building the amniotic sac that surrounds and protects an embryo. It is developed in reptiles, birds, and mammals, which are hence called “Amniota”; but not in amphibians and fish , which are consequently termed “Anamniota”. The primary function of this is the protection of...
that is bitten off and eaten by the mother dog.
A
puppy is a
juvenileA juvenile is an individual organism that has not yet reached its adult form, sexual maturity or size. Juveniles sometimes look very different from the adult form, particularly in terms of their colour....
dogThe dog is a domesticated form of the Gray Wolf, a member of the Canidae family of the order Carnivora. The term is used for both feral and pet varieties. The domestic dog has been one of the most widely kept working and companion animals in human history...
, whose size varies among
breedA breed is a group of domestic animals with a homogeneous appearance, behavior, and other characteristics that distinguish it from other animals of the same species. When bred together, animals of the same breed pass on these uniform traits to their offspring, and this ability—known as "breeding...
s: smaller puppies may weigh , while larger ones can weigh up to . All healthy puppies grow quickly after birth. A puppy's coat color may change as the puppy grows older, as is commonly seen in breeds such as the
Yorkshire TerrierThe Yorkshire Terrier is a small dog breed of Terrier type, developed in the 1800s in the historical area of Yorkshire in England. The defining features of the breed are its small size and its silky blue and tan coat...
. In vernacular English,
puppy refers specifically to dogs while
pup may often be used for other mammals such as seals or even rats.
Development
Born after approximately 61 days of
gestationGestation is the carrying of an embryo or fetus inside a female viviparous animal. Mammals duringpregnancy can have one or more gestations at the same time ....
, puppies emerge in an
amnionThe amnion is a membrane building the amniotic sac that surrounds and protects an embryo. It is developed in reptiles, birds, and mammals, which are hence called “Amniota”; but not in amphibians and fish , which are consequently termed “Anamniota”. The primary function of this is the protection of...
that is bitten off and eaten by the mother dog. Puppies begin to
nurseBreastfeeding is the feeding of an infant or young child with breast milk directly from human breasts rather than from a baby bottle or other container. Babies have a sucking reflex that enables them to suck and swallow milk...
almost immediately. If the
litterA litter is the offspring at one birth of animals from the same mother and usually from one set of parents. The word is most often used for the offspring of mammals, but can be used for any animal that gives birth to multiple young...
exceeds six puppies, particularly if one or more are obvious
runtA runt is a smaller specimen in a group of animals, usually of offspring in a litter.It may also refer to:*A breed of Dove related to the carrier pigeon*Runt , an album by Todd Rundgren*Runt: The Ballad of Todd Rundgren, an album by Todd Rundgren...
s, human intervention in hand-feeding the stronger puppies is necessary to ensure that the runts get proper nourishment and attention from the mother. As they reach one month of age, puppies are gradually
weanedWeaning is the process of gradually introducing a mammal infant, either human or animal, to what will be its adult diet and withdrawing the supply of its mother's milk.The process takes place only in mammals, as only mammals produce milk...
and begin to eat solid food. The mother may regurgitate partially digested food for the puppies or might let them eat some of her solid food such as dog biscuits. By the age of about seven weeks, puppies no longer depend on nursing for food. Although they may continue trying to nurse, the mother dog usually refuses after this age, though she might let them occasionally nurse for comfort.
At first, puppies spend the large majority of their time sleeping and the rest feeding. They instinctively pile together into a heap, and become distressed if separated from physical contact with their littermates, by even a short distance.
Puppies are born with a fully functional sense of smell. During their first two weeks, a puppy's senses all develop rapidly. During this stage the nose is the primary sense organ used by puppies to find their mother's teats, and to locate their litter-mates, if they become separated by a short distance. Puppies open their
eyeEyes are organs that detect light, and send electrical impulses along the optic nerve to the visual and other areas of the brain. Complex optical systems with resolving power have come in ten fundamentally different forms, and 96% of animal species possess a complex optical system...
s about nine to eleven days following
birthBirth is the act or process of bearing or bringing forth offspring . The offspring is brought forth from the mother...
. At first, their retinas are poorly developed and their vision is poor. Puppies are not able to see as well as adult dogs. In addition, puppies' ears remain sealed until about thirteen to seventeen days after birth, after which they respond more actively to sounds. While between two to four weeks old, puppies usually begin to growl, bite, wag their tails, and bark.
Puppies develop very quickly during their first three months, particularly after their eyes and ears open and they are no longer completely dependent on their mother. Their coordination and strength improve, they
sparSparring is a form of training common to many martial arts. Although the precise form varies, it is essentially relatively 'free-form' fighting, with enough rules, customs, or agreements to make injuries unlikely...
with their litter-mates, and begin to explore the world outside the nest. They play wrestling, chase, dominance, and tug-of-war games.
Puppies are highly social animals and spend most of their waking hours interacting with either their mother or littermates. Most people who are thought to be experts now believe that being with its mother and littermates until at least eight weeks old is important for a puppy's behavioral development. Responsible breeders will not sell a puppy that is younger than eight to twelve weeks old, and in some jurisdictions, it is illegal to give away puppies younger than a certain age (usually between eight and twelve weeks).
It is important that puppies are socialized with humans, particularly between the ages of eight and twelve weeks, so as to encourage healthy interaction and develop the puppy's social skills around people. Puppies ideally should be exposed to as wide a variety of friendly people as possible during this period. Dogs that do not receive adequate socialization during this sensitive period may display fearful behavior around humans or other dogs as adults.
Docking and Declawing
Some breeds traditionally have their tails cropped anywhere from slightly, partially to almost entirely. Some countries now ban cropping and docking for cosmetic purposes, while others have no such prohibitions. Some breeders also prefer to declaw the dogs to prevent future injuries caused by scratching, or in the case of
dewclawA dewclaw is a vestigial digit of the foot of many mammals, birds, and reptiles . It grows higher on the leg so that in digitigrade species, when the animal is standing, it does not make contact with the ground.-Dogs:Dogs almost always have dewclaws on the inside of the front legs and occasionally...
s, ingrown and ripped off nails. Docking and declawing procedures are usually performed within the first few days after birth, by a
veterinarianA veterinarian or a veterinary surgeon , often shortened to vet, is a physician for animals and a practitioner of veterinary medicine. The word comes from the Latin veterinae meaning "working animals"...
, or by an experienced breeder. The practice of docking primarily began as a preventative measure for injury among dogs who worked in environments that led to a high incidence of tail injuries.
Responsibility
In some cultures, particularly in the
Western WorldThe Western world, also known as the West and the Occident , is a term that can have multiple meanings depending on its context...
, puppies are widely considered adorable and cute, especially by children. This perception leads to some puppies being spontaneously purchased as gifts for families and family members, particularly children. In many cases, puppies are given to children or young adults as holiday or birthday gifts. These cases can result in the puppy being neglected, ignored and/or no longer wanted after the initial excitement has worn off. These changes can be due to a mixture of factors including the child's undeveloped level of responsibility, the parent's unmet expectation of the child taking care of the pet on their own, and a plethora of problems that can be traced to the individual animal not meeting the family's expectations, desires, wants, needs etc. Many such puppies given as gifts are surrendered to
sheltersAn animal shelter is a facility that houses homeless, lost or abandoned animals; primarily a large variety of dogs and cats.The animal is kept at the shelter until it is either reclaimed by an owner, adopted by a new owner, or placed with another organization...
, often when it becomes apparent the animal requires more care than the person is willing to provide. Both the people involved and the animal can go through a difficult period as a result of these changes. A common solution to this problem, often advocated by animal lovers and responsible breeders, is to not purchase puppies as gifts for others, but instead, decide as a family, a couple or as the buyer and future owner (with everyone who will be involved in the care of the puppy) if this pet should be purchased, what breed, gender, size and what other determining qualities would be best. They believe that a holiday or birthday can be a great time to purchase puppy supplies such as leashes, dog dishes, and collars to begin discussion about possibly bringing a new canine into the home.
Care
As with most domestic animals, puppies require extensive care, especially in their first few months. Vaccinations are very important within the first 3 months as the motherly antibodies from the initial breastmilk wear off. Vaccinations are often administered annually in the form of boosters, and in some locals and for certain vaccinations, triannually. After the initial vaccination series (usually by 4–6 months), puppies who are immunized against common viruses will get confirmation from their veterinarian that it is safe to bring the puppy around other dogs. From this point, going outside the home for walks, trips to the park, to the petshop and so on can be very valuable. Training puppies on an individual basis and in a social setting is highly recommended, often starting at home immediately (even as early as 8 weeks of age) and continuing through formal training (around 6 months of age) in an obedience class or similar setting. A well trained puppy will ideally not soil in the home, be well-behaved around dogs and people of all kinds, will not chew furniture or other expensive and/or valuable items, and should respond to basic commands such as sit, lay down, off, no, drop, stay, heel, come and so on. Puppy food, found in dry, canned, raw and homemade forms, and often geared for certain breeds or types of dogs, should contain nutrients that allow puppies to develop strong bones, teeth, functional joints, a shiny coat, and a healthy immune system. Puppies often need to eat 2, 3 or even more times daily to accommodate their very fast metabolisms. Toys manufactured specifically for puppies may increase their ability to logically reason, and many chew toys also help ease the natural
teethingTeething is the process by which an infant's teeth sequentially appear by breaking through the gums. Teething may start as early as three months or as late, in some cases, as twelve months. The typical time frame for new teeth to appear is somewhere between six and nine months. It can take up to...
process. Proper care extends to the adult stages of life, beginning at 1 year of age.
Grooming
Brushing a puppy’s coat- Doing this regularly will help keep it healthy and will reduce the amount of hair it sheds. There are different types of combs and brushes for a puppy and which one to use will depend the puppy’s coat type.
Bristle Brushes- A bristle brush can be used on any type coat and comes in a variety of bristle spacing and length of bristles. Generally, the longer the coat, the further spaced and longer the bristles should be.
Wire-pin Brush- A wire-pin brush is best on long or curly coated dogs. These brushes come with or without rubber tips and both work fine.
Slick Brush- Slicker brushes are best for removing mats and have very fine bristles very close together. If it is used as an everyday brush, it will gets full of hair very quickly and will have to be cleaned several times during one brushing. This brush is best reserved for mats.
Shedding Tool- There is also a tool called a shedding tool that does exactly that, de-shed. This is ideal on high shedding dogs like Australian shepherds and Labrador retrievers. This tool gets down to the skin and removes all the hair that is loose but is caught in their undercoat.