The Newborn Puppy

The newborn puppy and it's siblings will stay close to it's mother. Each puppy is born with what you might call, "built in" heat sensors in their noses. So, when seeking warmth, they are automatically attracted to the warmth of their mother.

Most mother dogs will not leave her puppies for 24 hours, not only do they need to keep warm, but their crying, which usually means hunger, does concern her. She will not start feeding her puppies until all of her puppies are born, and she has had time to relax. After all, she has been through a lot.

The mother will keep licking her puppies to dry them off and keep them clean and warm, yes, but, she also needs to lick her puppies in their "private areas". Why? She is actually stimulating those areas so that the puppies will be able to go "potty" and "pee".

The puppies will be completely dependent on their mother from the time of birth to about 3 weeks of age.

Yet, as they grow the mother will still provide milk for her puppies for another 3 weeks, and at times will regurgitate food for her puppies as she introduces them to solid food.

Babies will be babies, and her motherly instincts will carefully keep a watchful eye on her puppies. She will accommodate them with all the creature comforts of "puppyhood", by being kind, gentle and just naturally knowing what her newborn puppies need. She will soothe them by allowing her puppies to suckle, and that in turn provides them with a sense of security as well.

During the first few weeks a newborn puppy will quickly start to develop it's senses of sight, smell, hearing, touch and balance. They will also be able to leave the warmth of their mother, and experience the area around them.

You should, and can at this time, start handling them. Interact with your newborn puppies to start forming that ever important bond. You can also start some puppy training and teach them with the most basic, "come when called".

At the same time, you will also be introducing them to "early socialization", another important area that a newborn puppy should learn as you start puppy training.

The newborn puppy will learn most from it's mother and it's siblings on how to be part of "the pack", but the early bonding and training that we give them, will make it easier not only for the puppy, but for us too, as we teach or train them to do more in the future, as they age.

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