12 Fascinating Facts About Newborn Puppies 2025: Vet Reviewed Insights You Didn’t Know 🐾

By Dr. Duncan Houston BVSc

Newborn puppies may seem helpless, but every twitch and whimper matters. In just a few short weeks, their senses ignite, reflexes strengthen, and social personality blooms. This article explores 12 vital facts about these tender early days—what’s normal, what to watch for, and how you can support healthy development using tools like Ask A Vet,

1. 🐣 Standard 63‑Day Gestation

Puppies develop inside the womb for around 63 days, after which they’re born altricial—blind, deaf, and entirely reliant on their dam.

2. 💤 Sleep Is Their Superpower

Newborns sleep roughly 90% of the time—up to 22 hours daily—reserving waking moments for nursing and growing.

3. 👂 Blind & Deaf at Birth

Puppies are born with sealed eyes and ear canals. Eyes open around 10–14 days; ears follow slightly later.

4. 👃 Nose Leads the Way

Without sight or sound, puppies depend fully on their sense of smell—using their vomeronasal organ—to locate their dam and nursing spots.

5. 🍼 Instinctive Nursing Reflex

They reflexively root toward the nipple and suckle nearly every 2 hours—an instinctual behavior supporting vital early nutrition.

6. 💩 Puppies Need Stimulation to Eliminate

They can’t urinate or defecate independently; dams lick their rear to stimulate elimination, and handlers can mimic this with a damp towel.

7. 🌡️ External Temperature Regulation

Newborns struggle to thermoregulate—optimal whelping temps are ~75°F with high humidity to support digestion, immunity, and comfort.

8. 🐕 Born With Puppy Coat, Not Adult Fur

They arrive with a soft, short "puppy coat" that will be shed gradually during the first year as adult fur grows in.

9. 🦷 Baby Teeth Begin at 4 Weeks

Puppies start teething around 4 weeks, with deciduous teeth gradually replaced by the permanent adult set between 3–6 months.

10. 🗣️ Early Vocalizations Matter

Though blind and deaf, puppies make vocal noises immediately—squeals signaling hunger, discomfort, or distress.

11. 👫 Social Learning Begins Early

Puppies pile in a heap—learning from their littermates via touch, smell, and limited senses. Early socialization sets a foundation for healthy development.

12. 🧠 Rapid Sensory & Motor Development

Between 2–4 weeks, puppies begin to walk, wag, play, and explore—building the coordination of an entirely different creature.

🐾 Supporting Healthy Early Development

• Maintain ideal whelping conditions: warmth, humidity, hygiene.
• Track weight daily and intervene with formula supplementation if needed.
• Stimulate elimination after feeds until pups handle it themselves.
• Encourage gentle handling and early scent-level social experiences.
  
• Check in via Ask A Vet to monitor growth, reflexes, or environmental concerns.

📄 Quick Facts at a Glance

🔍 When to Contact Your Vet

• Failure to nurse or gain weight after 24–48 hrs.
• Weakness, tremors, or inability to regulate body temperature.
• Frequent crying or distress despite warmth and feeding.
• Signs of infection or illness in the dam or pups.

Quick outreach via Ask A Vet can provide immediate reassurance or direction.

✅ Key Takeaways

• Newborn puppies are marvelously adapted for early survival—relying on instincts and motherly care.
• The first two weeks are marked by intense physical growth, sensory awakening, and dependency.
• Early intervention and spot-on environmental support can make a life-changing difference.
  
• Every day is a milestone—observing, caring, and celebrating these early stages sets the stage for happy, healthy dogs 💛.