Crazy Facts About Puppies
Puppies are similar to humans in that they are born without teeth. Unlike humans however they can neither hear, see nor smell when they are newly born. A puppy will first open its eyes and begin to hear when they reach between 9 to 12 days old. They have to wait another couple of weeks before they develop the ability to smell. Therefore it is crucial for newly born puppies to stay close to their mother so that they eat and grow properly.
Puppies are like human newborns in that they sleep A LOT. The average newborn human baby sleeps for two thirds of a 24 hour cycle or for 16 hours. In contrast puppies will sleep for roughly 14 hours. You should take advantage when you see your puppy snoozing and give him or her a good old cuddle when you can.
A new born puppy spends 90 per cent of their life sleeping and the other 10 per cent feeding. That sounds like an awesome lifestyle doesn’t it, but all the rest is important because when they are first born a lot of development and growth happens during this time.
You should allow your pup to smell things before you. By the time your puppy reaches 3 weeks old it will develop its sense of smell and by golly pups have a pretty keen sense of smell. The percentage of pups brain that is devoted to smelling is actually 40 per cent greater than that of humans and puppies have a sense of smell that is over 1000 times better than the average person.
When your puppy is small, he or she will need to eat as many as five times a day. Since puppies are born to nurse you will have to teach him or her about proper portion control so they avoid over filling their little tummy. As the puppy matures he or she will be able to survive on between one to two larger feedings per day.