Baby Dog: 5 Puppy Pictures and 5 Facts

Puppies are some of the cutest pets known to man. They are well-loved for their energetic personalities, loyalty, and playfulness that characterizes them. But did you know that puppies are complex animals with many exciting things about them? Let’s jump into five amazing baby puppy facts and look at some adorable pictures.

Baby Dog Dalmatians are Born without Spots

Dalmatians are some of the most well-known baby dogs out there. When you think of dalmatians, you probably think of the Disney movie where Cruella De Ville plots to use the tiny puppies to make a new fur coat. But the movie got one thing wrong: newborn dalmatians don’t have spots.

When dalmatian baby dog puppies are born, their fur is completely white. While they’re babies, their black spots are on their skin but not visible to the human eye. The spots can first be seen very faintly once the puppy is around two weeks old. They continue to darken as the puppy grows.

Occasionally, baby dalmatians are born with a single spot on top of their head. It is typically a single, large spot covering the head and goes onto parts of the ear. While it is most commonly on puppies’ heads, this spot can also be present elsewhere on the body.

Puppies Have Dreams

If you’ve ever seen a sleeping puppy move its legs back and forth as if they were running, chances are, they were probably dreaming. Scientists say that not only can baby dog puppies dream but that they dream vividly and similarly to humans.

Puppies dream when they are in REM (rapid eye movement) sleep, which is a deep slumber. You can usually tell if a baby dog is dreaming if their eyes are moving behind their eyelids, bark with their eyes closed, or their legs twitch.

Another exciting aspect of this remarkable fact is that not all dogs are created equal when it comes to dreaming. In fact, scientists say that smaller breed animals, like chihuahuas, have more dreams nightly than larger breed dogs. They also say that puppies and elderly dogs have dreams more often than middle-aged animals.

All Puppies are Born Deaf

Like many other mammals in the animal kingdom, puppies are born deaf and blind. This is because dogs are an altricial species. This means that when a baby dog is born, it is not fully developed.

Puppies are not able to hear because their ear canals remain closed for the first two to three weeks of their lives. Because of this, professional breeders aren’t even able to check for hearing problems until their puppies are nearly a month old! At the same time that their ear canals open, so typically do their eyes.

But why are puppies born deaf? The answer is simple: gestation. Since mother dogs only carry their young for about two months before giving birth, a bit more time is needed for the puppies to become independent. Luckily, mother dogs have strong maternal instincts to protect their young from any threats in their environment.

Puppies Love to Sleep!

If you’ve ever been around a baby dog, you probably already know that they spend a lot of time sleeping. It’s one of the things that make the tiny canines so adorable. What could be cuter than a warm, fluffy puppy taking a nap, right?

But did you know that newborn puppies can sleep for up to 20 hours a day? It’s true! Up until puppies are around ten weeks old, they sleep for all but four hours a day. As they grow up, they sleep less and less.

Baby dogs are also diurnal animals. This means that they are naturally more likely to be awake during the daylight hours, and it’s easier for them to sleep when it’s dark outside. Their circadian rhythm tells them when to sleep or wake. However, most puppies don’t spend very much time awake until they are around 20 weeks old.

Baby Dog Puppies are Not Color-Blind

One of the most common misconceptions about puppies is that they are color blind. However, that is not the case! Puppies don’t have the same range of color as humans, but they can see some colors. 

Puppies have yellow-blue dichromatic vision, which means they can see yellow and blue. This means that puppies have the easiest time differentiating between shades of yellow and blue. However, it would be difficult for them to tell the difference between shades of red or green. So, while they’re not entirely color-blind, there are some colors they see better than others.