Newborn puppies: features of development, sex determination and care nuances

As there are no two absolutely identical people on the planet, so there are no dogs that would completely repeat each other in their development and life path. But at the same time, each dog, emerging into the world, passes through certain stages of development. And all breeders who have to deal with puppies should understand what constitutes a dog's newborn period.

Puppies, like all mammals, are born viable, but helpless animals. They see and hear nothing, they are not able to survive on their own. From the moment of birth, babies are in a vegetative period that lasts 10 days.

These days are aimed at adapting the puppy to environmental conditions, primarily to temperature and odors. On the first day, the puppies still resemble soft fluffy lumps, and on the second day they become more dense, elastic, and their fur begins to shine beautifully.

At this time, newborn puppies are very actively growing: in the first week they double in weight. Every day the little ones become more and more active: the owner, even during the vegetative period, can already determine which puppies are stronger in the litter. If the puppy is strong, he tries first to break through to the mother's breast, the weaker babies are forced to yield. Strong doggies gain weight faster, their eyes open earlier and their ears develop.

Opening the eyes and ear canal in puppies accounts for 10-14 days of life. This is a transitional period in the development of a dog or a phase of awakening. Kids can see the world around us, hear sounds. At the same time, their milk teeth erupt.

If the puppy belongs to a small or medium breed, he is already trying to stand on his paws, to walk. Large breed puppies try to stand for 15-17 days. They still look like teddy bears, the sounds emit are not at all doggy, but very quickly they learn to growl and bark.

From two weeks to a month puppies experience a period of transition to independence. Puppies in 3-4 weeks are much less dependent on mom. When the owner sees their first milk teeth, he can begin to give complementary foods. Food should be liquid.

By 3 weeks the lure will already be given 2-3 times a day. By the month of the kids almost completely go to the usual feed.

It is in a month that puppies begin to really get used to the owner. At the same time, the kids are very curious: they are interested in everything around them, they boldly explore the area, try everything on the tooth and, like all children, love to frolic and play.

There is no other way to determine the sex of the dog, except for inspection of the genitals. The ways of determining “by the face” or “by character” are very doubtful.

Sexual signs of a puppy-dog.

• In males up to 8 weeks genitals are not formed expressive enough, the testicles are not yet visible, but a tiny penis can already be found.
• In the zone slightly below the navel, where the fur is actually absent, the newborn will have a tiny fold with a small protrusion. If the dog is long-haired, then at this place there will be a well-marked tuft of wool.
• Under the tail of a dog there will be an anus, between the paws there will be a small tuft of wool (in the future there will be testicles).

Sexual signs of a puppy bitch:

• dog girls near the navel do not have a bundle of wool or a clearly palpable protrusion, but there are usually small nipples basting (although they are found in males)
• under the tail a little below the anus, there will be a small seal between the paws (the genital slit).

Inspection should be carried out delicately, because the kids are fragile and vulnerable. Immediately touch the newborn is not - in the first days you can not disassemble his gender, but such a consideration can weaken the smell of a puppy for the mother.

To conduct a proper inspection, the owner needs to take a towel (terry cloth, warmed up on the battery), put the puppy back on it, with a good hand holding. Iron your baby, try to relax him.

It is easy to feed a dog to fill, but to feed correctly, according to the norms, is a matter that requires knowledge. Alas, dogs often tolerate stale food poisoning, and not street hungry dogs, but domestic animals. The foods your pet will eat should be fresh.

The following products are used for feeding a puppy.

• Milk. Up to 4 months it is present in the diet of the baby. Many experts advise giving the puppy a more useful goat, but since getting it can be problematic, a whole cow will do. By half a year, the amount of milk decreases, then it is completely removed from the diet, leaving only sour milk products in it.
• Dairy products. They need a dog for calcium in the body and for a comfortable digestion. Useful for whelp puppies. But the grown-up dog eats sour milk only twice a week. For success in the training of the baby can sometimes be treated with hard cheese.
• At least 40% of the food in the diet should be meat. It can be given raw, scalded or boiled. A puppy can be fed chicken without peel, turkey and veal, beef, horse meat.

It is necessary to include in the menu of dogs and meat offal. All of them are cut into small pieces, but you do not need to turn them into mincemeat. Meat begins to lure 20-day puppies (at about this age, their teeth appear).

• Fish or seafood baby give twice a week. But river fish is not the best option. A puppy eats it with appetite, but the consequences can be deplorable: river fish are often infected with worms, and even a baby can choke on a bone.
• Vegetables. Vitamins are full of vegetables, because they are required in the diet. They are usually mixed with porridge or curds. You can stew vegetables, and you can rub on a grater. Puppies can be given a pumpkin, zucchini, beets, carrots. It is better to start with grated carrots and sour cream.
• Cereals. Porridge serves as an addition to the basic diet of puppies, which consists of meat and dairy products. In the first months after birth, baby porridge is boiled in milk.Evaluate how the dog bears rump: some puppies do not have a relationship with buckwheat, for example.

They cook soups with cereals and vegetables for pets. A week-old puppy cannot be fed with such food, of course, but a three-week baby can be (but not very often, 2-3 times a week).

And even babies can be given egg yolks (fine, if it is quail eggs). Fruits like some puppies, and if they tolerate them well, you can offer the dogs such a delicacy from time to time. But only in a safe form, for example, slices of an apple. But do not even offer fruit with a bone, as well as grapes and currants to puppies.

Sometimes the question arises about how to feed the puppies, if the dog has no milk or if they are very small without a mother. Instead of infant formula, as many owners do, it is wiser to use an adapted formula for newborn puppies.

Many breeders even take a little vacation at work as soon as newborn puppies appear in the house. And if this is the first brood for a bitch, such heightened concern on the part of the owners is quite logical. In an adult dog, not the first time experiencing the experience of the birth of offspring, maternal instinct is strong.

Care from the breeder is to control the situation, providing warmth and calmness to the dog and its offspring. She cares about feeding, licking babies, but there may be unforeseen difficulties (postpartum complications) that are important to see on time.

The main points of care for puppies.

• Thermoregulation. In newborn puppies, it is still imperfect, so even if they are chilly, you will not notice the characteristic tremor. Because it is important to monitor the temperature in the bed (if the kids grow up without a mother). If it is colder than +30 degrees, babies can freeze.

Weak, not very long hypothermia strengthens the dog's immunity, puppies get used to growing under natural conditions. But if they are freezing and are in a state of hypothermia for a long time, this is a serious threat to children.

• Claws At about the 8th day of life, puppies are given a “manicure” for the first time. Clipping the dog’s claws is necessary every week. If this is not done, the puppy may scratch the skin of the bitch while sucking mother's milk. Only sharp edges should be cut off (tips-hooks).
• Digestion. Digestive problems, intestinal infections can be indicated by a special putrid odor from a puppy, and around the anus it will have yellow characteristic marks. Intestinal upset often leads to the death of the dog, so you need to respond immediately.

The stump of the navel of a baby should be the first days of his life lubricated brilliant green. If the umbilical cord is gnawed by a bitch with bad teeth, this can cause bacteria to enter the fresh umbilical wound.

But when the kids have grown up and they will be a month, it is time for the first treatment. Puppies waiting anthelmintic therapy. She is held several times (the exact schedule will give a veterinarian). Usually anthelmintics give twice with an interval of 10 days. The tablet should be swallowed by a puppy, you need to follow it.

And even though the nicknames are given to dogs almost immediately, only from about 45 days of life can they begin to respond adequately to them. Closer to two months, it becomes clear what kind of dog grows with you, what is its temperament, character. From now on, the puppy needs to communicate with the person. It is already possible to really educate him, begin to train. It is time to go with him to the "big world".

Alas, not always the development of the dog goes well. In early childhood, problems can occur that make a puppy painful, or even lead to his death.

Consider the most common ones.

• Hypothermia In the first week of life, the temperature should be around 29-32 degrees. If you understand that the puppies are frozen, you need to reconsider the place where they nestled with their mother. If they grow up without a mother, you can warm babies by applying them to your own body.

It is dangerous to feed a chilled puppy - the digestive system may not cope with the load. First you need to warm it up, put it in order.

• Small weight gain. By 8-10 days the weight of puppies doubles, if this does not happen, the dog needs to be examined. A puppy may be born underdeveloped and in this case, the nursing tactic is the area of ​​competence of the veterinarian. If the baby has diarrhea, he will lose weight.

But diarrhea is dehydration, the most dangerous pathology. In this case, the puppy must be given Ringer-Locke solution, which is mixed in half with the glucose solution.

• Toxic Milk Syndrome. If a bitch has mastitis or inflammation of the uterus, its milk can be toxic to offspring. You can understand this by diarrhea and bloating in puppies. These puppies constantly squeak, they have increased drooling, they look painful.

Any problem related to the health of newborns or young puppies is a reason to show the kids to the vet. Before giving puppies in good hands, they should also be shown to a specialist. He will conduct a full examination, make the primary vaccination and the corresponding marks in the medical card.

Attention, care, control, timely response of the owner to the problems that arise - a guarantee that the puppies in his house will grow strong and healthy.

About the proper care of newborn puppies can be found in the following video.