A dog's journey from helpless newborn to playful puppy is short but supremely demanding. An inordinate amount of growth and development is occurring in an incredibly brief amount of time.

While it takes weeks for the puppy to be able to stand and walk around, that's still only the beginning.

The first two weeks of a puppy's life are called the neonatal period, and it's all about survival. The puppy is born utterly dependent -- unable to see, hear, walk, or even sustain his own body temperature.

He does, however, have the sense of smell, as well as the sense of touch, and he'll use both to find and remain near his mother, the source of warmth and food.


During this time the puppy spends 10 percent of his time eating and 90 percent of his time sleeping, often twitching, kicking and whimpering as he slumbers in what is called "activated sleep." This sleep activity is the newborn puppy's only means of exercise, and it helps his muscles strengthen and develop.