10 Fun Facts About Puppies

Puppies: These bundles of joy have captivated dog lovers for centuries! Not only are these furballs adorable, they’re insanely fascinating! Keep reading to learn ten new fun facts about puppies. 

1.2 Million Puppies are born every day!

The puppy birthrate is 3x higher than the human birthrate! This is because puppies are born in litter! The average size of a canine litter is 5-6, while human babies are mostly born one at a time.

Puppies help with mental health.

Having a puppy around actually improves your mental health. That’s because being around puppies reduces human stress levels! If you’re ever stressed out, try to spend some time with your furry friend.

Puppies sleep up to 20 hours a day.

While this seems like a lot, all of this sleep helps a puppy grow big and strong. This sleep helps your furry friend’s brain and immune system develop.

Puppies are born blind and deaf.

Puppies are born with their eyes closed and without the ability to hear. These adorable newborns will open their eyes after 13 days, and their ear canals will open after 20 days. Good thing their sense of smell is so strong!

All puppies are born with blue eyes.

Speaking of canine eyes, all puppies are born with blue eyes! Dogs are born with low melanin levels, which causes blue eyes. However, these blue eyes will often fade as they grow up.

Puppies lose their baby teeth after six months.

While it might take humans years to lose their first baby tooth, it only takes puppies six months! Adult teeth start pushing these baby teeth out around six months. This causes teething behavior in puppies.

Puppies can be born green.

While this is very rare, some pups can be born green! One example of this is Pistachio, a green-coated pup born in 2020.  This can occur when pale pups encounter the green pigment biliverdin in the womb.

Shakespeare coined the word puppy.

The first use of the word “puppy-dog” was found in Shakespeare’s play, King John. Shakespeare has created over 200 words that we use today, such as lonely and mimic.

Puppies dream frequently.

Puppies actually have very active dream lives. This is due to puppies’ need to process new information. But canines often lose these intense dreams as they reach adulthood.

Puppies’ coats change as they grow up.

While all canine fur changes as they age, some pups actually change color as they grow up! When puppies are born, they only have one layer of fur. These pups shed this layer of fur when they reach 4-6 months old. Their adult fur is often coarser and thicker than their puppy coat.

Everybody loves puppies! Hopefully, you’ve learned something new about everyone’s favorite baby animal! If you’re a new puppy owner, make sure to check out Sit Mean’s Sit puppy management class!