It’s March 23, 2018, which means it’s National Puppy Day! Puppies! Come on! We’re surprised that they haven’t made this a legal holiday and given everyone the day off, because we could sure use it to go and have some fun cuddling and playing with our favorite puppies. They’re so cute! And we don’t really know how or why, but we can only assume that our DNA has been encoded to fall in love with those wet noses, tiny paws, and adorable faces. But there might be a few things that you didn’t know about puppies, and these are scientifically proven. But because it’s about puppies, you’ll probably go “aww” as your heart melts for them.Researchers of the University of Lyon at Saint-Etienne did a study in January 2017, that determined that puppies react more to humans who talk baby talk to them, even if it’s just a recording, whereas adult dogs didn’t. So make sure to try some baby talk on your puppies and do it slowly with a higher pitch.
In 2012, Japanese researchers discovered that employees paid more attention to their work whenever they had photos of puppies, but it didn’t have the same effect if the photo showed dogs that were older. Puppies just seem to make positive emotions flow, which makes them more efficient.
It’s so rare that Kurt de Cramer, a South African vet, may have been the first to encounter evidence that identical twins in puppies were actually possible in 2016. The vet had done a C-section on an Irish wolfhound and found two puppies in the same placenta. DNA tests confirmed the pups were identical.
Aside from not having any teeth, they also can’t see, hear, or smell. In fact, it takes a week or two before their senses start to blossom. It can take three weeks before they can smell, hence why they rely on their mommies to survive at this early stage of development.
Most human babies sleep 16 hours a day when they’re newborn, and according to the American Kennel Cub, puppies sleep anywhere from 15 to 20 hours. And we can all admit that they look very cute while they snooze.
Former director of the Sensory Research Institute at Florida State University, James Walker, claims that after three weeks, puppies develop such a powerful sense of smell that it’s probably 10,000 to 100,000 stronger than any human being.
At 6 or 12 weeks old, a puppy should eat four small meals per day, especially if the mother isn’t around. And it’s vital that pet owners teach them how to control what they eat, otherwise the puppies will overwhelm their tiny stomachs.
Just like a human child, it’s learning how to walk and run. In fact, larger dogs who grow big paws and longer legs tend to be real clumsy while learning how to walk. It’s a learning process, and they don’t have a lot of time either because puppies have a higher growth rate than humans.
Puppies get attached to their human owners quite a bit. In fact, they’ll greet their owners, and follow them around the house, and when they leave, the puppy will wait for them by the door. So the more you care for them, the more they’ll love you.
In 2007, researchers conducted testing that showed how puppies ranging from 6 to 24 weeks old understood that a finger pointing cue meant that they had food in a bowl. Granted, they’re young, so it might take them a while to figure it out, but they eventually learn the older they get.
It turns out that it’s some called a baby schema, which means dogs have large heads, big eyes, soft textures, and other traits that remind us of human children. Essentially, a puppy encounter brings out the parental instincts in us and a release of the chemicals dopamine and oxytocin is triggered in the brain that helps us fall in love with them.
After five weeks, a puppy should have already had positive encounters with humans, and if socializing with them hasn’t happened by week 14, then they will likely never be able to form any kind of bond with a human family.
Puppies don’t have a lot of moisture in their eyes, according to a 2012 study. But by the time that they’re 4 weeks old, puppies will start to produce tears. But not as much as you’d expect until they’re 10 weeks old. Meanwhile, human babies can tear up from the moment they pop out.
It takes 8 weeks, according to a study conducted by the Swedish Dog Training Center between the 70s and the 80s. After those 8 weeks have passed, it’s easier to predict a puppy’s behavioral traits because they’ll start to cement as they finally discover who they are.
According to the Humane Society Animal League for Life, up to 70,000 felines and pooches come into this world in the US per day. But given that only 10,000 humans are born in the US alone a year, you can certainly avoid leaving a puppy without a home, by gifting one to a child on their birthday.
