Puppy

Puppy refers specifically to young dogs,[2] while pup may be used for other animals such as wolves, seals, giraffes, guinea pigs, rats or sharks.

The fertilized egg, also known as the zygote, travels through the fallopian tube to the uterus during this period while undergoing rapid cell division.

The placenta, which will feed the growing puppy, is formed once the zygote enters the uterus and settles in the uterine wall.

[6] Puppies are born after an average of 63 days of gestation, emerging in an amnion that is bitten off and eaten by the mother dog.

During this stage the nose is the primary sense organ used by puppies to find their mother's teats, and to locate their littermates, if they become separated by a short distance.

In addition, puppies' ears remain sealed until about thirteen to seventeen days after birth, after which they respond more actively to sounds.

[10] Puppies develop very quickly during their first three months, particularly after their eyes and ears open and they are no longer completely dependent on their mother.

[12] Many countries now ban cropping and docking for cosmetic purposes, including Australia, parts of Canada, the majority of the European countries (Austria, Greece, Finland, Netherlands, Italy, the Czech Republic, Turkey, Poland, Slovakia, England, Scotland, Slovenia, Ireland, Norway and Sweden), while others, such as the United States, permit it.

[13] Some breeders also prefer to declaw the dogs to prevent future injuries caused by scratching, or in the case of dewclaws, ingrown and ripped-off nails.