10 Cute Facts About Puppies

Puppies are full of vast energy, wagging tails, and irresistible cuteness. From their clumsy gait to playful nips, puppies fill our lives with immeasurable happiness. These tiny bundles of joy melt hearts worldwide. Let’s explore 10 of the cutest facts about our wet-nosed little friends.

1. Puppies are born blind, deaf and toothless

These little cuties are born underdeveloped. Their eyes, ears, and jaw are continuing to mature after birth. A puppy’s eyes and ears are delicate organs and they continue to stay shut to prevent possible damage. The eyes begin to open between 2 and 3 weeks, they begin to hear around 3 weeks, and their teeth start to erupt through their gums around 3 weeks. Due to their lack of senses at birth, they rely on their mother to nurture and direct them at every turn. However, puppies are born with a sense of touch and smell. Their little paws have nails too!

2. Puppies are born with blue eyes

Puppies lack melanin at birth, which is the pigment that controls eye color. Melanin production begins a few weeks after birth, changing their eyes to a permanent color. In the meantime, light reflects off the iris making all puppies' eyes appear blue. Depending on the breed and individual dog, their eyes can remain blue as well.

3. Puppies sleep a lot

Puppies are all about the naps, sleeping between 18-20 hours per day. Since puppies are born underdeveloped, they are constantly growing and changing. Puppies are going through continual growth spurts, processing a lot of new information, burning all sorts of energy, and building muscle. All of these things require adequate sleep to ensure healthy growth and regeneration of their bodies.

4. Puppies can be identical twins

As this is extremely rare, puppies, like humans, can be identical twins. This happens the same way it does for humans, one egg, split into two embryos, creating two puppies with the same DNA. DNA testing is typically required to confirm they are identical twins.

5. Puppies can be cloned

As puppies can be cloned, the process is strenuous and has a low success rate, about 20%. This is done by taking a cell from the dog being cloned and injected into a blank egg. They mimic the process of fertilization and transfer the egg to a surrogate for birth. The first puppy cloning occurred in 2005 with Afghan Hound, Snuppy. However, even though a clone is possible, this does not mean that the personality of the clone will be the same as the cloned dog.

6. Litter size varies by breed

Typically larger breeds can carry more puppies. This is due to the size of their reproductive organs and their ability to safely carry and deliver a larger litter. Litter size normally ranges from 1-12 puppies, but 5-6 is the average for all breeds. While we’re on the topic of breeds, did you know Dalmatians are born without spots?

7. Puppies lose their baby teeth

Like children, puppies also lose their baby teeth. Their baby teeth begin to grow around 3 weeks of age. Their baby teeth start to fall out between 3-6 months and their adult teeth come in by 8 months

8. Puppy Dog Eyes

Puppies and adult dogs use their eyes to control you. The “puppy dog eyes” were intentionally developed based on the response received by humans that prompts us to give them what they want. They do this by using their facial muscles to raise their eyebrows and make their eyes appear bigger and cuter.

9. Heartbeat

Puppies' heartbeat is notably faster than adult dogs’. A puppy’s heartbeat ranges between 120 and 160 beats per minute. Smaller breeds usually have a quicker heartbeat than larger breeds. Their heartbeat begins to reduce as they mature.

10. Nose Prints

Studies show that nose prints are actually unique to each individual dog. Potentially, a dog’s nose print can be used for identification as it seems no two dogs have the same nose print, similar to a human’s fingerprint. Their nose print remains the same throughout their entire life.

If you enjoyed our 10 cute facts about puppies, be sure to look out for our 10 Cute Facts About Kittens article coming soon!

Written by Amber White - January 28, 2025