National Puppy Day: 10 Puppy Facts You May Not Know

  Posted on March 23, 2013  by Joy of Living  No comments

Today is National Puppy Day, so in their honor here are some fun facts about our little furry friends:

• Newborn puppies don’t automatically know how to walk, they stumble and fall down like toddlers do.  They don’t start trying to walk until at least 2 weeks old and as late as 5 weeks old.
• Chihuahuas, like human babies, are born with a soft spot in their skull called the molera, which closes up as they grow.
• Puppies should eat 3 times a day, until they are about 8 months to 1 year old. Then, they can go down to 2 meals a day.
• On average, a puppy can only hold their bathroom needs for number of hours equivalent to their age.  For example a 3 month old for 3 hours, a 4 month old puppy for 4 hours and so on…Until they are 8 months old.  The muscles in their bladder need time to fully develop and become stronger.
• If you know that your puppy does not need to go to the bathroom, ignore any nighttime barking.  Rushing over to them will reinforce the negative behavior and your puppy will learn that barking is a good way to get your attention.
• When you teach a puppy the “Come” command, kneel down so that you are at their same level.
• A puppy can begin learning commands as early as 8 weeks old.  Start with basic commands such as “Sit” and “Come”.
• Dogs only listen to the 1st syllable of their name. So, if you name them “Jelly Belly”, they will respond to “Jel”.
• Don’t name your puppy a name that sounds too similar to a command, for example, “Seth” which is too similar to “Sit” or “Don” which is similar to “Down”.
• When you have a new puppy, help them learn their name by saying the name as much as possible.