Puppy Dog Physiological Development

To understand the reactions of the puppy we must examine its physiological development your don't need to be a dog Physiology major.

The Puppy's Brain Development: Discovering and the integrity of the surroundings depend on the puppy's brain capacity. The body evolves together with the brain, which controls the organism as a whole. The normal development of the brain is only achieved in a stable environment, full of sound, visual, tactile and emotional stimuli. The brain begins to develop during the gestation period, with the increment of the connections between nervous cells, which are part of the nervous system. When the puppy is born, its brain generates survival reactions: guiding him towards the mother and her teats. Touch is developed before it is born; this is why it is recommended to touch the mother's belly during pregnancy.

The Nervous System: In the neonatal period the puppy's nervous system has not finished maturing. Its behavior prevails on reflexes.

The First Reflexes
Sucking: when the puppy is in contact with the teat, it provokes the secretion of milk with its tongue.
Search: The new born is incapable of controlling its body temperature; this means that its body suffers the effect of the terminal variations in the environment. Its first reflex is to search for heat. It uses its snout to search for heat near the mother. This searching behavior lasts for three weeks after the puppy is born.

The Neurological Study of the Puppy: It is important to take in consideration the puppy's neurological development. There are several tests that can be done in order to check the puppy's muscular tone, reflexes and its sensory response. The first fifteen days, the puppies sleep one against another with their bent extremities. They move a lot while they sleep. To be able to conduct this test you must always manipulate the puppies delicately and for less than five minutes because they get tired really fast.