Puppy
A puppy is a young dog, especially one that has not yet reached sexual maturity. Puppies develop rapidly in body, behavior, and social skills.
Dog: A domesticated canid selectively bred into diverse forms for companionship, work, and other roles. Puppies are the juvenile life stage of dogs.
Maternal behavior: Caregiving actions by a mother toward her offspring, including nursing, grooming, and protection. A mother dog provides the earliest care and regulates puppies’ access to warmth and milk.
Puppy socialization: The planned exposure of young dogs to people, animals, places, and experiences during early development. Careful exposure helps puppies become more comfortable with ordinary parts of life.
Labrador Retriever: A retriever breed developed in Newfoundland and established in Britain as a working and companion dog. Labrador puppies are a familiar example of a medium-to-large breed’s early growth.
Adult dog: A dog that has reached physical and sexual maturity. The distinction marks the broad developmental transition out of puppyhood.
Canine development: The physical, behavioral, and cognitive changes dogs undergo from birth through adulthood and aging. Puppyhood is the early phase of this broader developmental process.
Lactation: The production and secretion of milk by mammary glands to nourish offspring. Milk supplies puppies’ primary nutrition during their earliest weeks.
Puppy training: The teaching of basic behaviors and household skills to young dogs using structured practice. Training builds communication and habits while puppies are still learning rapidly.
Great Dane: A very large dog breed known for its tall stature and long-legged build. Great Dane puppies illustrate the extended growth demands of giant breeds.
Adolescent dog: A dog in the transitional period between puppyhood and adulthood, marked by continued growth and behavioral change. Adolescence can begin before a dog has reached full physical maturity.