| Puppy – 8 key facts |
Get to know how your puppy communicates and help him learn to cope with the world around. If he could talk, he'd ask for a top quality pet insurance policy!
Body language
Hunting instincts
Taste and teeth
Senses
Eternal puppy
Breed apart
Coming of age
Sixth sense
Body language
Your puppy not only uses his tail for
balance, but as a signal to other dogs about how he's feeling. Tail up shows
confidence and wagging is a sign of a happy puppy.
Hunting instincts
Believe it or not, your bouncing puppy's
ancestors were wolves and he still carries the genes that make him an
instinctive hunter. He's also a pack animal that loves company, exploring his 'hunting' territory - hopefully he looks to you as his pack
leader.
Taste and teeth
Dogs use their sense of smell rather than
taste to guide them. By the time your puppy is eight weeks old, he will have
his first needle like teeth. His full set of 42 adult teeth will be through
within 28 weeks.
Senses
A puppy's sense of smell is up to a million
times better than yours, so his nose is a very important way of 'sensing' his
environment. While his eyesight is relatively unsophisticated
seeing everything in black and white and shades of grey.
The eternal puppy
Dogs remain child-like, enjoying games and
playtime right through to old age - that's what keeps their owners hooked.
Breed apart
Your puppy's nature is determined by his
genes. Selective breeding over the years
has resulted in different breeds exhibiting particular behaviour - retrievers for example have a strong urge to track prey and bring it back to
the pack leader.
Coming of age
The rate at which your puppy matures is also
down to his breed. Smaller breeds tend to become adults at between 12-18
months, while larger 
breeds such as
Sixth sense
Many experts argue that dogs have a sixth sense that warns them
of coming storms or even earthquakes.
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