Neonatal period
- Have dark fur, rounded heads and are unable to regulate their own body temperature
- Blind with closed eyes, deaf with small ears and a “pugged” nose with little, if any, sense of smell. Good sense of taste and touch
- Limited to a slow crawl, mainly with front legs but have a good sense of balance
- Are limited to sucking and licking; can whine and yelp
- Will feed four or five times a day for periods of three to five minutes
- Average females gain 2.6 pounds and males 3.3 pounds per week for the next 14 weeks