Inside the puppy pen, day 10 | The Easter litter.

It’s nap time… and at this stage, that’s pretty much their full-time job. Puppies this age are sleeping about 90 percent of the day. You’ll see short bursts of activity where they wiggle around, nurse, or attempt those early, wobbly step, and then they’re right back to sleep.

That sleep is doing a lot more than just resting them. This is when their brains are developing the fastest. During sleep, especially those little twitchy “active sleep” moments you’ll notice their nervous system is wiring itself. Muscle coordination, sensory processing, and early learning are all being built during these quiet moments.

Their bodies are also putting a huge amount of energy into growth. Organs are maturing, bones are developing, and their immune systems are starting to strengthen. Sleep is what allows all of that to happen efficiently.

So while it might not look like much is going on, this is actually one of the most critical stages of development.

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