Watch These Newborn Puppies Find Their Mother — Like Moths to a Flame

Like human babies, puppies are entirely helpless at birth. These precious Golden Retriever pups were born with their eyes and ear canals closed to keep their developing sensory organs safe. They are effectively both blind and deaf until they reach around 14-21 days old. However, a dog’s extraordinary sense of smell is fully developed at birth. So they can always rely on scent to guide them, especially during those first few weeks. As we can see in this adorable post from nicholberrygoldens, these snoozing pups may not be able to see or hear yet, but they know it’s time to eat when they smell their mother and her milk.

Canine Olfactory Capabilities

These precious pups can’t even hold their own weight, but they know exactly how to find Mom. As soon as they are born, a dog’s sense of smell is reportedly 10,000 to 100,000 times better than a human’s. Dogs have about 300 million olfactory receptors, while their human companions must make do with only around 6 million.

Scientists also believe dogs use up to 40 times more of their brains than we do to determine what those smells are. On a clear day, a dog can pick up a scent as far as 12 miles away. Unlike humans, dogs can inhale and exhale at the same time. They use different airways for breathing and smelling, so they can continue their olfactory examinations without disruption.

Left or Right?

Dogs use their nostrils independently to help them determine which direction a scent is coming from. They also use different nostrils depending on whether odors are thought to be threatening or benign. For example, a dog uses the right nostril to examine scents that seem alarming. This activates the right side of a dog’s brain, which is used for processing negative, intense emotions or the unfamiliar.

If the initial investigation determines the odor is safe, the dog will switch to sniffing with the left nostril for a more in-depth examination. Dogs use the left nostril to explore scents that are believed harmless. The left nostril activates the left side of the brain to process positive emotions and familiar patterns or events. So nursing is believed to activate the left side of the pups’ brains. The scents recall positive feelings of contentment, as well the comfort of a familiar routine.

The Nose Knows

We can see in the video that newborn puppies use their noses to navigate to their mother to nurse. They not only recognize the scent of the milk, but they also know the scent of their mother’s body. Recent studies have found dogs’ noses can even detect heat, which helps the pups locate their mother if they get too far away. Newborn puppies cannot regulate their body temperatures until they are around 3-4 weeks old, so it is crucial that they remain near their mother for warmth.

The mother dog secretes pheromones to calm her pups and help her bond with them. Like many other mammals, the puppies have a special organ called Jacobsen’s organ that allows them to smell these pheromones. Jacobsen’s organ, also referred to as the vomeronasal organ, is located in the nasal cavity above the roof of the mouth. The nerves in this organ connect to a secondary olfactory center in the dog’s brain that processes chemical signals. Dogs can also determine mating readiness, age, genetic relatedness, territorial boundaries, social status, and emotional state through pheromones.

Of course, these puppies are still too young to be worried about anything except their next meal. However, in a few weeks, their vision and hearing will work with their other senses so they can begin exploring. The owners may not know what they’re going to call the pups yet, but with these superlative sniffers, at least they’ll never have to worry about calling the pups late for dinner.