Bringing a new puppy into your home will change your life forever. Puppies are definitely a lot of work, but they also bring plenty of joy to your world. Whether you are getting your first puppy or just need a refresher course, this is what you'll need to know. From welcoming your new puppy home, to training and health information, these tips will help you get your puppy on the right track to adulthood.

During their first week of life, a newborn puppy will spend up to 90% of its time asleep.

At about 6 weeks old, the mother will start encouraging her pups to venture out and slowly become more independent.

Out of their five senses, touch, taste, smell, hearing and seeing the first sense that develops and becomes utilized in the baby dog is that of touch.

Puppies are not born with a sense of smell either- Surprising when you consider that the sense of smell is the most utilized sense of the adult dog. Scent glands begin to develop in your puppy at around three weeks of age.

You can get a good idea of the eventual size that your new puppy will become by looking at their feet- Large paws may take some growing into, but they're one of the first indications of the ultimate size the dog will reach.

If your puppy bites or nips in play, you can often effectively train them out of this by saying 'ouch!' in a loud voice. This is a similar response to the yelps their littermates make when the same thing happens to them!

Puppies only listen to the initial syllable of a word- So if your pup is named 'gorgeous' then the only part of the name that your pup will come to recognize is 'GORG!'

Puppies are born without their teeth- their first set of baby teeth start to develop from around four weeks old onwards. But they don't keep them for long- at four months old, your puppy will begin to lose his baby teeth and grow his adult set.

Puppies may potentially be rejected by their mother if they are born by caesarean section and cleaned before being given back to them, as the dam may be unable to recognize the puppy as their own.

Puppies are most likely to interpret a person smiling at them as a sign of aggression if the person is showing their teeth!