In the first three days, the wolf always stays with the puppies. She licks them clean, when they have done their business, and helps them, to get at her teats, when they roll out of their fur again. She is the perfect mother, attentive, caring and patient. Only when another pack member is curiously poking his head into the cave, she growls menacingly. It then withdraws immediately. A mother wolf is not to be trifled with.
The other wolves are all very interested in that, what's going on under that big rock. Much like we humans find newborn babies cute and want to pet them, it is no different with the wolves with their puppies. Some prefer to stay near the cave. But caring for the puppies is still the sole responsibility of the mother and she makes that clear to everyone. Not even the father, the alpha male, is allowed to go to her and the puppies in the den.
During the first few days of this period, the little ones do nothing else, than to drink with her mother and sleep in her fur. The she-wolf turns around, they usually fall to the bottom of the cave. Then they whimper softly. The wolf immediately grabs her carefully with her teeth and puts her back on her warm belly. The little ones quickly snuggle up in the fur and sleep or continue sucking. They will never feel so secure again in their lives.
The development of the puppies
The development of puppies from birth to adulthood is divided into different stages. The first is the infantile period (infantile = childish). It ranges from birth to about age 14 Days, when the puppies open their eyes. During this time they don't do much more than drink and sleep.
The third week of life is called the transition period. In this short time, the puppies develop particularly turbulently. You begin to see and hear, crawl around and try for the first time, to play together.
The following phase is called the socialization phase (Socialization = develop community spirit). It extends from the day of their first encounter with the other wolves in the pack at around four weeks of age to about six months. During this time the puppies have to learn a lot: Recognize their peers and tell siblings and other pack members apart. Above all, they must learn, how to behave as a little wolf, what to do and what not to do.
After the puppies got so big, that they can run in a pack, enter the juvenile period (juvenile = youthful) a. Now they are real wolves, who above all need to get to know their environment.
When the young wolves become sexually mature at the age of two to three years, they eventually reach the adult period (adult = adult). Now they are already seasoned wolves, know most of the dangers of their environment and the pitfalls of the hunt. One day they will also mate and raise puppies of their own.