Newborn Puppies: Dogs in Their First Three Weeks Cover

Photographing newborn puppies is tough work. No, really, it is. 

Traer Scott, photographer and author of the book Newborn Puppies: Dogs in Their First Three Weeks (Chronicle Books, $18.95), found that there are quite a few challenges to getting shots of newborn puppies.

First of all, they’re hard to find. There are plenty of adult dogs to choose from, but puppies who are less than 3 weeks old? Not so much.

To track down enough pups, Scott reached out to her friends in the rescue community and searched Craigslist for breeders with new litters of puppies. The rescues and breeders she reached out to usually led her to more people who had puppies, and through word-of-mouth, she was able to obtain plenty of newborn puppies for her book.

Another challenge? Her adorable little subjects didn’t move very much. “You can put them in a puppy pile and they wiggle around, but that’s all they can really do,” Scott says.

To capture the immobile pups, Scott had to get creative and find new ways to photograph them. “I had to approach the project like I was photographing a newborn human being, since just like puppies, human babies also don’t move,” she says.

Want to see how all of Scott’s hard work paid off? Check out our photo gallery of some of the puppies you can find featured in the book. From a 2-day-old Soft Coated Wheaten TerrierPoodle mix who is so tiny he could fit in the palm of your hand to a family of 3-week-old Goldendoodles snuggling with Mom, these puppies will warm your heart and make you appreciate just how much a dog grows and develops over the course of his life. 

Whoodle — 2 Days Old

Whoodle — 2 Days Old

This tiny Whoodle, or Soft Coated Wheaten Terrier-Poodle mix, is only 2 days old and neatly fits into the palm of a hand. 

Siberian Husky — 4 Days Old

Siberian Husky — 4 Days Old

It's hard to believe, but one day, this little 4-day-old Siberian Husky will weigh up to 60 pounds.

Cockapoos — 5 Days Old

Cockapoos — 5 Days Old

Is there anything cuter than these tiny Cockapoo puppy bottoms?

Boston Terrier/Bulldog Mixes — 10 Days Old

Boston Terrier/Bulldog Mixes — 10 Days Old

What will these 10-day-old Boston Terrier-Bulldog mix puppies look like when they grow up? Only time will tell, but we'd like to imagine that they'll resemble a Bulldog wearing a tuxedo.

Dalmatians — 15 Days Old

Dalmatians — 15 Days Old

Look at those spots! These 15-day-old Dalmatian puppies are already starting to get their signature black markings.

American Staffordshire Terrier — 17 Days Old

American Staffordshire Terrier — 17 Days Old

After eating and sleeping, then eating and sleeping some more, this 17-day-old American Staffordshire Terrier puppy is all tuckered out.

Golden Retriever/Chocolate Lab Mixes — 17 Days Old

Golden Retriever/Chocolate Lab Mixes — 17 Days Old

We really wish we could hug this Golden-Lab mix puppy. He looks like he needs a cuddle.

Goldendoodles — 21 Days Old

Goldendoodles — 21 Days Old

Puppy pile! What a sweet family of 3-week-old Goldendoodles.


See more book photo galleries from Vetstreet:

Photographer’s New Book Takes an Unexpected Look at Kittens

"Serpentine" Celebrates the Beauty of the Snake

Boo: the World's Cutest Dog