You probably know that a group of wolves is called a herd, or that a group of puppies is called a litter, but there are many collective nouns for animals that are much less known and, frankly, very strange. So what do you call a group of puppies? A group of puppies that get together is commonly known as a herd. Although a group of puppies born to a female dog at the same time is often referred to as a litter. Normal litter size can range from 1 to 12 puppies, with 5-6 puppies on average across all dogs.
But just as each dog breed differs in size, function and personality, they also differ when it comes to litter size, according to AKC registration data. Large dogs tend to have larger litters, while small dogs tend to have smaller litters, most obviously because the size allows larger dogs to have more puppies safely. Inbred females tend to give birth to smaller litters, with a higher incidence of birth defects among puppies. For example, you'll want to make sure that all puppies find their nipples and get enough food to keep their bellies full and their bodies warm.
Maybe some puppies are small and others are large, or some puppies are black and white with spots, while other puppies are brindle. But understand that this is a statistical correlation, not a way to predict the number of puppies your individual dog will have. As mentioned above, litter size varies based on several factors, but for the sake of discussion, we'll assume you have around five puppies in each litter. Towards the end of your dog's pregnancy, the vet will likely be able to feel the mother's belly or take an X-ray to determine an “exact number of puppies in their belly” (although it can be easy to miss one of the puppies, so you'll never know for sure until the little wiggles start to come out).
Just because my dog, who is a Jack Russell Chihuahua and Boston Terrier, gave birth on his own to a litter of 12 puppies but only 11 survived. For example, a 45-pound Labrador Retriever can produce a litter of only five or six puppies, while an 85-pound Lab can produce a litter of 10 or more. Dachshunds usually have 1 to 6 puppies per litter, but they may have more depending on the size of the dog. In 2004, a Neapolitan mastiff named Tia became the mother of the largest litter ever documented, when she gave birth to 24 puppies by cesarean section.
Turns out, in a litter of puppies, some of the dogs may have different parents, which makes them half-siblings rather than full siblings. For example, dogs of breeds that normally produce litters of five puppies can only produce one or two for their first litter. Miniature breeds generally produce litters of 3.5 puppies, while large breeds generally produce 7.1 puppies per litter.
