It doesn't sound as cute as "puppy," but whelp means the same thing: a baby dog or wolf. This can also be a verb, as in "The mama poodle whelped six whelps."
Besides applying to canines such as wolves and coyotes, whelp is sometimes used to describe a young person. This usually isn't a compliment. If an older person calls a young person a whelp or says, "I don't know what's wrong with you whelps these days!," you can be sure they're not impressed by youngsters. To someone who studies animals, whelp is just the word for a puppy or for birthing. Like so many other words, the meaning depends on who's saying it and why.
