Packs are typically composed of related females, related males, and pups. Usually only the dominant pair breeds and subordinate members help care for pups. The breeding female selects a den site such as an abandon aardvark hole and contours the underground chamber prior to giving birth. When pups are about three weeks old, they appear above ground pug-nosed with black and white hair, and small ears that readily develop to oversized proportions. Yellow markings begin to appear at four weeks, like in the pups you see here. Babysitters keep an eye on them while other family members hunt and return to the den to regurgitate food. Pups are moved to different dens during the season. When pups are around 10–12 weeks old, packs resume their nomadic way of life.

African wild dogs are crepuscular—resting during the day and hunting primarily in the early morning and evening. They are one of Africa's most successful hunters, a fact that has been attributed largely to their high degree of cooperation. In more enclosed habitat, where wild dogs are more commonly found, packs tend to split up into groups during hunts, with individuals taking down prey, and then leaving it to bring back other pack members to feed. Unlike African lions, pups are the first to eat. Spotted hyenas sometimes follow wild dogs on hunts and try to steal food.