Learn Russian: У нас было двое щенков.

Collective numerals like двое are specifically used with words for baby animals, such as щенки (puppies) or котята (kittens). While два щенка is also grammatically correct, двое щенков is the much more natural and standard way to say it in Russian.

If we are talking about two puppies, why is the noun in the plural (щенков) instead of the singular?

This is the core rule for collective numerals! Regular numbers 2, 3, and 4 take the Genitive Singular (which would be два щенка). However, collective numerals like двое, трое, and четверо require the noun to be in the Genitive Plural. Therefore, we must use щенков.

Why is the verb было in the neuter singular instead of the plural были, since there were multiple puppies?

When a sentence's subject is a quantified amount (a number plus a noun), Russian often uses the neuter singular verb было to state that the quantity existed. The grammar treats the phrase двое щенков as a single block of quantity rather than plural individuals.

What is the dictionary form of щенков and why does its spelling change here?