The dramatic transition to air breathing at birth represents a true challenge for the newborn infant mammal, a period in which neonatal respiratory diseases are common. Since the 1930s, fetal and newborn lambs have been the model of choice for whole-animal studies on neonatal respiration. The present review aims to illustrate the relevance of ovine models in studying the establishment of successful breathing at birth and its maintenance in the early postnatal period, as well as a number of abnormal conditions that can interfere with these processes.