Dog giving birth: Should I move puppies or manage protective mom?

Dogs can become more protective when they have puppies. Unfortunately there is not really a way to stop this aggression as it is instinctual and hormonal. A better option is to keep strangers and other unknown persons and pets away from the new mother. Make sure she feels safe and that her litter is kept in a low traffic and quiet area. The more the mother is stressed, the more likely she will be to show aggression. This aggression will generally decrease as the puppies get older. If her aggression is to the point where she is dangerous or extremely disruptive, you may consider removing her from your breeding program and having her spayed. Always be positive towards her and never frustrated or angry. This is normal behavior for a mother. Best of luck and please feel free to post any additional questions.

It is best to keep the puppies away at this point so she does not keep doing that. You can start to bottle feed or lay her down and let them nurse under your direct supervision then take them away when they are done so she can’t hurt them

it is best to start touching and handling the puppies now to get them socialized and used to being touched and humans. This is also good for mom to learn to no one will hurt them and help with her behavior. I would take the mom outside for a walk or to another room then handle the puppies. When you bring mom back in, hand her the puppies back so she knows she will get them back. As they get older she will leave them for longer periods and this will get easier

Congratulations on the litter! It sounds like Minnie is still trying to figure this whole thing out! Not all dogs have good maternal instincts. Some dogs must learn these skills and some dogs never learn great skills. Make sure you are assisting her and making sure to keep the pups safe and warm. Puppies require a lot of care and some mothers are not good about staying with the puppies enough to allow them to nurse well so you must also monitor the situation to make sure she is providing for the puppies. Many breeders will spay females or no longer breed females who do not seem to have an interest in motherhood so you may take this into consideration if Minnie does not seem to be the mothering type. Best of luck!

I think that the puppy would likely be best left with mom - unless she is actively rejecting him away from her, or showing any agression when he tries to nurse. Give him the best chance by helping him get attached to the nipple to nurse. You can supplement with a bottle, but he will grow best from his moms milk. Also make sure she has a calm quiet place to nurse and care for her pups - if she feels threatened or you are interferring too much she is more likely to reject the puppies. Using pheromones like ADAPTIL can help calm her and the pups and make nursing more successful. Very rarely and for reasons we dont always understand, some bitches will attack their pups. This can be hard to predict or prevent. Be guided by her interactions with the puppy and intervene if she seems cold or aggressive when the pup tries to nurse from her. Best of luck with your litter.

It can cause her to be territorial and possessive around the puppies. The best thing to do is when she goes in to labor is to keep her separate from the other dogs so she can focus and relax to give birth. After the puppies are born give her a few days without the other dogs going over there. After that you can let the other dogs, one at a time, sniff the puppies and see how they react

Is the pup nursing well? Does it seem as strong as the others? I would try to keep a close eye and make sure that the pup is thriving. I would also watch closely that Mom doesn’t injure the pup. This is her first time and they don’t always know right away what to do. If you have any concerns about the pup or Mom then I would encourage you to have them evaluated by your veterinarian soon. Best of luck and thank you for using Pet Coach.