My dog growls near her new puppies. When can I safely handle them?

At 4 weeks they should be started in puppy food to start weaning them. They should be fully weaned by 6 weeks. If she is too rough and they are eating food and nursing less then keep them separate to give her a break from taking care of them so she won’t do that. Moms teach several lessons and they may be crying out if scared or just not being able to do what they want instead of pain.

If she is taking care of them I would leave them with her. It may cause more stress if you take them away. She is getting aggressive over being a protective mom. Let her finish then you will need to start handling them to help her understand you are helping and giving them back so she gets comfortable

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 would introduce them to one to see his interest. Some other dogs are very good at mothering such as licking and cleaning and keeping warm, others are not and try to harm them. Hold one and see if he licks it and seems happy. If he growls or gets aggressive then keep them separate. But if it goes well then you can let him meet them all, he may do some of the work for you to help care for them

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

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.

Take care of them constantly and feed them. Mothers usually are quite tired after parturition and you will not be her number one priority anymore. She will spend most of her time with them and she will be reluctant to go out for walks leaving them alone. As they begin to play and explore, her responsibility become more about ensuring their safety and teaching them proper behavior. Up until they are about 6 weeks old, she will give them nearly constant attention.