My dog is suddenly aggressive with her 3-week-old puppies. Why?

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.

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.

Yes it is very possible. If the mom is killing puppies, or aggressive to other dogs, I would recommend having her spayed and not having any more puppies to prevent any more being killed and prevent a lot of stress on Spike. It would also be a good idea to seek out a dog trainer or behaviorist in your area that can work with you on the aggression issues.

Cannibalism rarely occurs in dogs, but Missy could have attacked her puppies because of pain from mastitis (suckling provokes aggression) or because the puppies are unhealthy and she sensed that. I would not reintroduce that puppy back to Missy, and I would have her seen by a vet immediately for a health check to make sure she doesn't have a medical illness causing this aggression. You may have to bottle feed this puppy. At seven years old, Missy is actually too old to be having puppies (it's never recommended to breed a dog over the age of five or six), so I would have her spayed asap if she won't be nursing her remaining puppy.

Hello. I’m sorry to hear about the trouble you’re having with Little Miss Blue. Is there any chance she could be pregnant? I noticed that you listed her as not spayed. Pregnancy can cause aggression especially if they are close to having puppies. If she is not pregnant sometimes dogs that are painful will start showing aggressive behavior suddenly. I would have your vet examine her and make sure that she is OK and not suffering from any thing painful, also it may be good to have them run for blood work and make sure nothing else is wrong. I would start there and if she’s healthy and not pregnant I would try to find a behaviorist to work with to alter these aggressive tendencies.

At 3.5weeks pups would be expected to suckle less frequently but in larger volumes. If she appears unwell or feverish or the pups are crying and hungry you should have her checked by your vet to rule out infections such as mastitis. I would recommend gradually weaning pups onto semi solid food immediately in order to reduce the demand on stella

I'm wondering if Bruce's mother is spayed - if not it could have something to do with heat cycles. It can be really difficult to pinpoint exactly what has caused a behavior change but I always recommend an exam with a veterinarian first when there is a sudden change to look for a medical problem. Bruce could have pain somewhere or be otherwise ill. If he seems to be in good health your vet can discuss training or refer you to a behaviorist in your area.