Is it normal for a new mother dog to gently nip her day-old puppies?

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.

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! I’ve seen it take up to a week for a new Mom to accept the puppies. Just calmly encourage her to lay with them. You can take a warm soft cloth after the feedings and stimulate them to urinate and defecate. And gently wipe them down two times per day until she starts doing it. If she never accepts the puppies I wouldn’t breed her again. I hope this helps! Good luck!

Some new moms tend to be nervous and overattentive to the puppies, especially if this is Lacey's first litter. Some overzealous bitches will end up injuring the puppies, or lick/clean them so often they don't have adequate time to nurse. This behavior often improves after the first several days. I would recommend having someone monitor Lacey and the puppies at all times if there is any sign that she may be too rough. You could also try a pheromone like Adaptil or a supplement like Zylkene (safe for lactating bitches). If Lacey seems to be panting frequently, having trouble breathing, or shaking you should have her seen by your vet - these signs along with anxiety can be seen with low calcium.

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.

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

If Icy isn't biting them hard enough to break the skin or cause them to cry out in pain, then this biting is normal. She is teaching them what behavior is appropriate and which behavior is inappropriate by disciplining them with these bites. The bites lets the kittens know they need to behave and that the behavior they are currently doing isn't acceptable. Now if she is biting them hard enough to break the skin and/or they are crying out in pain, that isn't normal and she needs to see the vet (bring the kittens with her). Sudden aggression to the kittens can be a sign of a medical problem, and that needs to be examined by a vet. I hope this helps!

Biting and mouthing during play and at other times including when you pet her, when you are walking, etc. is completely normal behavior for a puppy this age - this is how puppies explore the world, and how they instinctively want to play. I do not recommend scolding her for this or telling her "no!", as this often makes dogs more frustrated and worked up, and tends to make the problem worse. Instead, redirect her to one of her toys and encourage her to bite the toy instead. Make sure that she has a variety of different toys available to provide an appropriate outlet for this behavior - long floppy rope or fleece toys for tugging, plush toys for biting and carrying, and smaller toys or balls for chasing and fetching. She also needs lots of different things to chew on - bully sticks, rawhide chews, cow or pig ears, and puzzle toys such as a Kong stuffed with peanut butter are all good options you can try. This behavior normally resolves on its own as puppies get older, so there is no need to attempt to punish her for it - just redirect her to something more appropriate, and be patient while she learns :)