Serious concern about my dog's behaviour towards her one week old puppies. Any experienced vet around?

Question

My two-year old pit bull/dalmatian mix dog (Petite) gave birth to six puppies a week ago, she's been taking care of them and nursing perfectly well, but about three days ago she began growling... she growls when she's with them. We have observed that she's having these aggressive displays towards her own babies! Today she seemed to be at the point of biting one of them.This has been happening about three to five times during the day and night. The rest of the time she has normal behaviour, she's calm and loving with them. She's not suffering any mastitis or problems in her mammal glands, which may lead to think she's having pain and rejecting puppies for that reason, so... could any experienced veterinarian tell me if this behaviour is normal? What might be causing it or what does it mean? We are afraid that she might actually bite one of the tiny puppies!!! Please don't bother to answer if you do not have a serious thing to say.

Answer 1

Try calling a vets office in your area and see what they think.

Oh I am sorry I misread your question... she had 6 pups one week ago. I am sorry. NO they are not ready to wean. Was this her first litter? Maybe she is inexperienced. My sister had a Pit bull who accidentally got pregnant and had 11 pups. It was her first litter and she had a very hard time taking care of them. I never saw aggression... but I was not there all the time. All I know is that with that many pups she felt overwhelmed. We would separate her and a few pups and let them feed. This seemed have worked. She wouldn't nurse them all together but 3 or 4 at a time she was fine.

Yes chihuahua lady thank you... I realized that.

Answer 2

Puppies learn not to bite and learn their behavior from their moms. They may be displaying something you don't see. Do your best not to have to take them from her. Aggressive behavior in dogs has been found to come when they are taken from mom before the 6-8 weeks. Mom teaches them that their biting hurts.

You also have to realize dogs that are loved and cared for by their families often don't want to share the attention of a bunch of crying babies. Most dogs don't want to have babies. Its unfortunate that they think its their duty. Find a vet in your area that does prepubescent spay and neuter and get them altered at 8 weeks before sending them to their homes. Get mom done about 2 weeks after she finishes nursing. As long as you can make a seperation between the breasts she can be spayed. Usually by the time the pups are six weeks and eating hard food all on their own. Be careful that she doesn't go into heat and get pregnant within a couple of months.

Had to come back to say more READ THE QUESTION BEFORE ANSWERING PEOPLE!!! Do not take them from their mother at one week old if at all possible!!!

Answer 3

You absolutely cannot wean puppies at one week of age and this is definately not 'normal' behaviour. If you are really afraid the mother is going to hurt the puppies then you need to keep her separate from them when she is not feeding them. Then every 2 hours, day and night, you need to put her in with the puppies for them to nurse.

After they nurse, take the mom away again. You'll have to do this until they are 3 or 4 weeks old.

Answer 4

I am not a vet but it does sound as if she is having pain and is reacting to that pain. You need to find out what is causing the pain. Has the vet seen her since the problem started? She may have an infection in the uterus or something. I would have her checked.

To Blue Grass, you didn't read the question very well. She has week old pups, not 6 week old pups.

Answer 5

Hon, instead of asking people on here, some of whom may not be capable of tying their shoes, ask an actual vet. They can tell you far better than anyone on here, including me. I couldn't tell you what's up with the mother dog because I've never allowed even one of my pets to reproduce - there are too many unwanted animals in the world. And when the puppies are weaned, for god's sake get the mother spayed.

Call the real vet, and good luck.

Answer 6

I may be wrong, but I believe that early stages of eclampsia can sometimes result in behavior changes. Eclampsia is a life-threatening calcium deficiency.

As with most things, I say better safe than sorry. Take her to the vet to have her checked.

Answer 7

Are you sure she's not protecting the pups? Some mothers get very possessive of their babies, especially when they think we're looking too much. They will sometimes pick them up around the neck too and whilst it looks harsh to us, it's really not, she may be trying to move them around and discipline them.

If you think there may be cause for concern then take her off to the vet for your own peace of mind.

Answer 8

Honestly, an untrained dog can be a real pain - a risk to himself, his owner and to other people and animals. Owning an undisciplined dog may result to:
- Destruction to your home
- Social isolation
- Accidents
- Injuries
- Legal claims against you
- Stress to all concerned
- The dog being unwanted

Canines that always get their own way will believe that life revolves around them and for that reason they must be important. Since dogs are looking for controlling different resources than humans, their bid for power usually goes undetected until it’s too late. Obedience and house training your dog and ensuring he’s not raised to a top position inside the home will keep your relationship with him well-balanced in your favor, as it must be for satisfaction all round.

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Answer 9

They are ready to wean. They could be scratching her **** with their nails or teeth.