Do male dogs try to eat or kill new born puppies?

Question

I'm concerned that my hyper male Jack Russell will try to kill the new puppies that should be born next week. Is this a rational concern?

Answer 1

Hello, and congrats on the impending litter!

This is also one of those things that needs to be judged on a dog-by-dog basis. In other words, first assume that he *will* kill the puppies. Then, go from there. Male dogs *are* known to kill puppies, as others have said, and dogs are known for acting "not quite like themselves" when there is a litter around. Some of their behaviors may surprise you...

It is always the best practice to keep the males as far away from the puppies as possible, not only for their safety, but for the peace-of-mind of the female, too. It can really stress them out to have the male in sight when nursing. I've even seen them get angry and spin across a puppy to charge a male who's gotten too close... Puppy was fine, but it scared the heck out of me! She saw the male's ear around the corner, across the room, and that was all it took...

My two Boston Terrier males are very good with puppies (determined slowly and carefully with *each* new litter), but I do not give them a chance to get near them until mom is ready to allow it. This usually happens around three to four weeks old, but my males are very gentle. (If they weren't, I would not let them near them at all.) And then, they sniff them through my hands. That way, if they *did* choose to nip, they'd get my hand first. I never let them be around the puppies, even at 8 weeks old, without very strict supervision.

Like others have mentioned, if your male hasn't seen puppies before, he may not immediately realize the difference between them and a small rodent. On top of that are all of the reasons Mother Nature gives them for doing such things... Best to err on the side of caution.

Best of luck to you!

Answer 2

Jack Russell Newborn Puppies

Answer 3

Yes it is possible. A female will kill and sometimes eat a puppy if it is ill or malformed, or stillborn. This is just instinct to protect the health of the rest of the litter. An immature female may also kill her puppies out of inexperience or anxiety. A male dog should cannot always be trusted around newborn or young puppies.

Answer 4

I'm a breeder of show dogs and I have an adult male that is high energy but is wonderful with puppies, and the breed I am involved in is bred to flush small animals. My male has killed a few rabbits and birds, but would never has never harmed another dog, cat or human being. As the puppies got older, he just loved to play with them. However, for the first 3 to 4 weeks, I put the mother and puppies in a quiet place and kept my male away for the first three to four weeks so she could be undisturbed (you can check periodically on them) and she didn't feel that she had to defend her babies against intruders. We also minimized the possibility of our male harming the puppies when they looked the less like dogs and more like rodents. Handle the babies a lot (so that they get used to human contact early on).

Answer 5

It depends on the male in question. As a general rule, it is best to keep ALL other dogs away from the mother and babies for the first few weeks. It is not uncommon for a male to harm the babies, either intentionally or unintentionally. And it is also not uncommon for the mother to be so upset at the presence of another dog that she hurts the babies herself.

I personally have had to deal with this. I once had a week-old puppy get out of the nest. My older male found it and thought it was some sort of squeaky toy. The puppy was killed.

On the other hand, another of my males adored puppies and was very gentle with them. I trusted him with newborns, but the mother would get upset and chase him away so I kept him away until they were older.

However, better safe than sorry. Keep your male away from the newborn pups. Especially since JRTs tend to have a high prey drive and squeaky new puppies look and sound like small prey.

Answer 6

Yes, actually it is. Many male dogs don't recognize newborn puppies (or even young, mobile puppies) as dogs, and certainly not as their own offspring.

Because he's a terrier (and therefore bred to hunt and kill small animals), I'd be concerned that he might see the puppies as small, wiggly, squeaky prey animals. He may well decide that they need to be killed.

I'd keep him away from them, at least until they're weaned -- their mother will appreciate it, too.

Answer 7

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Answer 8

I know that male cats instinctively kill the kittens so that the mother cat will want to breed again. I don't know if what you are concerned about stems from this or not. I have never heard of a male dog intentionally killing puppies - but you never know. I would keep them separate for a while. Besides that, I know our female german shepherd, when she had her puppies, wouldn't let the male near them. She would viciously attack him, and he really meant them no harm. Females get very protective of their young, so it will be best to have them separated.

Answer 9

Yes they do but depending on the breed of dog, they tend to kill the males and leave the females, I don't know I think it's a guy (dog) thing. I have never heard of the jack russell doing that but just for safety sake keep him away from the female and pups

Answer 10

Will my male chewwa Jack. Kill the baby puppies