why won't my dog let me hold her puppies?

Question

how long does it usually take before she lets me see the litter?

Answer 1

I'm with "Not a Black St. Bernard" on this one. I'm there helping with the whelping and weighing soon after they are born. I handle the pups daily from day one to help socialize. My female has never had a problem letting me do anything with her pups. Yes, other people she has a problem with, but not me, my husband, or our kids. I guess she just trust us.

Answer 2

ok clearly the people that say not to bond with the puppies have no idea what they are talking about!
For what ever reason she doesn't trust you to hold them.
My suggestion is to take her outside potty while she is outside ( if you have a fence ) cook her 1 scrambled egg let it cool then let her back in. Take her and the egg where the puppies are as she eats the egg you handle the puppies. She will more than likely be distracted by the egg and when she finishes eating let her join the puppies. At first immediately return them to her when she is done. After a few times of doing this she will understand that you are not taking them away from her. Speak softly and gently to her telling her what a wonderful mommy she is being. Don't punish her for being protective.
The bonus is that through the egg she will get the extra protein that she is going to need, you get to handle the pups, and a trust is established.
Handle the pups a lot. They need the stimulation as well if they don't get it they may not take well to socialization later. I tried this method with each of my pups and it has been proven. Do not however until a couple of weeks old open them up to just anyone to hold. Our methos was the first 2 weeks it was people living in the house could hold them, after that only people that the mother dog is very familiar with, at age 4 weeks we exposed then to lesser known people, and after vaccinations at 6 weeks we exposed them to everybody we could. Afterall you don't want mom having a cow and biting a potential puppy owner. Good luck and if you have any further ? don't hesitate to email me privately I will answer anything I can :)

Answer 3

If a dog has just had puppies she might want to be protective until they are a little older. This is quite rare but it does happen. It could also be that your dog could just being agressive; have you ever tryed to take a bone away from a dog that is eating??? If so you will know that they might "Snap" as in try to bite you. If you dog is like this, it may sound kinda silly but, your dogs puppies might be like a bone to your dog. So my advice would be just to leave it for a while and try every once and a while. If that does not work try giving your dog a bone and while she is eating hold one of your puppies. I hope this helps. :-)

Answer 4

Your dog shouldn't be having puppies if you don't know this.
Pregnant dogs and new puppies have special needs that only an experienced person should be dealing with. Has she even seen a vet?!?

" It is best to handle the puppies as little as possible during their first 3-4 weeks of life. After about 4 weeks, you can assist each pup's positive socialization toward people by cradling each puppy in your arms for about a minute twice a day. Do not handle them too much or permit rough handling by anyone, especially children."
Excerpted from this article: http://www.hilltopanimalhospital.com/whelping2.htm

You can also try reading a book or two on the subject...I recommend "The Art Of Raising A Puppy".

Answer 5

She is just protecting the litter. How long ago were the puppies born? You may want to take her and the litter for a checkup. Who is the one she trust most? Let the person take them to vet.

Answer 6

What do you mean, won't let you hold them. Is she being aggresive with you? That's not usual. Mother dogs are very nervous for about the first 3-4 days until the pups temperatures regulate. It is important for you to handle the pups, you have to clean out the whelping box a couple of times a day. Put them in a clean, towel lined box while you are cleaning. Gently stroke them when you return them. Pups who aren't handled gently on a consistant basis can turn out people shy.

Answer 7

first of all you didnt say just how old the pups are. I have been there when my females had pups and so therefor I have been able to hold them. Your female may be a bit afraid to let you hold the pups because you werent there when she had them. She should start letting you see them at about 2 weeks of age however I would go in with her and offer her food and water. While she is eating and drinking talk to her and let her know that you just want to see the babies that you arent going to hurt them. Then little by little you should be able to hold them. Not every dog is like my female pit bull Duchess... I would go in and pick up her pups while she was resting and she never once got testy with me. Maybe it was because I saved the lives of her 3 boy pups....

Answer 8

All of the dogs that I have dealt with let me hold them right away. Just give her some time, she is being protective, it is her natural instinct. Don't push it too much because she may get even more protective.

Answer 9

Well it depend when she gave birth. Well I had a dog named alexis and she had puppys but she wouldnt let me hold them so I distracted her and than got a friend to pick up a puppy than I got in her face w/ it and it was growling at me but it saw how gentle I was with it so she started letting me hold them.

Answer 10

Probably because she either has a poor temperament or is not properly socialized. For some reason she doesn't trust you.

NONE of my girls has ever objected to me holding their puppies.

You need to be able to handle the puppies, at the very least so you can clean the whelping box and change the bedding.

Answer 11

give it a few days some will make you wait till their eyes open usually 9 days. and some dogs dont care if you touch their pups depends on if its her first litter or not