If a female dog who has not had pups ever why does she act motherly to a male pup who is not hers?

Question

My feamle I have since March 2004 and I brought my new male pup home in 2005 once they got used to each other my female would let my male climb on her just like her own pup would and he even tried to get milk from her but I pulled him away because she was not a mom. But she would always let him climb on her and they would play.

Here are pictures of them 2 when my male was a pup.
http://i45.photobucket.com/albums/f59/r2d2tppd2/IM000184-1.jpg
http://i45.photobucket.com/albums/f59/r2d2tppd2/IM000145.jpg
http://i45.photobucket.com/albums/f59/r2d2tppd2/cuddletime-1.jpg

They still are the best of friends!

Answer 1

because she has mothers instinct and your dogs are ADORABLE

Answer 2

My female dog was the same way when I brought home her brother and I noticed exactly what you did. The only conclusion I came up with is a female has motherly instinct and will protect, with or without pups of her own, a pup. Her aptitude lets her know when a pup is just that and will not harm it and remember they are opposite, dogs or not!

Answer 3

It is the innate mothering instinct in her. I had a German Shepherd and when she was about 3 yrs old I had a teddy bear that played music when you pushed its paw, every time we did this she thought it was crying so she stole it and made a "nest" in the laundry room for it and wouldn't let any one touch it. Finally one day she dropped it in the toilet and it wouldn't stop playing so we had to steal it back and break it.

When she was about 13 we got a male puppy and he climbed all over her played with her, he would even lick the inside of her mouth and groom her. She loved it.

Unfortunately we had to have her put down about two years ago but we got another dog for the male to play with.

Answer 4

maternal instinct doesn't only belong to mothers (and some mothers don't have it at all). Our last stafford mothered everything from kittens to my babies! We fostered a mother cat and kittens and every time the mum went to the toilet Darcy would steal the kittens and take them to her bed. She would clean them and get upset when the mum would take them back again.

Answer 5

Its that wonderful thing called Motherly Instinct !! Only very good animals do that. Not all are like this, you are fortunate to have such a loving dog!

Answer 6

Animals will mother other baby animals, even animals outside their own species. My sister's dog used to nurse kittens and would herd the chickens at night to sleep with her.

Answer 7

We had a MALE Sheltie, that mothered baby rabbits, chicks and a pot belly pig. Some just have the instinct.

Answer 8

despite if those have been his puppies.... he desires to stay faraway from mom & puppies for a minimum of four weeks and, even after that evaluate time... they are in possibility of dying by making use of him each and every of ways until eventually the factor of re-homing them (8-10 weeks) much less probably for the female to kill them herself (over the strain of the male being round her) in the event that they're a minimum of four weeks previous

Answer 9

I'd have to agree i had a blue heeler male that took on a littler of kittens when their mother dies it was just so beautiful.

Answer 10

First of all, your dogs are absolutely ADORABLE!! =)

I had a rabbit once who took over for another mommy rabbit who didn't like her kittens. She even started lactating and everything. She wasn't the kittens' mom, but she cared for them and nursed them.

Answer 11

awwwww.....lol theres sooooo cute

well mabye the feamle is adopting the little pup scince she has none of her own and feels k-9 lonely