[dodgeduke]

hi all hopefully you can inform me on a problem im having one of my german sheppards bitches has had puppies (which was planned) she takes them out of the kennel i built for her (only three but that varies) she had a unplanned litter last year but a friends dog (bitch more dominate than my dog) i was looking after got in her pen and killed the lot of them my wife and i was in total shock..she had the current puppies in this kennel, they are all putting on weight

 

[skelaki]

I don't understand. What exactly is your question?

 

[dodgeduke]

What my husband is trying to say.

is she has 10 puppies and about every hour or so she takes 3 puppies out and leaves them out. but each time it is 3 different pups. so its not like she is trying to cull them. they are all putting on weight and are good sizes.

we have a camera watching her and if we cant count 10 puppies we go down and put them back inside the box. the only thing we worry about if she leaves them out too long will they die.

is this a normal thing?

her first litter were unfortunately murdered by another dog. so we believe that her behaviour is due to the last litter. (please dont judge us regarding the first litter. as both dogs were in completly different yards well away from each other. we couldnt believe it could happen)

 

[cshellenberger]

The mom and pups should be IN the house, in a room to themselves so mom isn't stressing so badly. You should be weighing the pups on a daily basis, and with 10 pups there are probably supplemental feedings needed as well, mom MAY not be producing enough milk.

Another advantage to raising the pups in home is the extra socialization to people and common houshold smells and noises they need to get along in a human world.

 

[cjac&mac]

Instinctually this behavior sounds normal. A mother wolf will often leave the puppies a distance away from her so that they learn to figure things out on there own like coming to her when she calls as oppose to her going to them when they call.

Dogs do many things we don't understand, the fact that they are all gaining weight, she rotates through the pups being let out, and she is still attentive, I don't think it sounds abnormal.

Remember, dogs live in the moment, so as for her recalling the incident with the other dog, I wouldn't worry about it.

Every litter will be different from the last. All you can do, is look out for everyones health. Make sure the bitch is getting enough calcium and phosphorous, enough fat and enough protein. Make sure the pups are getting the same nutrition, and evenly distributed. As cshellenberger said, you may need to supplement or intervene health wise to ensure all 10 pups remain healthy.

 

[dodgeduke]

Thanks for your advise.

the bitch is getting the extra suppliments. in her feed. and i am mixing up premaid milk (puppy formula) in her feed to make it sloppy. she is on a varied diet. of bonnie biscuits and beef and kangaroo mince with mackrel fish all mixed in. she is getting this 3-4 times a day.

our vet advised us to bottle feed the pups she has left out and then put them back in with her. which we are doing.

we just dont want to find them all dead again... it was awuful.

we have a camera watching her at all times and someone is home at all times. about every hour we have to put puppies back in.