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I don't know where to post this!
I have a litter of four, 4-week-old puppies. These puppies came as an unexpected surprise along with the shelter dog we adopted that no one knew was in early pregnancy at the time of adoption. (Yes, she will be spayed!)
She took good care of the puppies for a few weeks, but now shows no interest in them at all. They are in the weaning process, and she is pushing that schedule up fast.
I have read that momma dog will teach pups not to bite too hard, intervening when things get out of hand, etc., but she isn't doing anything except letting them nurse a minture or two while she eats the rest of their food (and anyway, how can she be teaching them things when you are keeping her separated for weaning?).
So my general question is how rough and growly is okay/normal for littermates? There appears to be up to three fathers to these pups from the looks of them, so possibly more than the usual range of temperament? One pup is so much more aggressive than the others. He doesn't seem to let up and now isn't always sleeping with the others. I know playful biting/growling/wrestling is normal, but not sure how much. Should I be intervening/separating them? I did push him away at one point when it was sounding more like a dog fight than a wrestling match.
I am keeping one of the other pups so am especially interested in any negative effects the aggressive pup could have on the others.
Also, do dams tend to reconnect with their pups after weaning if sharing a home? Any suggestions for facilitating this? (She's somewhat jealous of the pups at this point, but doesn't act out, just needy.)
Thanks for any suggestions or information.
I have a litter of four, 4-week-old puppies. These puppies came as an unexpected surprise along with the shelter dog we adopted that no one knew was in early pregnancy at the time of adoption. (Yes, she will be spayed!)
She took good care of the puppies for a few weeks, but now shows no interest in them at all. They are in the weaning process, and she is pushing that schedule up fast.
I have read that momma dog will teach pups not to bite too hard, intervening when things get out of hand, etc., but she isn't doing anything except letting them nurse a minture or two while she eats the rest of their food (and anyway, how can she be teaching them things when you are keeping her separated for weaning?).
So my general question is how rough and growly is okay/normal for littermates? There appears to be up to three fathers to these pups from the looks of them, so possibly more than the usual range of temperament? One pup is so much more aggressive than the others. He doesn't seem to let up and now isn't always sleeping with the others. I know playful biting/growling/wrestling is normal, but not sure how much. Should I be intervening/separating them? I did push him away at one point when it was sounding more like a dog fight than a wrestling match.
I am keeping one of the other pups so am especially interested in any negative effects the aggressive pup could have on the others.
Also, do dams tend to reconnect with their pups after weaning if sharing a home? Any suggestions for facilitating this? (She's somewhat jealous of the pups at this point, but doesn't act out, just needy.)
Thanks for any suggestions or information.