How to Handle a Mother Dog Refusing to Stay with Her Puppies
Relocate the whelping box., Place a DAP collar on the dam., Create a calm environment., Aid the dam in nursing., Talk to your vet.
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Relocate the whelping box.
If your dog has a close bond with you or suffers from separation anxiety, they may be leaving the whelping box to stay near you.
While generally the whelping box should be located in a quiet and calm part of the home, if you suspect that this is the problem, you might want to relocate the box to an area where you spend most of your time., Dog Appeasing Pheromone (DAP) is a natural chemical signal that a mother dog releases when lactating to help calm and soothe her puppies.
It has also been shown to reduce stress and anxiety in adult dogs.
If your mother dog is refusing to nurse her puppies, placing a DAP collar on her can help encourage her to accept her puppies.DAP also comes in spray bottles.
You can spray parts of the whelping box, but you should not spray the dam or the puppies directly with it.
You can buy DAP sprays, diffusers, and collars online or at some pet stores.
Your vet may also carry them. , If the area where the whelping box is located is noisy or busy, the dam might become stressed.
This may cause her to stop nursing or to ignore the puppies.
To help encourage a calm environment, make sure that the whelping box is in a quiet part of your home.
There should not be much traffic through this room.Try to keep the whelping box clean to create a comfortable environment for both the mother and the puppies.
If you have other pets, you should block their access to the whelping box.
The presence of other animals may stress the dam out.
You can start introducing your other pets to the puppies around five or six weeks. , Nursing releases hormones that helps bond the mother and the puppies.
If the mother initially appears disinterested in her puppies, you might be able to start the production of these hormones by introducing the puppies to her teat.
To do this, command the dam to lay down and gently ease her to her side so that the teats are exposed.
Hold her down gently.
Be sure to comfort her with kind words and petting.
Have another person introduce the puppies one by one to her teats to nurse.
After a few times, you may be able to convince the mother to nurse on her own.If the dog snarls, growls, or appears aggressive towards the puppies, remove them immediately from this situation.
If this does not work, you will have to feed the puppies by hand, using a bottle or syringe.
If the dog nurses her puppies but refuses to warm or stay by their side, you will have to keep them warm yourself. , Your vet may have specific instructions to help your dog based on her medical history, breed, and environment.
If stress or anxiety is the problem, your vet can prescribe medication that might help your dog accept her puppies.
You should tell the vet whether the mother dog is aggressive or indifferent to her puppies.
Try to determine when the mother abandoned her puppies.
For example, did she reject them at birth or did she stop paying attention to them after a week or two? -
Step 2: Place a DAP collar on the dam.
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Step 3: Create a calm environment.
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Step 4: Aid the dam in nursing.
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Step 5: Talk to your vet.
Detailed Guide
If your dog has a close bond with you or suffers from separation anxiety, they may be leaving the whelping box to stay near you.
While generally the whelping box should be located in a quiet and calm part of the home, if you suspect that this is the problem, you might want to relocate the box to an area where you spend most of your time., Dog Appeasing Pheromone (DAP) is a natural chemical signal that a mother dog releases when lactating to help calm and soothe her puppies.
It has also been shown to reduce stress and anxiety in adult dogs.
If your mother dog is refusing to nurse her puppies, placing a DAP collar on her can help encourage her to accept her puppies.DAP also comes in spray bottles.
You can spray parts of the whelping box, but you should not spray the dam or the puppies directly with it.
You can buy DAP sprays, diffusers, and collars online or at some pet stores.
Your vet may also carry them. , If the area where the whelping box is located is noisy or busy, the dam might become stressed.
This may cause her to stop nursing or to ignore the puppies.
To help encourage a calm environment, make sure that the whelping box is in a quiet part of your home.
There should not be much traffic through this room.Try to keep the whelping box clean to create a comfortable environment for both the mother and the puppies.
If you have other pets, you should block their access to the whelping box.
The presence of other animals may stress the dam out.
You can start introducing your other pets to the puppies around five or six weeks. , Nursing releases hormones that helps bond the mother and the puppies.
If the mother initially appears disinterested in her puppies, you might be able to start the production of these hormones by introducing the puppies to her teat.
To do this, command the dam to lay down and gently ease her to her side so that the teats are exposed.
Hold her down gently.
Be sure to comfort her with kind words and petting.
Have another person introduce the puppies one by one to her teats to nurse.
After a few times, you may be able to convince the mother to nurse on her own.If the dog snarls, growls, or appears aggressive towards the puppies, remove them immediately from this situation.
If this does not work, you will have to feed the puppies by hand, using a bottle or syringe.
If the dog nurses her puppies but refuses to warm or stay by their side, you will have to keep them warm yourself. , Your vet may have specific instructions to help your dog based on her medical history, breed, and environment.
If stress or anxiety is the problem, your vet can prescribe medication that might help your dog accept her puppies.
You should tell the vet whether the mother dog is aggressive or indifferent to her puppies.
Try to determine when the mother abandoned her puppies.
For example, did she reject them at birth or did she stop paying attention to them after a week or two?
About the Author
Laura Ferguson
Writer and educator with a focus on practical practical skills knowledge.
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