6 weeks ago my bitch had 7 puppys wich some of you maybe aware of.just thought i should let you know mum and puppys are doing great puppys are getting little fattys and very funny to as they have there own little characters now wich is great.

donna

ah so glad all is going well, i bet they are having so much fun learning to play, chasing each other! :) :)

omg yes they are i cant help it but i get down inthe pen and have to play too lol.they are georgeous too.its very tiering tho.ive even named everyone of them lol but the good thing is ive homed them all when they are ready to go wich is a relief.all the new owners are people i know wich you cant get betta than that,i get to see themall too.just drying up mums milk now wich is not nice to see her so depressed,she missing nursing her babys,x

> just drying up mums milk now wich is not nice to see her so depressed,she missing nursing her babys,x

I would never part a bitch from her pups, always have her able to get away from pups when she wants but free access to them at all times except when they are being fed.

The Milk will dry up naturally and most bitches will still give a comfort suck right until they go.

I have never found it delayed the return of their figures which is one reason some people get pups weaned asap.

they know what suits them best.

It is at this stage that Mum (and other pack members) can teach her pups so much about self discipline and canine manners, it would be a shame for them to miss out.

By no means an expert as I have only had one litter but I never separated mum from babies at all. She wanted to feed them, and even after the others had gone she still fed her daughter that we kept occasionally till she was about 3 months old.  If she wasn't in the mood she would tell the babies to go away.Her milk dried up with no problems.

>just drying up mums milk now wich is not nice to see her so depressed,she missing nursing her babys,x

I've never found a need to separate mum from her litter - they need her to teach them canine manners before they leave and have an enforced few weeks isolation from other dogs until their vaccines have taken effect. The bitches will gradually feed the pups less and less and dry up naturally, without the mental stress of an enforced parting.

i didnt know how to take you comment then i thought for a moment you was trying to say i  was doing everything wrongly but im thinking now maybe you could help me alot.im no pro but eagerly seeking advise,i was told my the vet in pet smart to start putting puppys on goats milk and rusk at 4weeks n 1 day old,i went to petsmart for some advise in the so very near future,the vet told me to start weaning,i didnt think this was right but who am i to know whats what? then the vet told me i had to kp me babygal away from pups whilst dying up her milk,wich ive been doing,2 days later i went bk to petsmart and said i know something is wrong wihtmy dog (the mother of pups),i know my dogs n yet i knew she wasnt right n thats what i told the vet.she looks sad depressed in pain shaking heart rate going like the clappers temp 39.9,vomiting caughing crying hot,anxious,couldnt settle n very much in pain,i told the vet i think she could poss have mastitis even only 2 days after weaning but i do no my dog,she wasnt well,she collapse 2 times at around 8.45am 2 days later and i even grabbed her legs as she came to see me up the stairs n she collapsed again that very instant i took her to the vets n got told i was being silly as she going to feel pain as her milk drying up and was asked if i every had kids coz that how painful it is for her as it is for a human.told the vet yes i got 3 kids n no exactly what it feel like n yeh it is painfull,so i know my dog is in pain,he wasnt nice to me at all,he was quite rude actually maybe its because iwas so stressed out n worried bout my dog i just wanted the best help for her,anyway the vet asked me all questions of how shes been so i told him and all the symptoms she had was defo mastitis or the beginging of it im not too sure about mastitis tho i didnt want to ask the vet 2 many quests as he made me feel little for worrying,am i being to over caring,coz i came bk from vets then looked up mastitis on the net n yeh omg everything i explained to the vet my dog was experincing,my dog is now on antibiotics and medicine to dry up her mild too.do i panick to muck?i havent parted mum from pups its only til milk dries,im not worried about her weight either as thats just doing fine at mo,my other 2 dogs are around pups all the time but mum kps telling them off to be expected as she just protecting them,i bought a big pen with mesche on the sides n put in front room so the puppys can get used to surroundings and other people n me other 2 dogs.been in pen 4 2 days now n me other dogs dont pay no attention to them now wich is good yipee,im sorry if im going on but i need alot of help and advise coz i really do think the vet has guided me wrong.x

Blooming heck that vet hasn't a clue about rearing puppies!!!!

Have you not got a an experienced mentor in your breed overseeing your first breeding?

Remember Vets are only experts (and that after experience and practice) at diagnosing and treating illness, and unless they are breeders themselves they know no more than what any other lay person does.

Mastitits is a distinct possibility if the bitch is still in full lactation, that is why nature has designed weaning to be a gradual process, some bitches wean quickly some more gradually.

By feeding the pups at least four times a day, on an appropriate diet (not rusk, though goats milk is OK until they are weaned by Mum), then the demands for Mums milk will diminish and with it and her being less keen to supply it, the supply will also diminish gradually.

My advise and I am sure that of most of the experienced breeders here is to let that poor girl back with her babies asap..

omg now im completly peed off,n feeling guilty its a vet that actually works for the rspca believe it or not,i knew that somethingwasnt right last week i kept telling the vet that,the puppys will be6 weeks next monday n are already on pedigree chum puppy food n just introduced puppy bakers wich i mix together and watered down goats milk from yesterday am i doing wrong PLEASE PLEASE HELP I SURE DONT N NEVER WOULD BRING HARM to both mum n pups i really dont know what to do for the best now.many thanks

I agree that what you really need is a mentor in your breed.  Even though I bred my first litter back in the 70's, I still have a mentor for my newest breed.

I have never known anyone that hasn't an experienced breeder to answer questions, and show you the right way.  Did you take advice from someone experienced in your breed, prior to considering breeding?

by six weeks my bitches would be as far away from those pesky pups as poss!!! in fact making her spend the night with them seems like cruelty from the look I get from her!! I guess different breeds react differently!

i agree sam, but i allow my bitch to come and go in to the pups as she pleases, apart from of course when the pups are having their food! My bitch chooses when she wants to be near her babies and from 6 wks old, she will interact with them, playing, cleaning and rest with them, it is so lovely to see :) and my other dogs are also allowed to interact with them at around 6 wks supervised of course, the pups learn how to be dogs and i do love watching them playing hide and seek! :)

I would buy something better than Bakers complete to go with their food.  Apparently it has many additives etc in it.  I use Royal Canin and won't change for anything else.  Buy the best you can to give these pups the best start in life possible.  And, of course let mum back in with them as much as she feels like - she will know when to start attending less to them.

Good luck

Some popular brands with quality ingredients (more meat than some of the less good ones and no colors) are Arden Grange, James Wellbeloved, Royal Canin. 

I have also used Autarky puppy which is now produced by Dodsen and Horrell and is often to be found in horse feed merchants etc.

I'd steer clear of any of the supermarket brands, including Iam's, but you've already started and if you switch now, unless you do it VERY slowly, you will upset their tums at a time they need to be getting all they can from their food.
I use James Wellbeloved puppy, which is also hypoallergenic, well soaked and hand blended at first to a soup at the start of weaning and gradually over the weeks, soak it less and less, until their teeth and tums can cope with it dry when they go to a new home. I also give them human grade (not frozen pet grade) chicken mince. Nature diet is also a good, but expensive addition as wet food and I didn't find anyone who wouldn't wolf that down! My pups developed and thrived really nicely on these. I have used Autarky puppy before on a growing pup and it seemed to be a good product and slightly cheaper, plus has the added benefits of the herbs included within the mix.
I'll continue to stick with JW for now though, as it has given me good results, plus they also do various sized bags, so dependant on breed size, you can give them a fresh bag in with their puppy pack when pup goes off to a new home.
Also when looking at a brand, the ingredients are normally listed by the most in content first, so you should look for the ingredients to start with meat or meat meal as the first listed ingredient.

thank you for everyones sound and very good advice.puupys are now 6 weeks old and are doing very well coming out the pen to play and mum plays with them and teaching them very well and my other 2 dogs play with them too and is so good to see and watch.its surprising when watching all pups and all my own dogs how the interact with one another its another world a dog world lovely tho and interesting big time.x