My girl had 8 puppies twenty seven days ago . She was great with them til about day twenty . She doesn't want to be with them or feed them . She whines to go out side once she is out there she wont go back to her puppies all day . So i've put them on solids and they are thriving on it . She'll stand and let them suck for about a min and walk away . Her teats are very full . She isn't nasty to them , she goes over gives them a lick now and then but that is it . Im worried that she wont teach them all the puppy behaviour and manners . Is this normal    

Have you cut the pups' nails regularly?

Yes I have they dont leave any marks or anything on her

Hi,i have a board up in my puppy pen so the bitch can jump over to get away from them whenever she chooses and they spend very little time in there at this age.Quick suckle,sniff round and then lie in bed outside puppy pen watching over them.If the pups are eating solids and drinking water they will be ok but for her comfort you may need to make sure they still have a feed to take the pressure off her teats or you risk masititis.Just as a guide i'd say my girls go in twice a day at 5 weeks but they are never shut away from pups they come off naturally.Good luck.

Thanks for that I have a bored up too so she can get away from them but she seems to spend her whole day on the other side . I am worried about her being so full of milk . Maybe she is feeding them while my back in turned

Have you checked that the puppies' nails are not getting too long/sharp?   We had to keep trimming the nails on our last litter as they were making mum so sore!

When they reached 4 weeks of age we put up a board too - so that she could jump out and in - when she was full of milk she would go in - after all, if they fed, she became more comfortable herself!

(Sorry - just realised that Westcoast asked the same question about nails!)

If any of the teats feel congested i hand milk them to relieve the pressure.This is also a good way of keeping a eye out for early mastitis as you can make sure the milk is not the wrong colour.You are also running your hands over her teats so can feel for any lumps or heat.I'm sure she'll be fine x

i wouldnt worry, if puppies are happy and feeding well and thriving and mum is content and can access her babies if she wants too then it all sounds quite normal too me, some mothers have had enough quicker than others. One of my girls is the same, she does the minimum needed by 3 weeks, though still plays and interacts with them, while my girl who had her litter recently would be with them all the time, she was a supermum!!!

All is well so dont worry :)