Our pups are 4 1/2 weeks old now and going great guns!

I picked up one of the pups last night, and noticed he had a small lump (looks a bit like a blister - puppy's skin is dark, lump is white)  on the sheath of his penis. He has another slightly larger lump on his belly about 3/4 of an inch away from the first (probably pea sized). Lump on belly seems loose (i.e. under the skin) but apart from that I've no clues.

Obviously I'm thinking it could be a localised infection from maybe another puppy biting - they seem to be VERY fascinated in each others' "bits" lol!!! and I will take the pup to the vet if it needs to, but have any of you seen something like this before?

Pups are getting VERY rough with each other and I'm having to intervene quite often as they go over the top - they are running laps and jumping/wrestling!

On the plus side, they've taken to my "potty tray" filled with little chips of cardboard (horse bedding) like ducks to water so although it's tiring, the mop is getting less action... and they're getting a couple of play sessions out in the garden which helps calm them down...

Should I be taking him to the vet or maybe just keep an eye on it?

Advice or experiences welcome.

Thanks
Tanya

Hi ,did you go to the vets ? or did it clear up? x
no advise about it tho ive never had this problem x

edit to say didnt realise this was posted today sorry xx

Tanya - when you say that pups are going over the top, isn't mum putting them in their place?  Mine usually put their jaws around pups throat and just hold them down when play gets too vigorous.  In fact I always think that the bitch plays a huge part in teaching bite inhibition.

However, it would definitely be a vet visit for me.

Good Luck!

Jean
Mum isn't spending so much time with the pups now. She goes in to feed them and then won't stay around unless they are outside where she will play. The only "telling off" she's doing at the moment is when she doesn't want to feed them. I'm not stepping in although I'm watching, because once she's established she can sort them out, she'll hopefully spend more time with them. I've heard about mum doing as you mentioned but haven't seen it yet.

With her first litter of 9 pups, she would only spend brief amounts of time with them at this age, and even at 8 weeks they would just ambush her whenever she appeared. Obviously she felt she could control the two who stayed an extra week and immediately told them what was what! It was great after she established she was done with feeding and they came and mixed with their mother and my adult male a lot of the time. I'm hoping she is feeling a little more on top of things this time around.

Is there anything I should be doing regarding this which I'm not?

The belly lump seems to have gone down, but the other seems more like a spot and isn't bothering pup. All are extremely well (touch wood) and they'll be going for their vet check in a week or so, so will keep my eye on it in the meantime.

> Is there anything I should be doing regarding this which I'm not?
>

Not having a large breed, I don't think I can make comparsions, as mine are still suckling well at this age.  At the age of your pups, the violent play wouldn't be anywhere near.  Mine don't really try to kill each other until after 8 weeks (they don't leave home until 12 weeks.)

By the time they leave home however, they are playing ragger with my Collies tails!  :-)

I hope someone like Barbara will be along, as she has quite different reactions with her breed than I would be used to.  It never ceases to amaze me how the breeds are totally different at rearing, and it's why CD is so great at being able to get breed specific advice.

I think with breeds that have bigger litters (4+) that the bitches really do try and spend as little time with pups as they can at 5 - 6 weeks, but then once milk is drying up seem to take a renewed interest and interact and discipline.

I would say if pups are getting OTT with each other they need more room to play to get rid of excess energy and stimulate them in other ways, with exploring, so outside with them.

Thanks Barbara  :-)

Thanks Barbara and Jean

Yes, they have been outside for two play sessions today. We have a nice play area set up right outside the door of the room they're in (about 30' x 15') with grass and patio. They do gallop up and down and generally have a lovely time. I remember asking for comments on winter v summer litters a while ago before we mated our girl, and the colder weather has certainly meant we don't leave them outside for extended periods of time. The puppy room (my dining room) is also adjoining our kitchen so when the gate is open, they have a large expanse of floor to run about to their heart's content.

We've had one of our puppy buyers visiting this afternoon, who spent almost 3 hours with us. She said at the end how lovely it was to spend such a nice amount of time with the whole litter, and was amazed at how happy and content they all were, with no crying or bad behaviour, so I took that as a good endorsement...

Ours are a large breed, who are extremely orally fixated as are a retrieving breed, so exploring everything with their mouths makes them very mouthy youngsters generally.

And yes, I do find it very interesting to hear about the different breeds and their different "ways"...lol!

Thanks again

If this is a coated breed I wouldn't worry about the cold. 

I have had five week old pups happily playing in the snow, and outdoors most of the day. 

Just make sure they are dry.