Hi

Our pups are 8 weeks now (all sold) Poppy has been an excellent mother the whole way through and has really looked after them well.  When we've had 'strangers' round she has sometimes guarded her pups as we'd expect any good mother too, with just a bit of show off barking but never anything agressive (although we've always held her and made sure she couldn't do anything).

She has always had the sweetest temprement never been scared of anyone a very happy and confident girl with everyone she meets she had started to guard her pups a lot less giving just 1 warning bark then going off to have a nap when people came over.  However now when strangers come round pups go missing in her eyes (2 have already been homed out of her 7) and she is becoming more ratty with visitors again, she included growling in her repetoire the other day (only for a few seconds as a look was all it took to stop her) but I'm worried people will get the wrong idea about her. 

She has been an outstanding mum and this is her first litter - we're keeping 2 pups (mum and me in seperate houses) so they won't all vanish on her but is this normal for her still to be protective at this stage and how do you deal with this?  She is lovely when she meets people outside the house or in the garden its just the room and the entrance to the room with her pups in she's not keen on.  I've always met and played with the mother of the pups when we've been to get our dogs but don't remember ever being growled at, although thinking back lots of times we met them nowheres near the pups.

Any advice would be much appreciated

Thanks
Susie

Bitches behaviour can vary, they can be as different as you and I,

If she is becoming stressed by visitors coming into the home, and in particular when going in the room and puppy area then maybe it is best to have her in a different room until the visitors are already in the puppy area sitting down and interacting with pups, then let her in and hopefully her behaviour will be different, often a dog will bark or growl on entrance but be fine once in.

Do the same when a pup is taken remove her again, so that if seeing her pups being taken away makes her bark or growl you don't have to put her through the stress or the new owners.

Dogs don't always act how we want them to, especially when the maternal instinct kicks in so best to just take her away now that you know she gets upset. :-)

I would introduce people visiting to her away from the pups so anyone who hasn't already met her can see what she is really like.  Keep her away while pups are being taken away as it obviously stresses her.

Not like my lot who by then are quite happy to see them disappear, and don't really like the 8 - 12 weeks stage.  Funnily enough after that they accept they must be staying so all make an effort to fit the pup in, even the old grumpy great great grandmother..

When my pups leave, I put mum in a different room, my son normally stays with her until pup and new owners have left, when she comes back in she knows (I'm sure) that the pup has gone, has a good sniff around then goes back to her bed or back to the pups and I swear it's to do a head count!

I also think they can count ..esp mums who enjoy having thier puppies with them... we usually dismantle stuff in the last week and try to get things back to normal so that when the last puppy leaving doesn't leave such a black hole.

I also book a cottage for a week , a day or two after the last  puppies have left to intergrate the other dogs, have a rest, let mum have some fun, then when we return home its back to the normal routine.We have taken 8 wk old puppies on holiday, mean carrying them around and obviously being careful but it real good  fun and good for socialisation.

I would introduce in another room to the whelp room so that mum can show herself off and then put her out and bring the puppy in explain to the new owners you dont wish to upset the mum with the puppy leaving.

Roni

With one of my girls I have to seperate her from the pups and new owners even at 8 weeks, she turns from a loving easy going lady to an overprotective monster !!

Same as a lot of the others.  I don't have mum around when pups are going.  When the new owners arrive, I allow them to see mum again, but she is nowhere around when the pups are brought out.  I find it upsets my girls, and I don't like them to see their pups in someones arms leaving.

I can't understand why no-one finds it unacceptable that a bitch is guarding her puppies. After the first few days, maybe a week, she should be proudly showing them off, not teaching the babies that it is okay to growl when people come near. I'd be mortified if one of mine did this. It brings to mind the Bernese bitch who could not be allowed in the room when people came to see her puppies or, when younger, people were told not to touch the bitch or puppies. The litter grew up with dangerous temperaments.

As I stated in my previous post the bitch I am refering to is usually a really easy going girl, it's the mix of hormones and protecting her puppies that alters her.  Once that mix settles down she returns to her happy normal self, if in any way I thought she had a dodgy temprement I would not have had a litter from her.  I don't see that there is anything unacceptable in nature taking its course.

100% agree with yoy norman 1 of my girls loved to show off her pups to any1 that came as long as she got a big fus 1st, 1 girl that was happy to let you in and see them as long as pup didnt come and say hello which they did and mum would stress and start rounding them up ,mist is the same she wants all the fuss and when pups go over for a play mist isnt happy she stresses and runs around rounding them up so now i let them meet mum 1st then pups only 1 of my girls just didnt care LOL ...all girls are so different and hormones play such a big part at this stage.
xxxx

Hi,
I don't feel Poppy is being overly aggressive and she loves showing her puppies off and will sit very proudly on the sofa whilst strangers play with them without even a hint of a growl.  But the problem is the barking when they come in, its as if she has to warn everyone on the way in and say "I hope you like them but they are MINE and I can be mean so enjoy yourself but I'll be watching".  She's happy to be played with and even plonked herself down on some visitors laps and will wonder in and out or go for a nap in the other room so isn't too worried when they are with the pups.  its before they get into the puppy room. 

She's never barked at anyone when they've been looking at them I'm worried this may have become a habit for her - strangers come to the door and I warn them then they see the puppies play with them and leave.  She's now a little worried about pups going out to peoples cars and doesn't like it (she just watches and cries).

As I said before we've only had 2 puppies go and she has never really guarded her pups as such to stop anyone looking or touching them its been more of a hello let me sniff and warn you then you can come in. 

I'm trying to break this cycle and was wondering if anyone has any ideas.  I'm not prepared to use an electric shock collar and I know the main advocate of this doesn't frequent this part of the forum but just wanted to make that clear. 

My idea at the moment is for her to play with 'strangers' in the garden first away from the pups and then when they come into the house together get them to give her a pigs ear so she can associate people coming round with good things.  She has no issues with them playing with the pups at all.  Should she see them leave or not? does anyone have an opinion on this - she watched one of hers go and looked very confused so for the second we took her out for a walk just before the visitors left with the pup.

As one girl is staying with us I really want to nip this behaviour in the bud I know she's hormonal and is one of those bitches who is very effected by hormones.  if she continues in doing this there is no way we'll breed a 2nd litter from her as although she's been a perfect mum I don't want her getting mardy with people.

Susie

I feel as though you are only answering G.rets post, did you read what the rest of us wrote? We've given you the easy solution, the pups are all leaving within the next few days.

The mere thought that you are feeling you need to correct this new behaviour and are not prepared to use e-collars (perish the thought) worries me, why do you feel this behaviour will continue, or is so destructive? 

When you are just left with your pup from the litter, you are not going to get a stream of people viewing, (strangers) I would be very surprised once your household is back to normal with the usual visitors that this behaviour would continue.

I really wouldn't be stressing about it.

Just as a footnote

Our dogs can also pick up on our heart rates, when people arrive if you are feeling a little stressed she will pick up on that too, if she senses you are a little apprehensive this may be causing her to bark at new people arriving too, and make her unsure, if you are not relaxed, she will not be relaxed, she trusts you in allowing strangers to go near her pups.

If she has a problem with strangers in the home always, pre-whelping I can understand your worries, but you have not indicated this.

Just pop her in a different room as we've suggested, my bitch is the soppiest dog on the planet but I don't let her watch her pups being taken away, they just dwindle down.

>I can't understand why no-one finds it unacceptable that a bitch is guarding her puppies. After the first few days, maybe a week, she should be proudly showing them off, not teaching the babies that it is okay to growl when people come near<

I never suggested my bitch growls..she never has shown any sign off aggression..but she gets agitated when her puppies are leaving, I removed her from the situation so as not to >cause< her any distress.

Sorry I skim read some of the posts then replied (was worried the boss would catch me not working!) so yes now I've read them all thank you so much for the advice I'm going to try this out!  

We have always been a household where there are lots of people passing through (4 kids, always taking in waifs and strays human & animal), very busy and lots of people through - with the puppies it has quietened down a lot. 

She hasn't had issues with the door before (well except for a week around the time of a split season when she had hormones running everywhere and barked at 2 people).

Poppy also doesn't growl infront of the pups so i don't have to worry about her teaching aggression.  I'm going to keep her distracted and i think your all right about not letting her see them leave its not fair on her to have that happen when she doesn't understand it.  She's happy to be played with by people away from the area where the pups are and once she has met them she is happy for them to play with her pups and sits there very proudly whilst they do this.  So as suggested i'm going to eliminate the whole hallway, door, puppy room entrance situation.

What I was worried about was a hormonal reaction turning into a habit, in horses its quite common for a horse who's back is out to buck but some then continue this afterward the problem has been sorted just because they have 'got used' to bucking into canter. 

Hopefully following the advice on here will help me avoid her getting stressed in the first place (and your right about the heart rate I don't want her to bark so am probably stressing her by wondering if she will).

I have some 'dummies' coming around tonight so fingers crossed it'll work.  I was really starting to panic that she was completely abnormal and somehow having pups and made her loose her mind but I'm sure she'll settle. 

Thanks :)

I was really starting to panic that she was completely abnormal and somehow having pups and made her loose her mind but I'm sure she'll settle.

When our bitches have a litter, we learn how they behave, some don't take to 'motherhood' well and have no interest in their pups, or just don't know what to do, some are great but only for a few weeks, some are brilliant right up until they leave and can never get enough of their pups, and some are overly maternal and possessive of their pups, it's a learning process and none of us know our bitch until that first litter. It's not a behaviour you can really change as it's a natural instinct, not something you can train.

A bitch can be much more relaxed the next time she has pups as she knows what is going on, I wouldn't dream of trying to go near most wild animals which have just had young, I would expect to be warned off, just because our dogs are domesticated and trust humans, doesn't mean that we can control the maternal instinct and behaviour that is instinctual in some should be forgiven.

If her behaviour does continue, that would be a different scenario and of course we can help you, but for now, (when will all the pups be gone?) Just keep things calm and relaxed and she'll calm down. :-)

Thanks,

I don't think it helps that she is still letting them snack occassionaly.  Her underneath is near enough returned to normal but she probably lets them get to her once a day for about 2 minutes still. 

One pup will be staying 2 going this week and another 2 staying one until March and the other a little longer.

I think she's just enjoying being a mummy and having little puppies to run around after and now rough up.

I'm sure everything will return to normal in time

Susie

My girls are proud to show off their pups to people but do whine and look anxious if they pick them up (prior to 6 weeks say) or she can't see them.

Mien like yours is not a wary breed with heightened guarding traits though.

Certainly seeing people taking them away might not be the best thing in case she tried to follow.

When we have had puppy parties to photograph and evaluate the pups at 6 weeks plus no-one including Mum gives a hoot, as they want the fuss too.

When the pups ears are being tattooed, then Mum and other adults get shut away though.

my advice for what its worth is ,if your girl is present like mine was,i used to carry a pup in my arms when seeing the new owners out hence 2 pups to the front door one coming back worked a treat as for when they were in the house there was a stair gate between my girl and vistors good luck