Hi Guys,
Do you cut your pups nails ? ours are really really sharp and have cut Mum a little - should I trim with baby nail cutters ?
Also,some advice please on weaning - and how things should work - I intend on lengthening the time between night milk feeds from next week ( weeks 2-3) and to start introducing a little food,how do you reduce night feeds so that pups learn that night is not food time ? also,do the pups usually settle during the night when they are older ?
First litter - incase you couldnt tell !

Nails are cut on day 7, as they start making mum sore so soon.  Then they are cut weekly.

I would never dream of removing pups from mum at night.  And weeks 2-3?   

I feel quite strongly that we should not be interfering in the natural order of things.  And my bitches would be demented if I removed pups at night.  I won't stress my bitches out by telling them when I think they should be progressing.

They are given free access, and can spend as much time with their pups as they want.  I have never weaned.  My bitches are fed in the whelping box, and as the pups develop, they choose when to start licking at mums food.  For some, that has actually been before they can stand, but I don't ever restrict bitches from feeding pups.

I have had mum give a last comfort suckle on the day the pups leave home at 12 weeks.  Unless I had a desperately ill bitch, I wouldn't dream of being the one to decide when night feeds stop.

Are you saying that you actually keep bitch and pups apart at night?

Yes you should definitely trim the claws regularly -as soon as they need it. I don't understand what you mean by cutting out the night feeds -is the litter bottlefed? I wouldn't stop the bitch from feeding her pups at night until SHE has had enough and refuses to do it, which for some bitches can be around 5 weeks, others much later, depending on breed (toys suckle for much longer). At just 3 weeks of age the solid meals are mainly an extra, the main food is still mum's milk and is needed 24/7.

Ditto what Marianne says.  My medium size breed Mums will be main food supply until pups 4 1/2 - 5 weeks,a dn certainly Mum will still be feeding in the night to 5 weeks or more if she wants.

I start giving mine first tastes of weaning food (soaked complete with added puppy milk to make a porridge) on day 18, then two tastes the next day, three the next and from 3 weeks offer food 4 times a day, increasing with appetite until they leave.

Gradually over this time the food is served drier and the milk used as a top up drink.  I stop the milk when Mum stops feeding.

From 4 weeks I introduce other foods at one meal a day so that they are used to a variety making any changes new owners may make easier.

Ditto the others, not sure what size your puppies are but with my toy breed I use human nail clippers for the first few weeks, just pick a moment when the puppy is sleepy, snuggle it on my lap, and have those nails trimmed before it wakes up and realises what's going on. With weaning I do it slightly different from them as my bitch is so greedy there would never be anything left, so licking the remains of her food is not an option! I also find mine refuse all puppy porridge or soaked puppy food and want to go straight to tiny chunks of meat, so I offer a tiny bit of that once a day, then twice a day etc. When they are getting the hang of it I do prevent access by the bitch for a few hours (by this time she's sick of them anyway so she is more than happy not to go in to them) so that the puppies are hungry for their food. I also at this point put a bowl of water clipped onto the side of the puppy pen and offer goats milk too (first litter this was tricky as their Uncle Henry kept jumping in and stealing it!), and introduce different types of food too.

I too would leave the dam to decide when she has had enough of feeding them or she may get mastitis or engorged breast which will be painful for her rather than drying up slowly on their own.

Even when the dam is feeding less during the day they will choose to be with the pups at night to comfort them and reassure themselves that they are safe.

Just leave the dam and pups to decide when they will go through the stages of development, it can vary from litter to litter and dam to dam.

Those nails are like needles and should be trimmed regularly.

Hi My pups are 4 days old and already their nails are very sharp so today I will start with baby nail clippers and trim them as and when I can. As we have 9 puppies that is an awful lot of nails and I do it after a feed when they are asleep so probably won't get them all done today. IMO you should, as others have said, leave Mum free access day and night as nature knows best. As long as the mother can come and go as she pleases, she will along with her p[ups determine when the feeding should happen. mine are feeding round the clock as there is always at least 1 pup on a nipple. I will start to wean around 3 weeks as it is a strain on the bitch to totally feed nine 3 week old puppies and a little extra help is needed at that point. However, last time (litter of 9 also) she was still 'topping' up the puppies as they left for their homes. Good Luck, especially with the nail clipping, make sure you have a styptic? pencil ready before you start in case they bleed. Not sure what you mean about settle? I don't hear a peep from this litter, Mum is there constantly cleaning, washing, feeding, stimulating them to wee and poo and they have no need to make any noises etc contented sucking noises. If they are not settled then maybe Mum needs to be with them more? Hope this helps?
Valerie