Hi all.

Pups are 7 weeks tomorrow. Mum still has 100% access to them. She's getting a bit fed up now though and tells them off when they try to feed. She does play with them etc though. She still feeds them maybe once in the day and I always put her in the pen with them over night.

When's the right time to leave the pups on their own at night. I can leave food down for them if mums not there, shes almost climbing the pen sides when I get up at 6 in the morning. I don't want to take her away to early and mess with their development if you know what I mean.

Thanks in advance x

I reckon they should be on their own at all times now, after all, in a week or so they're going to have a bit of a shock when they go to they're new homes, and they won't have Mum there then.....

Jo

Why can't she have free access to them at night as well, so that she can come and go from them as she pleases? That's the easiest and gentlest way all round, for mum, pups and you!

It's because if I make the pen so mum can get out then pups can get out to, and obviously I can't risk them roaming around at night when I'm not watching them. Through the day they can get in and out as they please because I'm watching them. I just shut them in if I can't watch them or I'm popping out.

The pen I have is a six sided one, I would like a better one that you can put half a door on. If we have another litter I will invest in one. As this is our first litter I didn't really know what to get.

Mine always have free access, but they can also escape when needed. My last litter was so different to any other, they actually lived in the house with the rest of the dogs from about 5 weeks old, only being 'locked' away in the puppy pen when I had to go out. They had free access to the garden too which made housetraining so much easier. They didn't chew or soil in the house as much as you would expect so I'll be doing it this way next time. Mind you, painted concrete floors and lino make for easy cleaning ;-) Mum supervised everything the did but she also had her own space which they didn't feel they needed to invade.

If there's absolutely no way of allowing mum to jump in and out whilst keeping the puppies in (they must be very good at jumping!), and there's no way you can have an area within the pen that she can get to (raised up high) but the pups can't, then they should be all right without her at night at this age. It's good that you're allowing her to be with them when she wants during the day because she still needs to teach them so many aspects of canine behaviour.

Thanks for your replies.

Ours live in the house as only a toy breed, they love the garden and when the weather is warm we have the doors open and they can go in and out as they please.

It's just the night time bit I haven't really known what to do about. X

Just thought, the pen is next to the sofa so she just hops off the arm of the sofa and gets in when she wants but can't get out. I have a little toddler step that I could put in next to the side that's next to the sofa, she could use that to hop out back onto the sofa arm.  ( she's only a toy breed and it's quite a low sofa)

Fab! I would never have thought of that!

Thanks xx

Obviously you can't say WHICH toybreed it is, but as many or most toybreeds shouldn't get sold until 12-14 weeks (I'd never let mine go before 14) I'd say 7 weeks was too early to remove mum. Toy litters are so very different to litters of bigger breeds that it's almost like a different species.

I agree. That's why I haven't totally removed mum away from them. They won't be going until 12 weeks at the earliest. All the pups are now spoken for and the new owners are well aware that they won't be ready until they and the new owners are 100% ready

Hope what you've done works.  My girl had an escape route at night out the pen, we were there anyway until about four weeks.  i then closed the pen off at night as my big old girl found them, took all that time lol, and i was worried she might come in and squash them in the night.  The first night i stayed down to see what my girl wanted to do in the night and what the pups needed, then lifted her in an out as she wanted.  A few times she wanted to come upstairs with us and I'd get up in the night to bring her down and leave her with them.

the odd night she's been in all night with them and doesn't seem to mind.  If she doesn't want to come up with me I usually put her in for the night as i don't think i'd hear her to go in.  A few nights she's stayed out all night.