My litter is now five weeks old and all six are healthy fun, tumbling little puppies.  Tashi has been a great but not devoted mum - she has fed them well but from day three lay outside the box and only went in to clean and feed them.  As they are being weaned she has been more and more reluctant to feed but has done so when pups are squealing. However, as they are now eating well she seem so to have lost interest in them.  I am worried that this is now the phase where she should be teaching them 'manners' bite inhibition etc.  She does come and look at them if one has shouted because another has been too rough but that's about it.  Is there anything I should be doing to encourage interaction or will she be better when they are less interested in her milk bar?

Hetty wasn't all that interested in hers either by 5 or 6 weeks, I mostly found that it was their grandmother who moved in to play with them at that stage. I think the mums do like the puppies more once they stop trying to latch on all the time. :-)

that's my experience too, at this age pups get short shrift but once they are well onto being completely weaned Mum comes back to play with them much more from 6 - 8 weeks.

My experience too, if you watch wildlife programmes then wolves and wild dogs all leave their pups with a babysitter at around that time while they go off hunting, it must be a natural way to wean them and mums do get fed up with them grabbing the milkbar.

Definitely find that Mum will sit back and watch the other dogs play with pups especially if there is an adolescent in the pack.

My most recent litter had a year old cousin to play with, she was like the pied piper.

Mum was there to sort any rough stuff but didn't get involved until pups no longer pestering for milk and it had largely dried up.

By the time mine were fully weaned onto solids, by around 6 weeks, my mums wanted NOTHING to do with them - and I didn't encourage it either.   At no point did my dams discipline their puppies in any case.   Perhaps it's different in other breeds but any controlling re being too rough (which mostly didn't happen either) came from me, not their mums.    Depending on the breed (? - it may be more relevant in breeds other than mine) I don't think you need to be overly worried.   I'd be more concerned about my bitches and if they didn't want to be involved, nothing would have persuaded me to force the issue.

I found that I could use a baby vest that has the poppers underneath (small breed, I think I use a vest to fit a 2yrs+) to stop the pups getting latched on if mum didn't want them to, this then left her free to play with them without running away all the time, she then has more confidence about being around them.

Yes, I did that with mine too. Of course with my latest litter I have to have vests on both the mum and grandma haha!