Hi,
We have recently had a lovely miniature dachshund litter of 3 the pups are now 4 weeks old today and I’m having trouble weaning them onto food as the mother dog tries to eat it so fast before the pups can even smell it. I have tried putting her in a different room but she screams at the gate the whole time. Also we have tried moving the pups into the living room but she starts panicking and growls at the other dogs and I’m convinced she will nip one of them if she could get to them (mum and pups were in the pen) any advice on this? She has been the most amazing mum and done everything great, she just seems so overprotective?

Can you separate her from the pups AND the other dogs? You might have to ignore her protests and concentrate on weaning the pups. TBH from your description she sounds a bit greedy rather than overprotective.

Yes I can separate them, how long should I keep them apart? And mum is a really fussy eater, she would not normally eat this kind of food I even made her a load of it thinking she liked it, but no she didn’t touch her own. Also should she still be licking them to pee and poop? Sorry for all the questions, any advice is greatly appreciated.

Mum will take any food she can, her brain will be screaming at her to make as much milk as possible, even though you know it's time to wean pups, she can't read the calendar.  As above, keep her in the same room but separate her, I have a pen with the whelping box inside that when I have a litter, and always shut mum out, otherwise she'd be in stealing food from the pups xx

I will go ahead and put them in the pen today then, I just didn’t want to do the wrong thing by stressing her out but obviously it’s crucial to get the pups weaned. Thank you xx

With our lot, and by the time weaning began, we had the extended whelping box in the kitchen where all the others were.  the 8 X 4 box had a door at the end and as the sides were 3 ft (as I recall) mum couldn't get back in.   We started by having a chair next to the box and sitting on it, lifting each puppy onto our lap to teach them to lap (oh the English language - lap, lap) the warmed goats milk.   And eat a very small round ball of lean mince, once a day.   Mum was watching but in no way objecting, or trying to get at their food which, once they could lap and eat up the porridge mix from a round puppy dish on the floor of the box, was how we progressed the litter.    She was let in to clean up after they'd all had their fill.   That way she saw what was going on and her milk supply gradually dried up as the puppies only needed 'comfort nursing' with her standing up, and wanting out fast when the needle sharp teeth started hurting her.

Mum had her food outside the box and with the rest of our lot, shut out.   I can't remember exactly how it all worked, but it did

Oh and by the time the pups were onto solids, my bitches weren't THAT interested in helping them to empty, which wasn't needed.   I didn't want her eating their pooh by that time, or licking at their urine.   Ewww.

I have found with smaller litters (4 or less), mums are quite happy to feed.pups, and start weaning them herself later.

With my own girls for several generations I would have the puppy pen in the kitchen with the other dogs at two weeks.

Then I had a bitch who would give the other dogs a hard time, and guarded pups, so I waited until 3 weeks from then on, and litters are not integrated with other digs until then.

As for weaning pups, Mum is shut out until pups have had their fill, then allowed back in to finish off, and at same time puos are topped up by Mum.

>As for weaning pups, Mum is shut out until pups have had their fill, then allowed back in to finish off, and at same time puos are topped up by Mum.

That's what I do too.