I have a wolf whom was bred over the winter.She has delivered 10 puppies, however, 1 was stillborn this was the next to last puppy and the first born she sufficated after 16hrs. I have 8 left.I am attempting to find some help as to why my bitch has the aggressive behavior towards the puppies.She will nurse them and lick them but if left alone with them she becomes overly aggressive with them.I fear she is attempting to kill the puppies,that's why I am up with her 24-7.I can not continue this so any advice will be greatly appreciated.

Desparate for Help

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Hi Guest
This can be a very worrying time for the new mum and sometmes they do get aggressive with their pups,mostly out of anxiety..they worry if they squeak,roll away, all sorts of things worry them.
Also sometimes the female will become alarmed because she still has contraction pains as everything goes back to normal, so this can be another reason.
Unforunately all you can do for the time being is watch her, do you not have someone that is clean that can come in watch them for a few hours that your female knows, so you can get some sleep.
Sorry can't be of more help it goes with the territory I'm afraid. :)
Tracey

Hi this must be awful for you I have never experianced the same but my friend had a bitch who ate all her puppies when they were 2 days old she had the bitch and pups in the kitchen and the vet reccomended that next time they were put some where much quiter she did that and the next time she was a better mum and reared 3 of 5 puppies.
If a bitch is stressed she may be acting strangley to her pups i would call the vet out to check her dont take her to him.
and keep her warm and very quite and as the previous poster said try and get someone else to help with watching her over the next couple of days but it must be some one she knows and trusts

Hi, did you give your bitch a drink with some calcium in it after she had welped, this helps to stop pre-eclampsia happening, this just might be what is wrong with your bitch, I would advise a trip to the vet, to get her checked over.

Unless she is actually attacking the puppies or nosing them out of bed I would try to leave her to it a bit more, as long as she appears well - eating and drinking normally, no shakes or leaving the pups alone or scratching in corners. Dont let anyone else in to see her, just you. Some bitches get very agitated if they think we are "interfering" too much, especially after we handle the puppies. They will lick and roll them about to get rid of the smell we leave on them and can get quite rough. Although we know that we mean well, some bitches' temperament changes so dramatically after whelping and some just want to be fed and taken out for toilet and then left alone to get on with their job, they usually settle down after a few days and they realise you are no threat. This can be quite surprising/upsetting for novice breeders when they have a good bond with their beloved dog - but surging hormones can do strange things to a mum's behaviour - human and canine!! Being a wolf she is much nearer to wild instincts than most of our dogs I would imagine and any bitch may kill their pups if they feel a threat - imagined or real.