Daisys pups are 6 weeks old today and are on 5 meals a day, Daisy still insisits on sleeping in the pen with them at night and will scratch at it like mad if shut her out.

I have even tried taking her upstairs with us at night but she still comes downstairs in the early hours and tries to get to them.

I end up giving in and letting her in with them, in a couple of weeks they will be going to their new homes and i know that i have to stop this but i feel so mean,what is the best way to go about it.

Any advice will be appreciated,

I never stop Mum from being with the pups to the day they leave, or in the case of one I keep, never.  Let her do what she wants.

I never separate my bitches from their pups - it only causes stress. Why do you feel you need to keep them apart? They still need her for top-up 'comfort' feeds, and learning manners.

I never separated Phoebe from pups; even now (we kept one) she sleeps with her - she gets upset when they are separated, and she's helping to get the pup out of biting! :-)

Agree with the others Daisys, who told you they needed to be kept seperate? It is totally the wrong advice you have been given.  Some mums like to spend time away from their pups and should not be shut in with them as they need their freedom too, but a bitch will always pop back for top up milk feeds and to check on her pups at her own leisure right up to them leaving you. If Daisy wants to be with her pups you must not keep her from them, she should always have complete and full access to them at all times. :-)

i only seperate when mum has had enough and even then she sits by their pen or by the screen door and watches them. My girl had to stop feeding early so i had to keep them seperated. Now that she has no milk she is with them quite alot playing and licking them (which they hate they try to run away but mum always catches them ). I would only seperate when she doesnt want to be with them or she is trying to kick them away (if they are still topping up with a little milk).

Thanks for the replies, my bitches breeder advised me to seperate Daisy from the pups by about 6 weeks, not completely seperate her but she said that they should not be feeding from her by now.  One of the reasons she gave was that it would be too much of a shock the pups system when they leave to go to their new homes if they were used to feeding from mum right up til the day they went.
Boxing Phoebe, i thought you said in an earlier post that you seperated Phoebe from the pups on your vets advice and thats why you thought she was losing her hair?

Thanks again, Daisy will now have access to the pups as and when she likes.

Hi Daisy

Yes the Vet did advise on seperating them but that was when the pups were 7 weeks old, I didn't realise hair loss was common (I'd never experienced it before) so I basically followed my vets advise as he thought the pups were pulling it out while still trying to feed off her.  Phoebe still has bald patches but at least I now know it's nothing to do with the pups feeding from her.  Unless there are medical reasons I wouldn't separate the pups from mum.

Good luck and enjoy the last week or so - you'll miss them when they're gone

Jac & Phoebe
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