my bitch has become very nervous around her 4 day old pups, she will not settle and lie down on her side to let them suckle properly.She seems to only let them suckle a couple at a time.When they are sleeping she has to lick them and then makes them whine and then she gets all worried when they start whimpering and tries to curl up around them, she begins to shake with nerves like she thinks she 's hurting them which she inevitably does because she wont sit still and ends up trading on them.
She has also taken to getting out of the whelping box to find her comfort blanket which she sucks like a baby, but i dont want to put it in the whelping box as it is a thin quilt and it could totally cover the puppies.All i have in the box is vet bed.
This is our first litter and its new to both her and me, i try to praise her when she gets nervy but to no avail.
Also she is panting quite a lot, there is no heating in the room, so it is not hot in there, the pups have a heat mat. It all seems quite fraught especailly at night because the house is all quiet and i can hear every whimper, pant or movements in general.
Any help gratefully recieved.

I have never bred a litter so someone with more knowledge will be along soon.
Personally I would give the vets a ring and ask them. There are medical things that could make her act like this more than nerves.
Lea :)

Not easy is it?  Get your Vet to check her and make sure it's not more than nerves.

PS Talk about the same wave length Lea - even the same words! :)

Panting is normal it can go on for weeks all bitches have varying degrees, so that is not a problem, the shaking, is a little worry for me personally never had a bitch do that, (others may have, but I have never seen it) it may be safe to just have her vet checked as it may mean she has an infection or other problems.

Are you leaving her be, and watching from a distance I never get in my bitches face or interfere with her or her pups you need to leave her to learn and look after her pups only stick your head in the whelping box, bed, crate if a pup is squeaking, (just incase she is sat on one and it needs rescuing) and to change bedding etc, otherwise leave her be to settle, your fussing may be upsetting her or leading her to think you will be caring for the pups. Keep within ear shot but give her space, (sorry, if you are not doing this, but many first timers do) Allow her to rest, some bitches are in total shock with their first litter it may perhaps be just that, and she will come around though it is day 4 now so she should be well into her routine by now,

Keep an eye on that shaking and if she looks unwell get the vet involved quickly.

P.S. Same wave length times 3 we must have all posted at the same time. :-D

If the shaking and anxiety have come on suddenly, I would suggest you give the vet a ring NOW.  It CAN be a sign of eclampsia - and surely better safe than sorry.  Have a talk to the vet - he may well want to see her.
Let us know
Good luck
Carina

panting nomal.
i found that using a heat pad with my fcr she was over heating.so i never used it again i use a heat pad that gos into the mircowave  then pop that into a hot water bottle cover the puppie will find they way to that and sleep on the cover,

and that the moment to weather hot to june weather temp.

my two litter i had in may i didnt have any heat the puppie used mum body

some time us breeders try to do the best but nature know best to,
so you may be overheating her as well.

Such signs can be a sign of Eclampsia a life thrteatending condition needign veterianry intervention at once.

Snap, Barbara - even posted at the same time. 

Having had a bitch to whelp for friends who had a C section and was so low in calcium it was unreal I know what the Vets warned me to look out for.  She was on double the normal dose of Calo Cal D for the duration.  I also had to force feed her as she would not eat for the six weeks after whelping and a fortnight before, unless I did so.

That must have been hard work and a worrying experience, Barbara.  I'm glad to say that I have no personal experience of eclampsia - just remember what I've read and been told to watch out for.  I've never used any calcium supplement - just fed my girls a good quality diet and given them some milk.  Mine have all loved milk and never had any problems with it.   

Hopefully the OP is in contact with the vet now and following his/her advice.  I do hope all is well.
 
(Edited for spelling :) )

Thankfully I have never had it with any of my own.

With this bitch she got a bad case of enteritis about half way through pregnancy and was in very poor condition as a result before whelping which was probably the reason for the problem.  She had an aversion to eating probably because of the tummy upset.

I would never have someone Else's bitch to whelp again, it was just too much responsibility, don't know what I would have done if she had died.

At least the litter were worth the effort with a champion and a RCC winner and two going onto be bred from themselves to start two new breeders off.

What a load of worry - but I'm pleased it all turned out well and the litter had such good results. :)  I don't know that I'd be brave enough to whelp a bitch for someone else, it's enough of a worry with your own - what a responsibility.

My bitch went to have puppies for her breeder as I was in UK.
She had eclampsia and also stopped eating.
She was a great mum to her pups but lot of work for the breeder to look after!! 
She ended up coming back home when the pups were 6 weeks old as her breeder said enough is enough and my bitches mum took over the socialising of her grandchildren.
She came home said hello to my other dog and downed a big bowl of food!
Weird thing is that she loved it at her breeders and was used to being over there through her whole life, obviously having pups was something so big she felt she should be at home and got worried at the breeders (coupled with hormonal issues I think)!

She has also been quite difficult through her seasons ever since, totally goes off her food etc so obviously has funny hormonal issues...
So never again would I had puppies out of her even when the pups turned out lovely!!

The bitch I whelped for friends only eve had the one litter too. 

Thanks every one for your quick advice.My vet suggested that i take her in for a health check on her and the puppies yesterday however she is so clingy with them that I declined., and the vet agreed so as not to stress her out.
If i pick up a pup to weigh it, which is only once a day and that is my only way of checking their progress, she immedietly gets up to see where its gone if only for a few seconds. She is upstairs in our spare room and I do not go up there only to keep an ear out, or to feed her.I leave them alone as much as possible.

It is normal for them to be watchful when you handle the pups to weigh etc.  I would still take her to the Vets to have her calcium levels checked as Eclampsia can kill, as it advances the nervous signs can progress to the stage where a bitch will kill her pups, so I wouldn't take any chances.

It would be wise to do as your Vet has suggested and get her checked being a maiden bitch and a first time breeder.

I don't leave any of my bitches unattended, especially a maiden bitch as they can easily sit on and break the neck of a puppy in their inexperience. :(.  But then I don't expect to lose any pups that are born alive as some breeders accept as normal and natural.

Has the shaking and anxiety come on quickly, or did you mention it to the vet yesterday?  I would still call the vet - could you get them to come out to you?  I never take mine to the vet if they have pups - the vet comes to me. 

I follow a completely different approach with regard to keeping my bitches company.  I stay with them when they have new babies.  If she is normally with you most of the time, she is probably very confused at the moment and may need your quiet presence to calm her down.  I have my phone in the room, a book, some ironing, the computer - anything to be quietly getting on with.  I do not leave them - they are used to being with me when I'm at home, not shut away. 

Hope all goes well.

Same here I quietly stay with them in the room 24/7 for at least 4 or 5 days, and then leave them only for very brief times until their eyes are open.

by reading or getting on with something you don't have the bitch thinking she is under a microscope.

Would the vet make a home visit? The shaking could be eclampsia which needs urgent attention.

I was going to say the same -my bitches would be very worried by being shut away from me, they want me THERE with them. No other dogs nearby and no visitors during those early days, but they are with me all the time.

To be honest as others have suggested I would be worrying about a calcium deficiency! Also, when having pups I slept in the room with my bitch for the first 3 weeks!! I would agree with other posters and get the Vet to call round asap! All the best, Dawn

>She is upstairs in our spare room and I do not go up there only to keep an ear out, or to feed her.I leave them alone as much as possible.

The only thing i'de like to advise,as i have no experience whatsoever with shaking/eclampsia etc.,is to NOT leave them alone as much as possible.
How would you know if something was wrong,like she was sitting on a pup,or mum keeled over etc etc etc ? I would bring the whole brood down stairs and try and settle them into a middle,quiet room somewhere where you can easily keep and eye on them.I would also be sleeping with them..

I have a small house and the room they are in is at the top of the stairs so i can hear them squeaking and go up immediately if there is any loud noises that i should need to investigate.
I cannot bring them down as i only have one room downstairs, i also have another dog ,a 10 month old weim and she would not tolerate him being anywhere near the puppies.My son and  I have taken it in turns to sleep in the room at night.
She seems to have calmed down a lot now, as i said in my first post she is a nervy dog and she just gets upset when the puppies squeak. She has her own duvet in the whelping box now, she usually sucks it as a comfort blanket and it seems to have calmed her down a lot.The pups are 5 days old now and gaining weight steadily.I have had advice from another source saying that her dogs get a bit uncomfortbale when their milk comes in and maybe that was a contributing factor.

Full milk does not come in until 2 weeks, is she always nervous Jane and is she a breed that is generally nervous? (I know you can't say the breed) I only ask as people generally want pups from not just good bloodlines and temperaments but from confident bitches, will she be ok with people coming to your home you will need her to appear friendly and confident she is an advocate for her pups.

Glad that the pups are all gaining weight nicely, and you are right to keep her away from your 10 month weima. I personally would not put a duvet anywhere near the pups, mum's dig and move bedding around it would be so easy for a 5 day old pup to become stuck underneath, sat on or suffocate, could you swap the duvet for a favourite soft toy, or an old nighty or clothing of yours instead to comfort her and could you perhaps move your life into the bedroom for a while, my pups are born in a large conservatory and I basically move in there, leaving my computer and taking in a laptop to work from so I can be close and hear everything for the first 2 weeks, though I don't interfere it is very important to be close and be able to see what is going on from a slight distance, your girl is very nervous and I feel she needs you near her she may be afraid of her new responsiblities and needs her mum close to hand.

I know we all have busy lives, but try to let her know you are there as much as possible.

Good luck. :-)

is she a breed that is generally nervous?

Is there a breed where nervousness is part of the breed standard Carrington?

:-D  No not in a general character analysis but if it were a breed like a Yorkie for instance? I've seen many a Yorkie shake more than my washing machine, I don't know if it is a character flaw or just nervous Yorkies or even bad breeding? As I am no expert on toy breeds. But I have seen other toy dogs doing the same, they do seem to get insecure very quickly.

A nervous Yorkie would be bad breeding.  They should be spirited with even disposition. :)  I can't think of any toy breed that would be accepted as nervous.

I've seen a few pet-bred Yorkies that are definitely nervous, but few breeds have a gene pool so limited that a nervous or 'worrier' bitch would be an acceptable breeding prospect.

That is good news and a good warning for those buying toy breeds to look for a pup from a spirited bitch.

I will never forget going to one of my mother's friends and she had a Yorkie pink ribbon on her head :-D loved to bits but even though the owner was holding her all the time in her arms the Yorkie was shaking from head to foot, I was desperate to leave as I felt like the poor thing was going to have a heart attack.

I've met a Chi the same and a Bichon who was so nervous she used to pee if you went to stroke her,

So I'm pleased it is mainly down to bad breeding to have a toy act this way, I have to say it put me off ever wanting one as sweet and lovely as they are as with everything it is worth researching a good breeder. ;-)

Bichon temperament should be friendly and outgoing, and Chi temperament should be gay, spirited and intelligent, neither snappy nor withdrawn.
I suspect that many pet owners/breeders think that their Chloe should have a litter and make them a few easy £s and don't even know what the Breed Standard is, let alone what health tests should be done. :(

Dobermann's,for example, should be 'Bold and alert. Shyness or viciousness very highly undesirable' and look how many nervous Dobe's there are around. :(

Offhand I can't think of a standard where shyness is acceptable. I know with my breed that standard says: "Outgoing and friendly, not shy or hesitant, free from nervousness and aggression."

Totally fearless, bold and outgoing my standard says, or words to that effect. I translate it as 'no sense of self preservation, will stand ground and wag tail at anything from Yorkie to charging Bullmastiff (no offence to particular breeds meant!) or articulated lorry'. :-D

She is not a breed that you would consider nervous, but she is a worrier.When we introduced our weim she had a go a couple of times and then came to me for reassurance that although she had told him off I wasnt angry at her.Of course i wasnt!!She is fine with visitors coming into my home normally, i cannot say what she will be like when they view the pups, but things will be done in a normal way so to reassure her.I was under the impession that by the time viewings begin she would hopefully not be so attatched to the pups.
As for the duvet, I was very dubious about putting it in the whelping box for the reasons that have been stated however it seems to have calmed her down considerably.She has stopped digging the vet bed since.I am checking them constantly but she seems to know exactly where they all are at any one time.I think between the both of us we have it covered now.I am a lot more relaxed now she is relaxed and probably vice versa.
And pre pregnancyshe spent most of her day upstairs in her bed asleep so she is not used to me being around her all day so i find it is better to let her keep to her normal routine, seems to work for us.
She comes to the bottom of the stairs and paws the stair gate to tell me she wants to go out and having done her business she trots happily back to her pups.