I am a first time breeder and my  bitch had 6 lovely puppies 1 week ago. So far so good and the forum has provided me with good information on what to expect however I have a couple of questions that I need help with.
The bitch appears very restless and does not spend alot of time with the puppies in the whelping box even though the puppies seem contented and sleep between her visits, is this normal. I do think that she may be hot in the room as I have kept it at a constant 79 degrees can I reduce the temperature in the room yet?

I cannot keep up with the bitches appetite despite feeding her every couple of hours can you suggest and foods to give her.

First port of call would be the vet. He can check her out for many things that we could only surmise on here. What food are you giving her? It might not have enough protein for her. I usually give mine puppy food whilst she is lactating. I can't remember the temperature needed (book of the bitch is not at hand either :-( ) but if she appears hot, and the pups are warm enough, then I would consider reducing the temperature a bit.

I am feeding her on science plan puppy food mixed with chicken or fish. Should bitches be staying with their puppies the majority of the time when they are such a young age?

I had my first litter at the end of last year. It was my bitches first litter too.

She stayed with the puppies pretty much full time for the first 3-4 days, other than a few very short walks round the block. (she requested these!) After that, she fed them well, including during the night, when she'd put her head on me to wake me as she needed me to move them so she could get into the whelping box without squashing them. I was suprised at how much time she spent away from them though. Sometimes next tot he whelping box and sometimes in the living room with the family. I was a bit worried at first she wasn't being a good Mum, but the pups were thriving and she turned out to be an excellent one.

My breeder also said that first time bitches aren't always that confident, and I do think my girl looked a bit to me for guidance in the early days, although she did all the cords herself etc at whelping.

It is worth getting the vet to check her over (i had my vet out to bitch and pups the day after they were born and it was very reassuring) but as long as the bitch and pusp are thriving, I woudl try not to worry too much.

Are you weighing the pups to check weight gain?

Obviously I am inexperienced compared to most people here, but I thought you might like to hear from another 'first timer'.

Thanks for the reply what you have said is very reassuring. Yes I have been weighing the puppies (though it is difficult to get an exact reading with them moving on the scales!) and they have all more or less doubled their weight in the week which is expected. I have not yet taken them to the vet as the first few days she was very protective and would not let me near her or the puppies so I was reluctant to upset her even further by separating them. I have spoken to the vets several times who said that unless I had any major concerns I could leave it for a few more days. Can I ask did you take her for a walk straight away as I have received mixed advice on this?

I left food down all the time when my bitch was feeding ( a puppy complete without anything added) and then gave her treats every now and then. Any chance of leaving food down all the time?

Are you making sure she has plenty to drink?

I have left food downshe prefers the puppy food mixed with something else. Water is avaiable all the time though I do have to lace it with a drop of milk sometimes to encourage her to drink it. She does seem a bit more settled this morning and the pups are very contented so I think its a matter of stop panicking and just keep a watchful eye! Advice on whether it would be ok to take her out for a walk would be appreciated as she is itching to gert out!

Thank you all for your help

Walking your bitch is really up to you, and to whether you can take her where there is little chance of infection. I'm lucky in that there are only 2 other dogs that are walked where I take mine so dog related infection really is a minimal risk. One bitch woudln't move for a couple of weeks, but my last mum was wanting out 2 days after she had whelped ;-) So I took her. She didn't do her normal walk, but even a 5-10 minute walk will do her mental health good. After all, all mum's need a break from the kids, don't they :-D If you take her out then I would wash her down (making sure that feet are especially clean) when you get home. A mild antiseptic/disinfectant dog wash should do, just to minimise the risk.

I would not panic too much, lots of bitches don't seem to need the full 24/7 contact with the pups.  As long as she is happy to feed them regularly and clean them up I think everything is OK.  I find that trying to force a bitch to stick in the whelping box can stress them if that is not their inclination.  I think you may find the room temp is a little high for her - I keep the pups warm with a heat lamp, and the ambient temp at about 70 to 72 in the rest of the room for the first 2 weeks.  Mildred, who is currently feeding alitter of 6, is eating 3 times per day, and is on about 4 times her normal food quantity.  I am ahppy to feed nursing bitches as much as they want (within reason - normally greedy bitches have to be watched for taking advantage of the situation).  Make sure the protein and calcium content is kept up - I give goats milk as well as adding chicken, fish, eggs etc to complete puppy feed.  IF she seems generally restless or upset, then a calcium injection could help.

My American Cockers tend to react maternally pretty much the same as Cockers, and my girls like to stay in a puppy pen which is around the whelping box, , popping into the box to feed and clean, but mostly staying just outside in the pen, resting and watching, although the odd one has insisted on staying in close contact with the pups all the time, having to be hauled outside to go the the loo!  However, my pugs are much less maternal, my last girl to have a litter lay on my bed close to the whelping box and watched, but did little else!  Mildred is currently happy to go in and feed (accompanied by me) on a 4 hourly timetable now, and is cleaning them beautifully, but spends no other time with them.  She is downstairs with the rest of the bunch, enjoying the extra grub on offer.

As long as she seems happy and settled, and the pups are obviously gaining weight beautifully, try and enjoy and don't stress too much - I can vaguely remember my first litter, way back in the dim and distant past, and it was exciting and terrifying!

bye
Gwen

Lindylou beat me to it.  The fresh air will do her good.  I would only take her on the street.  Don't take her to parks or anything like that.  Important is to wash her down especially her feet and her undercarriage when she comes back in.  I had to drag my bitch out on the first day but after that every time she saw the leads coming out for the others she went crazy to go out with them - always pulling me to get back to her babies after ten minutes though.  I wouldn't worry though that she doesn't want to stay in the whelping box with the pups all of the time though.  As long as she is feeding and cleaning and the pups are happy then everything should be ok.  Don't think that you need to bother with the vet though unless she seems unsettled and something seems to be wrong.   Vets don't really know a great deal about breeding of dogs.  I think you can leave them another few days before just going to the vet for a general checkup post whelping.

I know how you are feeling.  It is all really worrying to be honest.  I remember with my first litter, I was at the whelping box checking on them to make sure everything was ok more than their mum !!!

I've always taken my bitches out for a short walk whenever they've wanted to come. For the first few days they've needed to be forced into the garden to relieve themselves before dashing back to their babies, but after a few days the novelty of them has worn off and they appear at the front door when I put the leads on the other dogs! So they come for a stroll too. They seem very much happier and more relaxed aftrwards and none of the pups have ever suffered any ill-effects at all. So if she wants to go for a walk, I'd say take her!

I would expect a bitch to stay in the whelping box with her litter for the first three days, and have to put a lead on to get them to go and toilet.

After that I would expect the bitch to spend some time out of the box but lying close by as she might be hot.  I do not encourage my bitches to spend time away from their pups for the first two weeks, and ensure that they stay near them by keeping them company if needed as they are often torn between wanting to be with the pups and with family.

I bring the litter down to the kitchen once the eyes are open and this gives the bitch the chance to be with the rest of the family (canine and human) and still keep close watch on pups.

If pups are gaining weight and content then she is feeding them fine.

If the pups feet and mouths are very red then they may be too hot, but I would expect them to cry and be restless if overheated, which I have had several times, but my pups like it cooler than a lot of breeds.

our bitch was not madly attentive either, i think she realised she didn't have to be because we were there 24/7. cleaned them,fed them, cuddled them and wandered off for a while leaing one of the humans to babysit :S

to the op no matter what she was eating we couldn;t keep weight on her either (decent sized litter of big pups though)- she was eating two chickens a day, mixer, vegies, treats, fish, eggs...basically if she would eat (and believe me she did) we would feed her. put it all back on (and then some even with normal feeding) as soon as tehy were weaned.

My bitch had 4 puppies 9 March and she spent the first week in with the pups 24/7.  For the first few days I had to force her outside for a wee!  Then suddenly when they were about 5 days old she decided she wanted to go for walks again so I have let her dictate the pace.  I don't take her out for long - 20 mins max - and she is always keen to get back and check on the pups (after having a clean down!).

I have noticed over the last couple of days that she is appearing out and about in the house more - coming to sit in the living room with the family.  I think she is the best judge of what care her puppies need and they seem to be doing fine.  Usually mother nature seems to know best, we just need to be there to keep an eye and worry of course!

As regards food, I am feeding ad lib as she is looking a little bit ribby.  I have also found that she drinks more if I add a bit of glucose powder to her water (think she must have a sweet tooth!) - I have this left over from whelping and found it really helpful to keep her energy up at this time.

Is this not natural insitinct. A wild dog mum would actually only attend her puppies to clean and feed. They would stay away as not to draw attention to them in a hollow under a tree incase preditors came. They would never go too far away and listen for them.

If your puppies are gaining weight and growing then I am sure your dog mum knows what she is doing.....but I can undertstand why you would be worried.

As pups can't regulate their body temperature until about 3 weeks of age I think a wild canine Mum would pretty much hole up with her pups for the first weeks.

The same happens with Lion Mum who hide away with their cubs until they are old/mobile enough to be brought into the pride.

Wolf cubs & wild dog puppies are usually weaned on to meat by the age of 4 weeks, before the mother will leave them for any length of time they will have their eyes open & be mobile & then her place is taken by a lower ranked female(who have phantom pregnancies to supply milk if needed) The same goes for foxes & other similar species

Must admit I encourage my girls to concentrate on their puppies, even if it means sitting in the room with them reading a book so that they are not torn between their attachment to me and their proper bond with their babies.

Also why I encourage the interaction with the rest of the canine pack once pups eyes are open and the pups start to get on their feet.

I have noticed that the bitch will allow/encourage more and more interaction by the rest of the pack.  I feel this is of huge benefit to the pups.  I have noticed since I have had more than just Mum that pups are so much more confident and at the same time more polite around other dogs.  they learn that not all dogs will allow the same liberties as Mum, and how to read each individual, who will play, who will not deign to have anything to do with them etc.

> The same goes for foxes & other similar species

LOLOL Obviously the foxes don't have a pack, but their cubs are weaned much earlier than dogs, which is what I meant to put