hey everyone. was hoping for a bit of advice regarding when to move the puppies. currentley they are upstairs  in our bedroom.
i thought this was were my girl would be most familiar and comfatable and i was right,
shes used to it in there, and this is where shes slept every night since she was a puppy she has a large cage which has been laminated (the flooring)
and all the sides have been done laminated, (one plank each side) so its very safe,
but i was hoping to raise them down stairs, living room, kitchen diner ect,
and was wondering when can i move them downstairs, there seven days old today, geeezee thats gone quick lol!!!
so i know its to early  there eyes havnt even opened yet,
but what do you guys do?
xxx

I would leave it at least another week, maybe 2, before thinking about it, unless she is distressed and wants your company. There is no real reason to move them yet. They (and mum) should be apart from the household until they are up on their feet and moving around freely.

my babies are 2 weeks old now and are also in my bedroom , i am not going to move them til they are at least 3 weeks. Over the last few days mum has been popping downstairs to see us for 10 mins then straight back to her pups.

this is not aimed at anyone but a question in general.
if you stay with your pups 24/7 how can you leave them upstairs do you stay in your room 24/7 aswell or do you just keep popping in every so often?

my bitch kept laying on her pups (large breed) every time she sat down and could not be left at all day or night.

i did move her in the day to be down stairs with me all other dogs kept out and upstairs again at night to be beside me.

I was thinking the same thing myself. Our pups were in a room downstairs with mum, we slept on a mattress next to the whelping box until they were 4 weeks old then left them overnight with a baby monitor to alert us if anything was happening.

Personally I couldn't conduct my normal daily routine if mum and pups were upstairs. I would have had to stay up there 24/7 which for me would have been highly impractical.

As the previous poster has said, larger breeds can easily kill young pups by lying on them - I saved at least 2 from being squashed.

Is it easier with smaller breeds?

I do them when they are two weeks old, or when their eyes open if Mum is getting tired of being excluded from the hub of things.

i have large breed and are in my living room ,we have 2 rooms so the kids are in other room at the moment ,ive had to run to the box as mum was lay on 1 and omg if i wasnt here she would of killed it, i have had medium breed in my bedroom before but i was there 24/7 with them hubby was working from home so that was great :) ,i did bring them down at 3weeks old ,eyes wide open and running around :)

well i can't really say if its diffrent with smaller breeds, but from my own observations of my girl ive noticed that shes very aware of the puppies and were they are,
i know some dogs are quite clumsy and dont relise that little soft thing under them is a puppy and thats when the accidents happen
but i watched my girl like a hawk for the first couple of days from birth and noticed if the pups so  much as sqeaked then she was up like a shot checking them and making sure they was ok
when the little boy passed away i found that she settled down alot and wasnt as bothered about me being there, and i have and still do pop up and check on her every twenty mins or so. and she seems as happy as pigs in muck lay on her side or huddled with the pups, but i would prefer her to be down here with me but its alot more calmer and quiet upstairs, but like others my girl for the last couple of days has been coming down stairs for 10-15mins. for some attension and a few treats then straight back upstairs, but ill defo leave it a few more weeks before moving them. maybe im just to impatient i really want to see them playing and barking a doing what puppies do, eeekkk excited lol xx

> Is it easier with smaller breeds?

I'm with benson on this one.  I have a small breed, and wouldn't be happy pottering around downstairs if mum and pups were upstairs.  If it isn't convenient to move mum and pups downstairs during the day, then you are better off sleeping downstairs yourself.

Depends on what your set up is, I realise that.  But I mostly have mum and pups in the living room, so I can sleep there.  The dogs that are normally allowed free run find that the door is now closed to them.  I find that the bitch will let me know when she's ready to go out and say hello to her mates. I don't let the others in to see her, so she gets to choose.  Must be honest, once pups are mobile, they eventually go to the door, to see what is the other side.  So they get to socialise when they are ready.

I like to be close to mum and litter for at least the first 4 weeks.

I've also often wondered why some people have their puppies upstairs.  Do you 'move' up there and isolate yourself from the rest of your home/family?

My girls come into the lounge straight from the whelping area and are allowed as many days without the others coming in as they want.  I sleep downstairs and spend most of the first two weeks with them almost constantly, when I go back upstairs to sleep varies with individual litters but always at least 2 weeks. 

Usually after a couple of days mum is happy for my other girls to have a quick peep and if she is happy, they are allowed back into the lounge in the evenings our normal routine.  I know I am very fortunate, all of my girls are happy to 'share' their family with other dogs popping in to help clean, especially when weaning starts.

This is why I am so lucky to live in a bungalow ;-) I can still get around and do things, but don't have to rush upstairs. My pups are in a spare bedroom at the other side of the house, but still close enough to be there for them if needed. I have a stereo, and several things that need doing (knitting, sewing, darning, ironing, etc) that I can do whilst the pups are young. I have a play run with 8 panels that the pups are kept behind and still have plenty room for me to watch. Quite a nice set up, actually, oh and the loo is close by too :-)

hmm well i would find it difficult to stay upstairs the whole time as i have a young son, who is as good as gold and he knows not to touch or go near them till the times right although he does ask my everyday "are they bigger yet mum"
would it be too inapropitate to move them downstairs in the day and upstairs at night, you see the thing is. i once slept downstairs with her all night and she did nothing but bark allnight. i dont know why. but i just get the feeling shes happier upstairs.
if i did this would it upset a routine she has or am i best leaving things as they are??

> I've also often wondered why some people have their puppies upstairs.  Do you 'move' up there and isolate yourself from the rest of your home/family?
>

When I had young children, yes practically for the first week I stayed up with Mum.

In a busy household it is more peaceful for the pups.

Once the kids became teens/grown ups started having the whelping box downstairs in living room, but this does mean the rest of the dogs are only a dog gate away,as the Living room leads into the kitchen which leads to the Back garden, which may upset some bitches, so would still start upstairs with a first timer.

I use a Tomy baby monitor when I have to leave the room in the early days, but with my breed the crushing danger is over by about a week.

When eyes open (relaxed bitches) or at two weeks the pups are moved into the kitchen where they can have  a bigger area made from large dog crate and puppy panels under a worktop across the width of the kitchen (normally has the dogs baskets, which then have to be moved align one wall, makes the kitchen crowded, but hey ho.

At about 4 - 4 1/2 weeks they get to spend time in a kennel and run by the back door in the day, gives a chance to alternate cleaning their quarters.  The indoor pen is used for quieter time, though some object loudly to this level of restraint once tasting the great outdoors.

The dog run door is open with a board across so adults can come and leave the pupa as they please, and those that don't want to be harassed by pups still have an area pups don't have access too.  The back door tends to be open most of the time so Mum often lies on back step overseeing the monkeys.

I suppose I am fortunate that my family have left home - but saying that grandchildren are here almost daily!!!  Especially when puppies are around - granddaughter here now giving one puppy her first smell of fresh air in her arms!

Everyone has to tailor the way in which they raise puppies to suit the family home and circumstances.  My lounge is very quiet, with only me here during the day and whelping box positioned right next to sofa where I sleep for at least 2 weeks.  Also so easy to sit and watch them with a cuppa during the day. 

When they get a little older and the weather is warmer, I have a covered patio area in which I have another box and they play out there for increasingly long periods.  I enclose this with substancial metal fencing panels which has a split gate which allows mum to get in and out - certainly until they can get out too!!