Hello
At what point do people let there bitches back to normality regarding walking in woods etc?
Is it only when weaning fully complete?
Regards Joelol

Unles the bitch is getting stir crazy I don't take mine out for the first month, though with hubby away had to walk mine to vet for her stitches out this morning, she was quite anxious to get back home to her 12 day old babies though.

She is still feeding them at least hourly so a walk woudln't be very practical, and if she is content enough then I prefer not to take her..

With my first litter, my bitch wouldn't leave the pups until I started weaning them at about 3 weeks, but her daughter has had a litter 3 weeks ago, and she stayed home for about 3 days after whelping, then has been out walking every day since.  I make sure she has fed the pups first before we go out, then wipe her down underneath when we get home. 

I'd be worried about walking her milk off that has barely come in at that stage, and also weakening the maternal bond, her job it to concentrate on her pups at this stage, not to be back to normal routines.

Lots of exercise is one way of getting a bitch out of a phantom pregnancy.  We need to do everything to promote strong maternal instincts, and leaving pups in the early days is not the way to go IMO.

>her daughter has had a litter 3 weeks ago, and she stayed home for about 3 days after whelping, then has been out walking every day since. 

Mine have always been the same. I've found that the short break (fifteen minutes or so a couple of times a day) from their puppies, and the exercise, stimulates the milk supply and makes for a more relaxed, settled bitch,and therefore a more contented litter.

the pups are 5 1/2 weeks and she's not looking to want much to do with them..
I was more worried about her picking bugs up and bringing them to the litter?
Thanks for replies

i dont take mine out till about 5weeks and some of my girls still arnt botherd till pups have gone!

Well i can see she's desperate to be out hunting

cheers

you know your girl and if its making her depressed then take her for small walks ,make sure you keep to roads and on the lead to be safe!

My girl happily does 5 miles a day, but is very content to plod around the garden and play ball with me until her pups are approx 6 weeks old, (my first litter she didn't go back to walks until the pups were 8 weeks) if I were going out and she could see me walking across the fields no doubt she would whine to come with me, but because I'm plodding around gardening and keeping an eye on the pups as they have access to the outdoors from the moment they can walk she has never shown any stress at all, she is just as happy. I always wipe her teats down daily even when she is coming in from the garden.

My girl always has enjoyed playing with her pups and I always keep her occupied with lots of attention, I guess if she were to become bored then she would crave her walks again, summer litters we practically spend the whole day in the garden having fun and games.

I guess a lot depends on the bitch and the house and garden set up, if I did have a bitch who pined to go out and was stressed we would go out, but luckily my girl is happy to wait. :-)

My bitch on her last litter , and a bitch I bred from 8 years ago, wanted out within days of having their litters As I can walk them on a private pathway before going into fields/woodland, I took them out, but within 5 minutes we were on our way home again ;-)

So obviously depends on the bitch and maybe even breed.

To be honest a 5 minute walk wouldn't' be worth all the palaver of getting the leads and headcollars on only to walk to the end of the block and back.

Don't think her mates would be very happy ;)  Mind you Lexi is the most idle dog I have owned, unless off lead, and then she is like lightening.

Don't let them out until pups are gone in reality.  Even my mental hyperactive girl doesn't get upset with this, though do play hiding games etc. in the house and garden to get her mind occupied.