# How long should puppies stay with their mother?



## Bridget01 (Jun 27, 2016)

I am fostering five puppies, presumed Puggle, for our shelter. They will be eight weeks old soon, but will stay with us until they can be neutered, perhaps until next week. We also have the mother. The pups are active and independent and brave. They occasionally still attempt to nurse, but the mom shakes them off. I do not know whether or not she continues to nurse them in private. They are all eating dry food. Wouldn't it be better for mom and pups for her to go to the shelter to have her spay and go up for adoption at this time? Is there any reason she needs to be with the puppies at this point? She isn't a problem or anything, but it just seems to me that the puppies might benefit by getting used to her not being around.


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## lhczth (Apr 5, 2000)

Though I would not spay a female who just had pups (much more complicated of a spay due to the enlarged uterus), I would be limiting her time with them and then removing her from the picture all together by 8 weeks.


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## wolfy dog (Aug 1, 2012)

10 weeks. The pups I had when adopted at 10 weeks have been much more dog savvy and stable as youngsters. They need to learn from their mother that NO means NO and more.


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## brookwoodgirl (May 5, 2016)

I agree w 10 weeks.

Usually a whelping box is high enough for mom to get in and out as she needs to and not pups


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## MineAreWorkingline (May 2, 2015)

Most of the dogs I have gotten were nine weeks or older. Due to them having to be nine weeks to ship, direct flights, and weather being other factors considered, sometimes I don't get the until 10 weeks of age. I have always found the 10 week old puppies were far more ready to start new lives vs the 8 week old pups who obviously were more needy for their mother and siblings.


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## Bridget01 (Jun 27, 2016)

OK, sounds like we are good to just keep the mother at our house too then. Thanks all.

According to shelter rules, the mother must be spayed before she can be put up for adoption. It's a different world.


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## selzer (May 7, 2005)

I have kept puppies with their mother up beyond 2 years. If the bitch is a good dam, it doesn't hurt the puppies at all to be with her. 

A pup when it goes to its new home gets a boost of confidence, kind of like being thrown into the deep end, sink or swim buddy. (Yeah, that's probably a terrible way to learn to swim), but those that do learn to swim, get a huge burst of confidence. As it is with puppies at 8 or 10 weeks, they learn to switch their allegiance from their dam and litter to their new owners. It is the only thing they know. The person that brings the food and talks and plays with them, was talking to this person and seems to think they are ok, so, this person is the link to everything I know. And soon they are bonded. 

And yes, it takes a little longer if the pup is in with the mom for 12 months. But for 12 weeks? No problem. 

I personally think it is easier on the dam if she can wean them when she is ready, and then for the puppies to go 1-2 at a time. Having 5 8 week old puppies one day, and none the second day, is just hard on the bitch.


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## lhczth (Apr 5, 2000)

Bridget01 said:


> According to shelter rules, the mother must be spayed before she can be put up for adoption. It's a different world.


Yes, unfortunately the welfare of the dog isn't the first priority, but understand their reasoning.


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## Magwart (Jul 8, 2012)

The sheltering answer is sometimes different than the breeding answer. Shelters sometimes remove pups before 8 weeks when the mom is near-feral, nasty with people, or shut-down/terrified. The explanation I was given is that the pups are learning exactly the wrong stuff from mom at that point, and they don't want her teaching the pups to be like her. They'll replicate her fear if she's terrified. If they're going to be around another F, they want them around a foster home's personal dog that is gentle and loving, so they have stability being modeled instead of the other stuff. If mom is friendly and stable, they'll leave them with her longer.


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## selzer (May 7, 2005)

Magwart said:


> The sheltering answer is sometimes different than the breeding answer. Shelters sometimes remove pups before 8 weeks when the mom is near-feral, nasty with people, or shut-down/terrified. The explanation I was given is that the pups are learning exactly the wrong stuff from mom at that point, and they don't want her teaching the pups to be like her. They'll replicate her fear if she's terrified. If they're going to be around another F, they want them around a foster home's personal dog that is gentle and loving, so they have stability being modeled instead of the other stuff. If mom is friendly and stable, they'll leave them with her longer.


This is very true. It depends on the bitch. On the other hand, they have had puppies raised with surrogates and found over-whelmingly that their temperament was that of their dam, not the surrogate. With the female, there is nurture and nature. Those behaviors that the pup learns from the dam can be negatively affected by more time with her. The character/temperament is what it is, unfortunately.


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