# Can we discuss bitches and pups?



## selzer (May 7, 2005)

My question is whether every bitch is different or if there is a best time to separate the bitch from the pups in order to have the female get her normal attitude back. 

Here is the story. 

Jenna is an affectionate, exhuberant bitch nearly five years old. She has had two litters. She has been wonderful with me around her puppies from the git go. But strangers is a different story. 

I try to keep as few people around as possible within the first three weeks to ensure that no one bring any thing in and cause my dogs to get sick, and to keep the stress off the bitch. 

Prior to three weeks, Jenna will bark and growl and hackle and act like she WILL eat you if you move too close to her brood. 

Between four and six weeks, she really does not like strangers to look at or touch her pups. She also does not like to be separated from them when people come over. 

Between six and eight weeks, she will bark at some people, and even hackle a little, but normally she gives up. I keep her on lead, and she will warm up to them. 

Between eight and ten weeks, she will walk up and sniff the stranger and then walk away aloof. But still does not like to be out of the room where the puppies are being viewed. 

At thirteen weeks, Jenna was her happy go lucky self, getting pets from strangers, licking faces when offered. She does not jump up on people (other than me). But if they are down at her level, she loves to give kisses. I actually took her back outside today because she was very overtly friendly. 

It is like:
0-3 weeks -- LEAVE!
3-6 weeks -- DON'T EVEN LOOK AT MY BABIES!
6-8 weeks -- Don't make any sudden moves, you are not welcome.
8-10 weeks -- Just go away, will you? 

13 weeks -- Oh, you have come for that rotten little pirannah in there, take two, PAleeze!!! You can have them ALL, or take ME, yeah, I will go home with you, I want outta this Zoo!!! I'll be your best buddy. I promise....

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And another question. I left her with them up to about ten weeks. When I am not home, I want her to be with them to dissuade any would be burglars. But, at ten weeks, I moved her to across Near Field. So for almost three weeks she has been pretty much away from them. 

A couple of days ago, I let her play with them, and she was awesome with them. Then I put her in the run next to the puppy pen. 

And today, I have Miss Social Butterfly flirting with total strangers. 

So, would this attitude come quicker if I moved the bitch out of there at six weeks, and just let them nurse at night? So that by eight weeks she was totally out of there altogether???

Is this very particular to each individual bitch or do most of them go from Guarding, to Very Protective, to Somewhat protective, to Aloof, to Where-have-you-been-all-my-life?


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## Doc (Jan 13, 2009)

Here's a thought
week 0-2 Bitch and pups (little human interaction; holding cuddling with bitch watching)
week 2-4 bitch moving in and out of box more frequently; pups "learning" about littermates; more human/pup interaction)
week 4-6 less bitch involvement, more human interaction; bitch is comfortable not being with pups; weaning and mom feeding pups
week 6-8 mom is separated from pups; no feeding from mom; lots of human interaction
week 8 pups move to their forever home - hopefully

Schedule can be adjusted if you plan to hold pups longer than 8 weeks. Also, it depends on the bitch! Sometimes good bitches are hard to find! roflmao


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## GSDBESTK9 (Mar 26, 2002)

I believe every bitch is different, ours don't act that way. Then again we don't allow anyone come near the pups till they are close to 8 weeks old and have had their first shot. By then the mom has been away from them for a while.


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## Chris Wild (Dec 14, 2001)

Doc said:


> Here's a thought
> week 0-2 Bitch and pups (little human interaction; holding cuddling with bitch watching)
> week 2-4 bitch moving in and out of box more frequently; pups "learning" about littermates; more human/pup interaction)
> week 4-6 less bitch involvement, more human interaction; bitch is comfortable not being with pups; weaning and mom feeding pups
> ...


This is pretty much the schedule we follow. We cuddle the pups several times a day the first 3 weeks or so, but strangers don't handle them until 3-4 weeks. And the bitch is separated from them around 6 weeks. They still have several play sessions with her each day, but she is no longer living with them past 6 weeks.

As far as the bitch's reaction to strangers, those first 3 weeks or so there generally aren't strangers interacting with her pups. If we do let someone come take a peek we put the bitch in a crate or outdoors for those few minutes but keep it very short since that will typically will cause a "let me back to my pups" fit.

The next few weeks up until they are fully weaned, how the bitch reacts is more determined by whether we are there or not. At least that's always been the case with our girls. If we're there to introduce them and supervise the interaction, our bitches have been fine with people seeing the pups. If someone were to go take a peek without one of us present, even if it's someone they do know, like my mom, that person will be told in no uncertain terms to leave. But if escorted by Tim or I the bitches are ok with it. They are much more aloof toward the visitors than they are normally when they don't have pups, more interested in keeping a watchful eye than socializing, but they aren't stressed over it or overly protective. 

Once the pups are weaned, the bitches are back to their normal selves pretty quickly. They'll go on alert if a pup squeals because it got stepped on or such, but other than that they aren't all that protective any longer.


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## lhczth (Apr 5, 2000)

I allow minimal contact during the first few weeks. Then allow more from select people until about 6 weeks. Usually between 5-7 weeks, if the weather is nice, I take the pups out to watch training and socialize with my club. They can go home after 8 weeks.

Nike would have nursed her puppies forever. I removed her at 7.5 weeks from both of her litters. Vala is far less tolerant. She has little desire to be with them after 5-6 weeks. I let the pups socialize with their grandmother, Nike, once their eyes are open. Once they are not with Vala any more than I let them socialize with their Aunt Alexis.


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## Liesje (Mar 4, 2007)

I am not a breeder but a friend is and often I go in to see puppies and help socialize. I have gone in much earlier than some people (one week), but she knows where I've been, and I change into sterile clothes when I go in. The bitches have never shown any signs of aggression to me or even suspicion or hesitation. Maybe they "know" me, but I have also gone in when the puppies were older (5-8 weeks) and being visited by their new owners and never saw any aggression or hesitation from the bitches with these "strangers" around. Usually they get put outside for visits so they aren't pacing around or constantly trying to clean the puppies. We finger feed baby food, more for socialization and stimulating senses than actual feeding, so if the bitch is removed for a while she can't be slicking up all the food and licking off the puppies while we are making a mess. One time I was sleeping over and one of the bitches went into labor. I was in the room with her for a few minutes, keeping watch while my friend was doing something else, and she was not aggressive to me at all (there were already puppies born) and seemed more focused on her labor and the new puppies than who was in the room.


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## selzer (May 7, 2005)

Thanks for all the replies. It is very interesting. Babs and Jenna are out of Arwen, and all of them to different extents seem to relax more and more as the weeks went by about strangers around their puppies. 

However, my new girl is not out of these lines, and I am getting her hopefully a month to six weeks prior to whelping, so, I am wondering what other bitches are like during this time. As soon as I get her, I will keep her close to me at home anyway so that we can bond. 

My girls are all excellent about letting me do whatever with the puppies from birth on. I am not sure whether that has to do with temperament or their confidence in me.


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