From day 29 to 49 puppies will venture away from the whelp box sleeping area. They will not go far, but they will begin to explore. At this time we expand their area to add a play and eating area in the daytime. This is the time to move them out to the kitchen and family room area, where life is happening in the home.
Once your dog has given birth to all her puppies, she is likely to be very hungry and tired. She will need to eat, rest with her pups, bond with them and feed them – make sure they are in a quiet, comfortable space where they won't be disturbed.
Put the whelping box in a room that is isolated from other dogs. Many breeders set it up in their own bedrooms for the first three weeks. A door and/or gate should be used to keep other dogs away. An ex-pen around the whelping box provides an extra layer of safety.
They should be trying to climb out of their nest or whelping box by three weeks. By four weeks, the puppies should be able to walk, run, and play.
Whelping box if pups are under 4 weeks of age.
An upside down ½ of a crate will work, a large box with a small walkway cut out, a baby pool or baby gating an area off so the puppies stay close to the mother.
Remove any food or water after about seven o'clock and just before it's time to go to bed, take the pup out to the toilet, and give it lots of praise when it's successful. On the first night, and for about three weeks, have the puppy sleep in a dog crate next to the bed.
By about three weeks of age, you can—and should! —begin gently handling the puppies1 for short periods for reasons other than basic health care. Once the puppies have their eyes open, you can try carefully picking them up, holding them for a bit, and placing them back in the box.
Once your pet has finished whelping, try gently moving her and her new family to your chosen place. If your pet insists on being near you with her puppies, allow her. A whelping or nesting box in a quiet corner of the living room is preferable to an anxious mother constantly leaving her puppies.
However, puppies grow, and as they grow they become more and more mobile! Keeping them “in” the whelping box becomes a challenge! Smaller breeds are usually more easily contained in their box even until 7 or 8 weeks of age, when they usually go home.
Make sure your box or crate is in a quiet space, that's warm and large enough for movement and lots of little puppies! Bedding & Lining - You'll want to line the box with clean absorbent bedding or makeshift whelping pads.
Position the box half-on half-off a heating pad (rather than placing the heating inside the box.) This way the puppy can crawl off the heat source should the pad grow too hot. Cover the floor with a towel, blanket or puppy pads.
An absorbent material for the whelping box, such as newspapers (but these may become sodden quickly and often stay wet and cold), puppy pads, incontinence pads or vetbeds. Clean towels or paper towels to help clean up during labour.
The best bedding materials for a whelping box are soft, warm, have good traction, and are easily cleaned and disinfected. They should be insect-free, moisture resistant, and not easily ingested by puppies.
After the birthing process, clean up the mother as much as possible without upsetting her using a warm water and washcloth. Do not use any soaps or disinfectants unless instructed to by your veterinarian. Remove any soiled newspaper or bedding from her whelping box.
Newborn puppies sleep about 22 hours a day, so they're really not going to be experiencing much. They also cannot walk. They will try crawling around just a bit however they won't move far from mother at all. When not sleeping, a newborn will be eating.
Is it okay to leave newborn puppies alone with their mom? Most responsible breeders do not leave newborn puppies alone with the dam. There are many reasons why it's best to supervise the dam and her litter at all times.
It is a mother dog's maternal instinct to want to protect their babies from potential threats, so they often move their puppies if they sense danger is near. They carry them in their mouths. This makes it easier for the mom to quickly scoop up multiple little pups at once and dash into hiding if necessary.
You can use towels, sheets, and blankets for bedding your puppies when they start moving here and there. Make sure that the bedding material should possess body-heat retention level. The bedding should be such that it can absorb body fluids and urine properly. It is essential to keep the bedding dry.
Small animal playpens work great as a whelping box for new puppies. Each panel is solid Double thick and is a tight fit for creating a safe and sturdy box.
Refrain giving the dog a bath for a few days.
The puppies will use their sense of smell to connect to the mother dog during this time. This means you should avoid giving your dog a bath for the first few days. Instead, wait two to five days after the birth to give the mother dog a bath.
What makes mother dogs so… motherly? Once a dog gives birth to her puppies, two different hormones contribute to her motherly instincts. The first is oxytocin, sometimes called the “love hormone.” It's what drives a mother dog to nuzzle her puppies or wrap around them to keep them warm while nursing.
Puppies can start pooping on their own around 3 weeks after being born. Many puppies will still need some help at three weeks old. It depends on the pup.
Until the puppies have had at least two sets of puppy vaccinations, the answer is NO. There are several reasons why we do not let anyone around the puppies between birth and 6 - 8 weeks...and all those reasons are to protect the puppies.
Puppies should remain with their mother and littermates until about age eight to 12 weeks.
Sleep in the same room for the first few nights.
For the first few nights, your puppy will need time to adjust to being without their mum. Wherever you decide to settle them in your house, it's a good idea to spend the first few nights in the same room with them so they don't wake up in a panic because no-one is there.