im afraid my dog will harm her new pup

scellig

My miniature Jack Russell bitch is just under a year old and gave birth to two pups last Friday. However one of the pups was stillborn and I removed it immediately thinking that she would be too busy with the other pup to notice.She is fretting alot and trying to dig in the couch and seems very frustrated. Up to now she is a very good mother to her pup but i am becoming afraid that she might harm it as she is trying to move him from his box to the couch grabbing him by the leg and is stressed alot.

what should i do?

Denerick

There's nothing more saddening to see that a puppys mother in distress, they make all sorts of strange noises and generally make a nuisance of themselves. I wouldn't worry about it, she'll give up soon enough, poor thing probably just thinks somethings up, she'll probably forget about it soon enough.

scellig

I'm afraid that she will move the pup when I am not around to some where unsafe like on the couch. To-day is Monday, she has been fretting since Friday.

spiderdog

if shes under a year old, shes barely more then a pup herself!!

seanybiker

aww the poor dog. Thats horrible to hear. As someone already said, hopefully she will "forget" soon enough and come back to her normal happy self.



just out of curiosity are you going to keep the pup or rehome him/her.
My friend is looking for a miniature jack russel. Keep me informed on what you want to do. This friend of mine is very good with animals. The lunatic used to have a pet lamb lol.

Call me Socket

Scellig, why in the name of dog did you breed from a puppy????? She's far too young to be bred from. 3 years old is the minimum recommended age to breed from a bitch.

I'm afraid you've done the wrong thing by removing the dead pup. The mother is distressed because she knows a pup is missing and she's looking for it.

Did you do any research at all before deciding to breed from her??

The Sweeper

Solutions, folks, at this point, solutions.

I'm all about the cats, not the dogs - if it were a cat I'd enclose her in an area like one room, with the things she loves - bed, food, whatever else she needs - a protected area where she can feel safe. Have you a space like that in your house?

I can imagine she might be trying to move the pup because she doesn't feel safe where she is with it - especially since she obviously knows something's happened to the first one.

Where do you have her and the pup at the moment? Could you possibly move her bed up onto the couch, especially if it's got a raised edge on it that will keep the pup from getting out (or move her bed near the couch - obviously not on the couch if there's a risk the pup will fall off it or she'll kick him off it accidentally)? In my experience animals like a 'den' - if she's in a bed in an open area, could you look at providing her with a large cardboard box on its side, so it's open only to the front, so she can nest in it, feeling protected?

I'd be worried if you don't calm her down soon she'll hurt the puppy unintentionally - her actions thus far seem to be those of a very concerned mother, not a neglectful one, so perhaps let her set the tone for a bit of where she wants to go and let her set up nest where she wants to?

spiderdog

these pups were born on friday and dead pup removed straight away...up to now the bitch has been a good mother!!!

id be worried the bitch may be ill,
did she pass both of the afterbirths?
was she checked over by the vet?
does she have signs of mastitis?
if all this is ok, id stay with her while the pup feeds then put the pup in a box with a covered hotwater bottle for its safety.....she should soon settle again ,as its very strange that she started as a good mother and now isnt, it would normally be the other way around?

Calhoun

Minesajackdaniels wrote: »

Solutions, folks, at this point, solutions.

I'm all about the cats, not the dogs - if it were a cat I'd enclose her in an area like one room, with the things she loves - bed, food, whatever else she needs - a protected area where she can feel safe. Have you a space like that in your house?

I can imagine she might be trying to move the pup because she doesn't feel safe where she is with it - especially since she obviously knows something's happened to the first one.

Where do you have her and the pup at the moment? Could you possibly move her bed up onto the couch, especially if it's got a raised edge on it that will keep the pup from getting out (or move her bed near the couch - obviously not on the couch if there's a risk the pup will fall off it or she'll kick him off it accidentally)? In my experience animals like a 'den' - if she's in a bed in an open area, could you look at providing her with a large cardboard box on its side, so it's open only to the front, so she can nest in it, feeling protected?

I'd be worried if you don't calm her down soon she'll hurt the puppy unintentionally - her actions thus far seem to be those of a very concerned mother, not a neglectful one, so perhaps let her set the tone for a bit of where she wants to go and let her set up nest where she wants to?

Very good post, i commend you for giving advice to the OP. Welfare of the Mother and her pup is prioritised over condeming the OP.

PinkTulips

she's trying to make a den by the sounds of it.

is the box in a high traffic area of the house? she might be more relaxed if you set her up somewhere nice and quiet with no disturbace.

did you know she was pregnant? if so you really should have read up on birthing in advance, it's not recommended to remove a stillborn baby from the mother, it's always best to let them investigate themselves and decide what to do, often they'll eat it like they do the placenta. maybe she feels unnerved because she knows one is missing and doesn't understand why?

although more likely if you say she was fine until now it's completely unrelated and she simply wants to move dens, in the wild animals move dens often and some retain this instinct even after generations of domestication, i dealt with a feral cat once who would move her kittens around the neighbourhood constantly, never more than a week or so in each den at a time.

Noopti

Take some of the advice being offered here, but above all consult with your vet. The mother should be checked, and also the vet should be able to offer advise on the mothers anxiety.

ODD-JOB

PinkTulips wrote: »

she's trying to make a den by the sounds of it.

is the box in a high traffic area of the house? she might be more relaxed if you set her up somewhere nice and quiet with no disturbace.

did you know she was pregnant? if so you really should have read up on birthing in advance, it's not recommended to remove a stillborn baby from the mother, it's always best to let them investigate themselves and decide what to do, often they'll eat it like they do the placenta. maybe she feels unnerved because she knows one is missing and doesn't understand why?

although more likely if you say she was fine until now it's completely unrelated and she simply wants to move dens, in the wild animals move dens often and some retain this instinct even after generations of domestication, i dealt with a feral cat once who would move her kittens around the neighbourhood constantly, never more than a week or so in each den at a time.

Spot on - just what i was thinking.
natural instinct is to dig a small hole/den big enough for just the pups , away from everything.
the poor dog is totally stressed out trying to keep its last pup alive , probably still searching for the other pup.
And as was already said , natural instinct is for a mother to eat a sillborn .
even in wild society , only the mother eats the body.

if u are'nt just trying to make a profit , then keep the couple together.
People are of the opinion that dogs are fine with their offspring been tken away. they are not ! and suffer the same trauma and saddness that we would , although they may not express it like humans.

good luck with ur new pup !!

cheers
o-j