Bitch keeps bringing pup away and leaving her

pheasant tail

Hey all looking for advice on the above issue. My golden retriever Mia is 3, she has a pup just under 4 months old. Problem is, a few times in the last week she has brought the pup up the fields or away down the road and left her there. She was actually caught today running home after leaving the pup behind so it's definetly intentional. To see them together you wouldn't think for a minute that she's gotten sick off the pup, they get on so well and are forever playing. And Mia has always been an exceptionally obedient dog, she knows she has done wrong each time we caught her. The pup doesn't be annoying her too much or anything either. I think it could be jealously. Has anyone any experience off this as regards down the line, will she eventually stop doing it? Will certainly have to keep them separate for the time being but it's quite worrying and she has brought the pup a long distance away today! Thanks

Cherry Blossom

The issue seams to be the fact that you don't have adequate fencing to stop your dogs from wandering.

Knine

Sure why would she want a puppy hanging out of her once it is well weaned? My bitches are sick of looking at them by about 4 weeks old.

Surely the main issue is that your dogs are heading off wandering around fields without supervision? You need to be keeping a much closer eye on them as young puppies can get themselves into all sorts of trouble. It is not the bitches responsibility to mind the puppy. It is yours.

pheasant tail

Wasn't expecting that but fair enough with the responses, we live on a farm and it was never an issue. I'd be the first to call it out if someone's dog is causing trouble etc. To put it into context, she has never left the house without been brought out by us, this has only happened in the last week with the pup. If anyone has experienced similar and like to share? Will they bond better etc when she gets older?

m5ex9oqjawdg2i

pheasant tail wrote: »

Wasn't expecting that but fair enough with the responses, we live on a farm and it was never an issue. I'd be the first to call it out if someone's dog is causing trouble etc. To put it into context, she has never left the house without been brought out by us, this has only happened in the last week with the pup. If anyone has experienced similar and like to share? Will they bond better etc when she gets older?

This saying is really irritating. Just because it wasn't a problem, doesn't mean it will never be a problem. Someday it might be. Still, if the dog is wandering, how can you be sure that there hasn't been an issue before?

Our two dogs were attacked on separate occasions by our next door neighbors dogs. "They were never a problem before"... is not something you want to hear when you don't know if your family pet is going to survive.

Knine

I have a mother and daughter here and they are very bonded. However that came with maturity. Once the puppy was weaned Mammy did not want to know. In fact the puppy was ignored by the butches I have here and spent all her time with my male dog who is not her sire. Some mother/daughter combinations do not work out as fighting can occur when the pup matures. Keeping more then one bitch is always a risk.

The much bigger risk is allowing your dogs to wander. You have no idea what they are up to when you are not watching them.

tk123

She needs space and time away from the pup...so you need to take over and take the pup away if it'a annoying her. If she's avoiding/ignoring the pup she's politely telling her to go away.. she's throwing the pup out of the house now so it's past that stage and she's obviously fed up with her.. you don't want to put either in a situation where she feels like she needs to give a stronger message like snapping? A crate/puppy pen/baby gate where you can separate them and let her have some space then supervised time together where you can take the pup away if she's driving her mad My boy was 4 when the pup arrived and took over the house and it took a few weeks for them to get used to each other and for her to learn that he needed his space. I started training her pretty much from day one so would have him sitting beside us and treat him for just sitting near her to get him more comfortable with her. It was a couple of weeks before they started playing with each other but they became buddies in the end!

pheasant tail

Nataly Obnoxious Overlap wrote: »

This saying is really irritating. Just because it wasn't a problem, doesn't mean it will never be a problem. Someday it might be. Still, if the dog is wandering, how can you be sure that there hasn't been an issue before?

Our two dogs were attacked on separate occasions by our next door neighbors dogs. "They were never a problem before"... is not something you want to hear when you don't know if your family pet is going to survive.

I know it wasn't an issue before because she did not leave the house on her own unless she was brought for a walk. Sorry for your experience but any half responsible dog owner will know outright if their dog wanders away or not, that's if they want to know! She has a pen she goes into every night and anytime there's nobody at home she's put into he pen. Read the OP again. I never asked when in the future it would be ok for me to leave my dogs outside to wander or be unsupervised. The first reply told me to fence. I have a pen, that's not the issue and not what I was getting at. Just because I have them in the pen together now, while yes they can't wander, but it doesn't tell me about how unhappy the mother might be which was the point of the OP. I want them to get along and be happy together. Anyone can stop dogs leaving their house if they want, that's sorted but not the thing that was worrying me which was why I posted here initially

pheasant tail

tk123 wrote: »

She needs space and time away from the pup...so you need to take over and take the pup away if it'a annoying her. If she's avoiding/ignoring the pup she's politely telling her to go away.. she's throwing the pup out of the house now so it's past that stage and she's obviously fed up with her.. you don't want to put either in a situation where she feels like she needs to give a stronger message like snapping? A crate/puppy pen/baby gate where you can separate them and let her have some space then supervised time together where you can take the pup away if she's driving her mad My boy was 4 when the pup arrived and took over the house and it took a few weeks for them to get used to each other and for her to learn that he needed his space. I started training her pretty much from day one so would have him sitting beside us and treat him for just sitting near her to get him more comfortable with her. It was a couple of weeks before they started playing with each other but they became buddies in the end!

Thanks for the reply. That's the surprising thing, they seem to get on so so well, and always playing together. The pup doesn't come across as annoying her at all, I honestly think it could just be jealously which the breed seems to be known for. I had them separated for the last couple of nights do at least she'll have a bit of time away and see how it goes

DBB

I wouldn't be at all inclined to think that she's trying to dump her pup. When it comes to understanding animal behaviour, the most simple answer is usually the right one. I wouldn't consider a complicated pre-meditated scenario as you've described to be either simple, nor likely.
I'd be more inclined to think that the pup is wandering off to extend the boundaries available to her for investigation... Because that's what many pups do at her age... And mum is following her... Maybe following her for the sake/fun of following her, or maybe trying to bring her back. I don't know, because I haven't seen it for myself. But I'd be more likely to believe that they go together because of social, not-wanting-to-be-left-behind reasons, rather than a preconceived notion the mother has to bring her young to safety.
The fact that you've seen mum returning home without pup, to me at least, simply suggests that mum has reached the limit of her comfort zone on being away from home. She returns in order to make herself feel better. Pup doesn't, because her comfort zone is, for now at least, greater than her mum's, simply because she's young, isn't as influenced by a long background of staying at home, and maybe has a more explorative, inquisitive disposition.
But an attempt by mum to abandon pup? I'm not buying that!

pheasant tail

Thanks for that. We wouldn't have been thinking on them lines at all. Not saying your wrong as I don't know, but in my opinion it's not the pup leaving, well not initially instigating anyway. Perhaps she has just got curious now that the pups here and then perhaps decides on the spur of the moment to return home without a thought given to pup. I would have been off the thinking than she's trying to dump her but saying that watching how they are with each other together says otherwise! I don't know, I'll look into that a bit more and see what I can come up with

Ashbx

I don't want to be another person getting at you about being fenced in. But surely if you had a fence and dogs were unable to escape, then this whole thing wouldn't be an issue. The mother wouldn't be able to "dump the pup" in the first place.

You hear so many stories of dogs attacking/upsetting lifestock, as a farm owner yourself (albeit, I have no idea what kind of farm but surely you can sympathise with all farmers), you should really lead by example and enclose your own dogs in.

You seemed to brush off DBB quite quickly but I wouldn't. You say the dogs get on great and always playing, so I would not just assume the mother is leading the pup astray as soon as you leave. I think you would spot them being a little off with eachother from time to time if that's the case. I would look to get two pens side by side for the dogs and separate them when you are not there. That way they can have their alone time and be safe and still have playtime when you are there to supervise them.

sillysmiles

Have you seen them leave? That might be the key in terms of working out the motivation.

L1985

Just want to say we have a similar set up to the OP. Dogs don't wander far but we see no need to lock them up when thy don't wander and someone's with them the whole time. All the land around us is ours and there are no sheep. They are locked in at night as obviously they aren't supervised then. Regarding your question I would separate them a bit but also keep an eye on the pup as she might be starting to wander and that's something you don't want.