Hi

My bitch whelped yesterday with no problems. She is eating fine and seems to be feeding the pups OK. However she isn't totally relaxed and the worrying part is that she is constantly pushing the pups around, and worst of all is picking them up in her mouth. She tries to give them to me on the camp bed or when I walk in the door of the whelping room. She is a calm bitch normally but this grabbing a puppy is really scary. Any ideas what I can do, or why she is doing it?

Is this her 1st litter? Almost all girls calm down once they get used to having the new babies. Many are nervous and anxious with the new borns until they are 2-3 days old. IF it becomes more serious, perhaps you can check her calcium level and give her some tums. Good Luck and Congratulations on the new ones

Yes this is her first litter and she sailed through the actual whelping. She is having calcium and I've had a word with my vet and he can't see and medical issues in this. I just wish she wouldn't carry the pups around like this. Have never had a bitch do this before.

I had a bitch that did this with every single litter she whelped. She would be agitated and was prone to plopping down without checking where the pups were. It was a real pain, but her pups were outstanding so it was worth it.

yup, 1st litter nerves. I know the feeling, they carry them around and we panic......... Based on what you are saying, she's being totally normal and should calm down given some time.

her hormones are in flux - can take up to 5 or 6 days for her to calm down. Just continue to watch her and make sure she doesn't lay down on the puppies.

It happens, first litters and then subsequent with some of them.
My black bitch did this with her first litter....but she had singled out one puppy . I thought if i was gonna lose one, it'd be that one.

She was driving me more crazy about it though. she was obsessive with the one, licking it all the time...that pup wasn't ever dry in the first 72 hours.

That was our keeper puppy as it turned out- and to this day, she still nurtures her - even at 18 months old. she doesn't bother with her other daughter from her second litter though- doesn't nurture her at all.

keep an eye on her, and keep your vet updated.

You might just want to take her in for a quick electrolyte draw, to be sure her calcium is at appropriate levels. The bitch can act very nervous, whining, constantly moving and rearranging puppies when their calcium is low. At least that way, you'll know if she's low or not and it's easily treated.
If it's not low, then just hang in there with her for a few days, she'll settle in as a new mom and get the hang of it.
I too had a bitch who was like a bull in a china closet. She'd sail into the whelping box, lie down without checking where puppies were, constantly rearrange things and puppies. It was a pain, and we had to literally watch her every moment until babies were 4 weeks old. Had to have a puppy-sitter with her when I was at work!! Beautiful babies though:) I could only take it for 3 litters, and she was spayed and placed into a wonderful home.
Good luck to you.

I would give her some Tums. Sometimes that helps. I had a chocolate bitch who did this and passed it on to her daughter and grand-daughter. It always made me a nervous wreck! Good luck to you!

Some bitches just do that, some for up to a week. Try making a den atmosphere for her, put a sheet or blanket over 3/4ths of the top of the whelping box and give her petcal for calcium and goats milk. She should settle down soon.
Congrats on the litter!
Aloha,
Jackie

I have no idea if you have given her any Oxy, but my one girl goes crazy on it and won't settle for two days.

Thanks a lot everyone. I'll try your suggestions. Hopefully she will sort herself out pretty soon. Until then we won't get much sleep. Whoever said breeding was fun...........

Had this happen to one of my bitches. It was her first litter too. I made a "tent" and put 3 big fleecy throws in there and she made a nest that looked like an eagle's. She placed all her pups in this nest and wrapped her body around the nest. She was pleased as punch and no more picking up pups and rearranging and no more crying.

One of my girls (now deceased) was so pleased with her babies that she would pick them up to show anyone who was looking, I had to watch her when she went out to potty that she didn't take a baby with her lol.

Her name was Wacky (by name & nature). Her puppies used to get most indignant, it was like something out of Godzilla with loud protests from the chosen puppy.

My suggestion, as a couple others mentioned, is to make her whelping bed as cozy as possible, tenting it a good idea, hang blankets as temp walls, etc. And, put on some soothing music, soft clasical or nature sounds, meditation stuff ... they don't care if you put the same CD on constant repeat.

It could be worse. I had a bitch who wouldn't even LOOK at her babies for 4 days, didn't even look to see what had plopped out of her!!! (Just glad it was gone, I guess!) I had to manhandle her to get her in the box to nurse, stimulate and clean them ... I was exhausted and disgusted with her ... never again!!! Then as I was stimulating the babies, she got into the box, watched me, licked at the baby, and her hormones kicked in, was a great mama!

Good luck!

If a whelping box is too big it can make a mother nervous. Having a smaller box tented with blankets in a quiet corner is some times all it takes.

Twenty four hours on and I decided to leave her on her own (within reason) yesterday and overnight. Things have improved a little, the only thing is that when I suggest we go outside she grabs a puppy and wants to take it with her. Of course we don't. I ignore her now if she picks up a puppy and don't make an issue of it. Hopefully she'll do it less each day that goes by. Thanks everyone for your suggestions.

Can you put a toy in her mouth for her to carrry instead of a puppy?
I have one girl that will go to my daughters closet, just before she whelps and pick one soft toy. For the first week after having pups that toy goes everywhere with her. Then after about a week she will give it back and she is done with it.

Thanks Kathy for the idea of a toy. I just have a feeling with this bitch that it might actually encourage her to pick them up even more. She is improving each day but it's still alarming when he grabs them by the head and swings them around. The worst time now is when she's been out in the yard and then when she jumps back into the box she will pick one up then and try and arrange where the pups will be for when she lies down. I've taken to showing her a biscuit when I go into her pen so her attention is on me and not the pups.