I have a brother/sister in my home. The female just had pups 4 days ago.The male is a gentle giant kind of dog, He is the sweetest dog on earth, not an aggressive bone in his body. His sister rules the roost, he knows that, and as far as I am concerned is happy in that role.

Anyway, yesterday while weighing the pups, (mom is confined in the whelping box), and the male is on the couch, I take a pup, and while pup is safely in my hands, I present it to Hoss, within about one foot. Hoss' reaction was not what I expected. I thought he would at least sniff it, or show some curiosity. Instead, he air licked, "phelmenging" (sp?), and absolutely would NOT even look at it. I tried (over several minutes) to try it again, and nope, he would not even acknowledge it.

Kodi, (the mom) has not expressed any aggression to Hoss, so there is no recent/puppy domination issue.

Is this typical? What is the behavior behind it???

Why not just respect his wishes and let him meet
the new puppies when he--and they--choose to do so?

Many males don't like puppies. Keep him away from them.

Males do not need to like puppies. They only make them

I always thought that keeping Mom in a separate room with newborns was the way to go to avoid protection issues? Even the sweetest temperaments can grow ugly when babies are around.

I say move Mom to a private, introduce puppies when they are much older?

I agree. I think your boy "knows" that he is not supposed to be anywhere near those puppies now.

Sounds passive aggressive, I wouldn't push the issue.

I agree with anon. You have no idea what is going on between him and the puppies dam. She may have communicated to him that he is not welcome anywhere near her puppies. If so, having one stuck in his face could make him very nervous. He could be thinking he could be getting in big trouble with the puppies mother. You gotta let dogs be dogs. Respect his wishes.

I am hard pressed to not say this was a stupid idea. He is clearly telling you he is uncomfortable which would make ME uncomfortable. I would NEVER and have NEVER done this with a newborn. I always let the events unfold as is sensible. When mom has fully recovered from the whelp and puppies are robust and doing well then little by little let the other dogs in the household get curious, but always over a watchful eye. Some boys are not particularly fond of young, or even older puppies, so BEWARE!

I would let him have his space around the puppies, he may be uncormfortable with them because they are small mewling things that will still carry an odor of birthing on them.(in the wild he wouldn't be getting this close to them) His sister may have given him a glance that let him know to stay away, it may change as she gets more secure and usually after a week or so they will start to relax if others are withing the vicinity of their babies.
We have boys that are overjoyed with the puppies,acting like beaming daddies and have even had a JRT male that would come and guard them , on the flip side we have a boy that really doesn't care for puppies at all (unless they are his) and he doesn't like the other puppies much until they are older. I also have a MinPin/Dachs cross that doesn't like the smell of blood, she isn't any to pleased with the smells of whelping and I keep her well away and don't expose her to it.

When you do try to introduce the puppies to him at a later date, make sure it's filled with lots of positive reinforcement.

How is it about what the male wants??????!!!!!! It's not about what he wants/needs/reacts to right now.

It's about Mom and pups bonding, healing, growing, and about Mom feeling safe, unthreatened and pampered.

I would worry more about Mom's natural reaction to protect than whether your males accept new puppies???!!!

Tiffany, no disrespect, but I think you're messin' with Mom Nature by having your pack around a new Mom and her puppies.

Just my opinion....

I keep my newborn puppies and mom in a private room all to themselves for several weeks. When the mom is outside doing her business and taking breaks from the pups I will allow a few of the older dogs into the room to see and hear the pups within a few days of birth, but I don't ever put a puppy into another dog's face.

I have one stud who LOVES newborn puppies. He will try to get in the box and lay with them while he cleans them. In some ways he's more maternal than my last brood bitch. I have another stud who wants nothing to do with the little slugs. He's not agressive or mean, but he isn't eager to be around them either. He usually won't go into the whelping room at all while they are in there.

Each dog is different. Whatever you do, don't do anything that will put the mother into a stressful situation. I don't bring a dog into her space with new pups at all while she's there, and some bitches even get upset if they smell another dog was in the room while they were gone.

Good luck with your litter.

Some of my girls are protective of newborns; others are not so much. I don't force the males to interact with them, but I also have had some that love to clean the puppies. I've never had any trouble raising the litter in the same room with my other dogs behind an exercise pen. None of my adults have ever been aggressive to a tiny puppy. You do need to be cautious if your mama dog is protective, as she may step on and hurt the babies while trying to protect them. Most of the time, my other adults and I sit outside the whelping area and watch mama and puppies together! I think you collectively are being too hard on the OP. She just gave her boy an opportunity to see the newborn and interact with it if he wanted to; I do that all the time with no negative effects. But i agree that if he doesn't want to have anything to do with the puppies, don't press the issue. It's not a big thing.

Well, I can assure you that the mom would be way more stressed by being isolated in a separate room. She is my shadow, my heart dog.

Anyway, in no way would I endanger any of them. I did not "shove" the puppy in the males face. I know my dogs and they are a part of the household, not untrained kennel dogs that I need to worry about their socialization and reaction to something strange.

What I was curious about was the flemening response. He acted like the pup smelled like a skunk.

I agree with Stud owner and Peggy. Each situation is different and you have to adjust to what your bitch chooses.
I bet your dog did think the puppy smelled like a skunk, as I said I have one dog in our house that really gets uncomfortable with the smell of blood(and birthing fluids) she avoids the whole part of the house while whelping is going on and until all the whelping materials have been washed and replaced with clean she doesn't go near that end of the house.

We don't have the whole pack in with mom and the babies, however the girls are closer to some of the members of the pack and prefer that they be there with them after a few days. The boys that really want to see their kids are allowed to while mom is out of the room,and when mom is comfortable with it they can go in. At 3 weeks the puppies are moved to the den and then everyone gets to see them and interact with them then.


My moms are in a private area(the bedroom) away from other dogs and are given as much privacy as they choose. Some want alot-usually only for the first few days or so, some very little and it is all up to them how they want to raise their puppies. It's all about what makes them most comfortable. If they want other dogs around than they can, if they don't they are allowed their privacy.

Our Codey was as gentle and happy as could be around his kids and grandkids and he always took an interest in them from the moment they were born. Unusual, yes, but he was just as involved as he could be once those puppies were outside,cleaning them and in the yard he would play with them and they would treat him like he was a king. I wish he had been able to see his last litter, I know he would have been proud.

My foundation bitch had a very special bond with her best buddy Briar, one of our JRT's, and they were always together throughout the whelping and the raising of the litter, Jaysin would make room for Briar to come into the box and nurse the puppies and curl around Briar. Dean would guard the babies while mom went out to do her business,the gate was up or door would be closed anyways, but I know the girls seemed happy to have him there.

I totally agree that the Mother needs a private area with her litter. I don't get letting other dogs in with a Mother and her puppies. Her instincts are to protect her puppies. Give her privacy and let her take care of her puppies without any stress. I don't mean to insult you but you need to study up on animal behavior.

My guess is your boy was uncomfortable for many possible reasons.... The air licking and avoidance was his way of telling you... And think about it.... When has he smelled the process of whelping and seen a newborn puppy? Everything is new to him and of course his sister very well could have told him something with a slight glance over her shoulder.... They are so subtle with their body language sometimes.
I understand your desire to want to safely introduce them. You love them all and they love one another.. When I had my first litter I was pleased that my stud dog wasn't thrilled with other's puppies prior. It made me much more protective of the damn and the puppies until they were older and bigger and my stud was accustomed to having them, their smell and their sounds around. I gradually introduced them for short periods of time, and he has turned out to be the absolute BEST dad and grand dad ever.He has the patience of a saint and if you could see his kids and grandkids latched onto his ears sucking them you would know what I mean... Give your boy some time to adjust and give momma and babies some time to let nature take it's course..... I think he will be a big goofball, love bug with his neices and nephews when the time is right...

When you say "phelmenging", do you mean resembling drool? If so, I would say a sign anxiety/stress in the situation. Not a behavior, but a reflex reaction to stress.

Flemening (the spelling is not what I remembered from college days).


From Wikipedia,

In the flehmen response, animals draw back their lips in a manner that makes them appear to be "grimacing" or "smirking". The action, which is adopted when examining scents left by other animals either of the same species or of prey, helps expose the vomeronasal organ and draws scent molecules back toward it. This behavior allows animals to detect scents, for example from urine, of other members of their species or clues to the presence of prey. Flehming allows the animals to determine several factors, including the presence or absence of estrus, the physiological state of the animal, and how long ago the animal passed by. This particular response is recognizable, for example, in stallions when smelling the urine of a mare in heat. To detect estrus the male giraffe's flehman response includes the actual taste-testing of the female's urine.
Cats, especially house-cats, exhibit a natural and very noticeable teeth-baring grin - the Flehmen response - in order to draw scent into the Vomeronasal organ. The organ and its purpose was discovered in 1813, although cat owners have always observed the behavior.
This behavior is not limited to predators. Horses have been well known to exhibit flehmen response.

The vomeronasal organ, also called Jacobson's organ, is a chemoreceptor organ believed to play a role in the perception of certain scents and pheromones. It is named for its closeness to the vomer and nasal bones, and is particularly developed in animals such as cats and horses. The organ is located on the roof of the mouth. In addition to house cats and horses, animals who exhibit the flehmen reaction include buffalo, tigers, tapirs, lions[citation needed], giraffes, goats, llamas and kobs.[10]
[edit]Similar responses

...I don't see any mention of dogs having a flehmen response

read the original post she mentions it......
this reaction is usually a sign of stress and anxiety.
I agree he was reacting to what the mother might do to him. I am sure he has looked in the box and she has told him what she would rip off if he did it again.


My litters are raised in the kitchen, but moms have their private spaces, I prefer to keep my male out only because he reverts back to a puppy and wants to play with them. He gets to do this when the pups reach an age where they can manure out of his way.

I agree that this boy is clearly uncomfortable being shown this baby. He is not the alpha in the relationship, this puppy is not his. In a wolf pack, you wouldn't see a bitch (only the alpha bitch actually breeds), bring any of her pups out of the den until they are up on their feet and ready to meet the pack. Until that point, the mom will only allow 1 other bitch, the "wet nurse" if you will, access to the pups, to watch them while she's hunting.

This male was rightfully uncomfortable, as his instincts were telling him correctly. Stay away from babies until mom says it's okay to interact.

I keep mom and pups in a private room with no access for the other indoor dogs. Mom is the boss, and even I have limited interaction with babies until they're approximately 2 weeks of age, then we pour on the socialization and human love.

I say good for your boy for knowing his boundaries and following his senses!

Really?

You people are so judgmental!

I've never had a litter where I separate mother and pups. I often find one to two or three 'mothers' in with my puppies.

Mine are all house dogs. Used to having the other dogs in their space, and I have never seen a need.

Animal behavior is one thing, bad behavior is another. Take an honest look at your temperaments.

I don't see anything wrong with what the OP did. At all.

she asked why he was acting like that and people gave their opinions, if she did not want them then she would not have asked!

just because you do it does not make it the right thing to do.....