We rescued a stray who turned out to be pregnant and now that she has had her puppies is very aggressive around them. What should I do?

Question

Good Morning,

    I am hoping that you can help me with what I believe is an unusual situation.  Almost two months ago, we found a Shiba Inu running stray in our community... she was in beautiful shape but very skittish, scared, impossible to catch.  We called every agency, checked every website, nobody was looking for her. My teenage children and I set out to gain her trust - it took over a month, but we were able to catch her in a crate - we had anticipated a bad reaction, but she had obviously been crate-trained at some point. Had her checked out by a vet, she cleared a cursory examination (Frontline, Heartguard, took off ticks and checked her blood for the normal problems - all clear - also vaccinated her) and sent us on our way.  She moved into our home with amazing ease, and was clearly happy to be in a home. Somebody obviously spent a good deal of time training her, as she crates and walks like a champ. Two weeks after taking her in we noted that she was getting much bigger - took her for a second vet's appointment and this time we learned that she was pregnant, and about to deliver pups. 

    She delivered them (5) in my home this past Saturday. Everything went well, and she allowed me to help her (first pup was breech/dry, and I needed to assist), handle the pups and check them..... she seems to be a very good mother, extremely attentive. Here's the problem - yesterday she became aggressive with me... would not allow me to handle the pups, charged me when I reached for one, growling, teeth bared... and later in the evening, after she had been walked, when I walked toward the whelping area she nipped my heels.  She has been fine outside of the whelping area, continues to walk well on the leash (though she is in quite a rush to get back), follows the few commands we have taught her (I had been using your podcasts and had successfully begun with marker training).

    She obviously doesn't know me or my household well enough to trust me completely. I know from your articles that it is normal for a mother dog to be protective, and even aggressive, but I also know that I need to take control. She does not respond to "Come"... I understand that Shiba Inus rarely do, and I haven't had her long enough to train her well. Am I trying too soon? Do you have any suggestions?

    I appreciate your help very much.

    Terri

Accepted Answer

Maternal aggression is common and normal but sometimes doesn’t show until the pups are a day or two old, especially in new mothers.  This will fade as the pups get older so what I would recommend right now is to NOT handle or stare at the pups when the mother is in the room with them.  Slip a leash over her head and take her outside or put her in a crate while you look at the pups or touch them.  Keep her on a leash and under control at all times when she is not with her puppies and if her whelping area is not private, either move her and the pups to an enclosed place or make some barriers out of big cardboard boxes or something so she doesn’t feel so defensive.

    This could be a trust issue but some females are like this to everyone when they have a new litter, she’s just following her instincts to protect her babies. I don’t believe in allowing dogs to get away with aggressive behavior but this is a hormonally induced type of aggression that corrections will only make worse.

    Cindy