Our first litter of Belgian Sheepdogs is 9 days old. We weigh all 4 once a day and all are gaining 1+ ounces per day. Mom is eating and drinking well. Whelping room stays between 80-84 degrees. This is mom's first litter. We have Ed's Whelping video and have watched it several times.

1st question: Within the last 2 days, the puppies have become quite noisy at certain times of the day. Crying, whining like they're hurt or something. All the while, mom is in the whelping box with them. She nurses and cares for them and doesn't seem too disturbed by their noisiness for the most part. Eventually they all settle down and go back to sleep.

As this is our first litter, I'm not sure if this noisy behavior is normal or if something is perhaps wrong. If I take my cue from mom, they're just a bunch of noisy kids.

2nd question: This one is a bit more troubling to us. Occasionally (1-2 times a day) for the past 2 days, mom will growl or snap at the puppies. Sometimes it'll happen when they are being noisy, but mostly when all is quiet and everyone is nursing. At first we thought it was because somebody was teething and maybe bit mom, but I don't see any teeth coming in yet. We've clipped their nails the other day as they were getting a bit long and scratchy.

Should we again take our cue from mom and let things go? Usually after snapping, she grooms and cuddles with all of them. She is not ostracizing any pups.

Any ideas? Thank you very much!

Luana
Maui, HI

Just curious, are you 100% sure she is growling and snapping at the puppies (is she biting them?). I know female dogs can get pretty nasty when others are in the room with her litter, even a human family member.

How old is the mom?

Hi Kimberley,

Mom is 2.5 yrs old. No contact, just a growl and snap.

Thanks,
Luana

If she were mine, I would take her temperature if you haven't been already. Check each and every nipple for signs of heat, redness, or unusual colored discharge.

Puppies are extremely fragile. I would be concerned over a bitch that is "correcting" puppies this early and look for a medical cause.

I totally agree with you, 9 days old is way too early to be correcting pups.

Kimberly

Thanks! Her temp has been a smidge over 101. We've been checking her nipples daily for mastitis; no hardening, but they are "warm" (her whole underside is quite warm). I'll call the vet. Thanks so much!

Just got off the phone with the vet. We gave him the lowdown on mom and the pups. Said her temp is ok and pups are gaining weight and we shouldn't worry too much. Now... if pups level off or start losing weight, then we should worry.

He seems to think her behavior is more due to this being her first litter and her inexperience. He feels we may need to start supplementary feeding a bit earlier than normal because she may tire of them sooner than a more experienced female.

But for right now... her temp, eating and drinking are fine; pups are gaining over an ounce a day and he suggests watchful waiting. We agree.

Thank you both very, very much!

Luana

Not to be a doomsayer...but vets are not known for their great animal behavior insight. They are not trainers, nor behaviorists, and all the stuff they work on at school is dead. JMO. I don't think anything of their behavior or nutritional advice. I'd ask someone else to take a look at her if she were mine.

Hi Jenni,

Probably not a bad idea. I'll ring up one of our kennel club friends; they've whelped a number of golden retriever litters. I'll see if she has a thought about this.
Many thanks,
Luana

I would also recommend supplementing Mom, she may have a large strain on her system. My first bitch tried to kill the smallest, took all to vet, babies weigh half of birth mothers weight,,,to big of a strain. I also alternated pups, two at a time to feed, then two more...My dog was younger than yours, and i did muzzle til I felt comforatble..Give mom some puppy replacement milk along with maybe even cottage cheese, sometimes they get a calcium defenciency while feeding too, and her food and intake has to be bumped up...Good luck