I mated my bitch two weeks ago for the first time, so I obviously don't know yet whether she is pregnant but if she is I was just wondering about what others do with other dogs in the house around the time of whelping and afterwards.

My bitch is a border terrier and I also have a large eight and a half stone boy who is a big softy but I have already gathered that he can be nowhere near the mum and pups in the beginning so I am (if she is) going to arrange for him to go and stay at my in-laws (who love him to bits anyway) but when would you recommend he could meet the pups and come back home?

i have 5 poodles when molly went into labour the other dogs were kept away after she had them mum and babies went in the crate . As the pups got bigger i have a pen so they have more room and it keeps the other dogs away eventually i let mum less and less in to feed so they could wean . If you need any advice just pm hun

Hi Insane - do you have reason to suspect either that your big boy will harm the pups, or that your mum to be will be worried if he's around? If so, then you are right to send him away. If not, however, I'd let him stay. I'd make sure you had a secure place to whelp - ie in a separate room where the mum feels she and the pups will be safe - and then I'd introduce him after it was all over and mum and pups had had a feed and some sleep. This is what I did with our bergies - both male and females - when Evie had her litter. It seemed to calm Evie knowing the others were around - she was happy for them all to examine the pups except for Gabby, our oldest female bergie. For some reason, she made sure she was always between Gabby and the pups. Providing you have a secure puppy pen, and the mum isn't fazed by your boy being there, it will be better for your boy to feel he has not been left out, and better for the pups to grow up around another dog.

Thank you both your experiences. I am pretty sure he won't harm them, he was so gentle with her when I first brought her home at 8 weeks and she loves him to bits so I don't think she will be stressed by him. From your advice I think I will send him to the in-laws for the first night (as there is no way he will allow me to be in with Jess if he is not he follows me everywhere) and let him meet the puppies the next day under supervision and then take it from there.

I expect (and hope) I will have lots of questions over the coming weeks, so thank you for being here to ask.

Sounds sensible! And ask away any time you have a question - there's always someone on here who will either know the answer or know in which direction to point you.

My girls all get on realy well but i always keep them apart when one of them has a litter.I have found that even the normally very placid girls can get very snappy and over protective of their pups when one of the other dogs comes near.
To overcome this i just use a baby gate to the room where mum and pups are and i cover it with a blanket so the other dogs dont nose in and upset mum.
My girls are only possesive when they are still feeding and as soon as the pups start to be weaned they then dont mind the other dogs taking a look.
I would play it by ear as your girl may be fine but its certainly not worth upsetting mum ,as if mum gets stressed and upset then she may not feed her pups and some mums have also been known to hurt their pups.

Hi!

I'm new to the forum, but have something to add (and ask) to this topic!

Our 2yr old retriever (Kit) is having her first litter of pups in about a week (she ONLY just began to show so we were completely unsure!) and we're madly scrambling to get everything ready in time.

We also have a 5 month old lab (Choco) in the house and I'm a bit concerned about him. We have decided to take him to my cousin's house once Kit's temp drops and them bring him back a few days later. But because he is still a puppy do you think it will be safe? I don't want him to play too rough with the new pups, but perhaps Kit will protect them anyway?

Also, I'd love to know how you went about returning to work etc. (If only we had maternity leave for pregnant pets!) When is a safe time to leave Kit alone with her new pups? My partner works close to home and will probably be able to check on them at least once a day, but otherwise they will be by themselves from 7-4!

Kits a very obedient dog and we've told her she should have the pups on Friday night so that we can have the weekend free... lets see if she listens!

I'm then thinking about leaving the pups on our enclosed patio (with a heat source) so that Kit can still roam around the garden if she needs to and we don't have to keep the house open during the day. Is this too early? Should I leave the pups inside longer?

Choco is a very relaxed pup (for a 5 month old lab) but he loves Kit to death and will follow her anywhere - any experience here would be really appreciated!

Thanks!

When storm went into labour she was in the living room and i put the other 5 dogs in the kitchen. They wouldnt settle and storm was getting a bit unsettled as she could hear them so i let them in the living room. They gave storm a sniff and a kiss and then they settled down on their beds and sofa and didnt bother Storm anymore and she seemed fine having them around.

Even when she had finished she went over to the dogs as if to say its OK now and she let them have a little look.

Her pups are now 5 weeks old and have been in the living room since birth. They have a pen around them to give Storm some peace with them.

Now they are bigger the pups are coming out of the pen and the other dogs are great with them.

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R.I.P Kaydee my beautiful baby girl. 15.04.2004 - 01.05.2011

Thanks Spaniel mad!

Maybe we'll wait till Kit gives birth (keep Choco away from her) but then introduce them early - they've all gotta live together after all!

Spaniel mad - when will you start introducing your puppies outside?

I think a pen on our patio will be good as long as we can keep it well heated - and get something built before she gives birth! That way we can make it quite large so they have room to roam around. If Choco sneaks into the pen and Kit doesn't like him in there - I'm sure she'll let him know!

Thanks again

They went outside for a little bit yesterday but it has started getting very cold here and today its freezing so if the weather doesnt pick up then they will only be going out for a wee and pooh as we have started their house training.

2 of my other dogs keep trying to sneak into the pen but storm gives them the look and they run out

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R.I.P Kaydee my beautiful baby girl. 15.04.2004 - 01.05.2011