hi i have shih tzu puppies and they are 8wks old now and they still stay with their mum. i think it all depends on how the mum is with babies weather you seperate them or not

the mother only needs time out away from the puppies for short intervals, they shouldnt be taken away completely from her because as others have said she can teach them skills and manners that are vital for all puppies and dogs for later on in life!

just as long as mum get a break, the pups can stay with her until they leave home with new owners!

My girl takes 'time out' away from the pups, I'm not surprised really, looking at the teeth on them! She stayed with them constantly for 4 weeks, just having toilet breaks, then by 5 weeks she was leaving them for longer periods. 7 weeks now & they're too busy play fighting & biting my ankles to worry if Mum is there or not

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Life is Rough!

ahhh, do you have pictures of your shih tzu pups,,,,we have a shih tzu,,,,,,

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hi yes i do have some pics of them i will send you some i only have 1 pup left now out of 5. she is brindle with 1white foot and black mask face . denise

i always take the puppies off the mum but she still plays with them but doesnt sleep with them as her milk will never go back and the bigger the pups the more milk and she can get eclampsia my pups are fully weaned at 4wks and all pups and mum are fine

........4 weeks is early.

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Lifes roads are for journeys, not destinations!

Hi there, I have just had two litters of pups and found that one mum Rosy couldn't wait to stay away from her babes and the other wanted to be with them all the time. Daisy took over the mothering of Rosy''s pups. They were weaned by the time they were six weeks and although both mums played with their babies they refused to let them feed even although they still had milk. I would be guided by the mother dogs instincts, they know when they have had enough.

i only once let 1 bitch feeed puppies for longer tha 4wks & i neally lost her, i dont no about other breeeds but staffords have large litters and at 5wks feeding 9 puppies is to much thats the vets advice aswell

I breed to and i think it depends on each mum, mine dont want to know after approx 5 weeks and when the pups try to feed of them they growl as if to say you get your own food like us now. I usually start to wean their pups at approx 3 weeks old and by 5 weeks they are eating by themselves 4 times daily.

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