Weaning puppies

[Country-Side Br]

I thought as long as so many of us are in the stage or just about to the stage of weaning, I'd ask how everyone goes about it.

I take Mom out of the kennel gradually, starting at 3 weeks. For a few days, I replace Mom with 1 meal of solids. Then I go to 2 meals, then 3. By the time they're 3 1/2 weeks old, Mom is only in there at night. By 4 1/2 weeks, Mom is out completely. This gradually dries Mom out as well as witholding food completely for 1 day, then 1/4 of it the next, 1/2 the next, 3/4 the next and finally back onto her regular schedule.

I've tried it cold turkey and it was miserable, both for Mom and myself...I remember being that engorged and couldn't do it to her. There is also the chance of mastitis by doing that.

How does everyone else wean?

[lissadi]

However you tell me to Patty!!!! LOL!!! I still have a 14 month old little girl I still havent figured out how to do that with.

Seriously though I think Trigger will have it figured out way ahead of me. She does not seem to be enjoyin nursing them much these days. They are still putting weight on steadily but I think she will have them weaned so fast it will make myhead spin. She is ready!!!

[lou3]

the same as you but i leave it a week later, its much better for the pups to be weaned later, mum isnt fully gone until 6 weeks and the puppies stay together until they are 10 weeks.

[Blaze]

I want mine weaned by about 6 weeks. At the moment Lilly still enjoys feeding them (even though the little boy has needle sharp teeth now!!) so I just leave her to gradually wean them herself. I started them on solids at 3 weeks and they love their food too, they only have 3 tiny meals a day though. I let her go in and out of the playpen as she pleases and I now have Lilly and the babies in my bed at night. But she's being really good - every 1-2 hours without fail she wants to be put in the pen to cuddle, clean and feed them.
Last time she was still giving them a quick feed at 7 weeks and many people told me that shouldn't be happening but I don't really see how it can hurt because they could still eat and drink on their own. Does anyone know if it's ok for them not to be weaned until 6 weeks though?

[lou3]

absolutlely fine, none of mine are weaned fully until six weeks. Any earlier is early weaning and thats wrong on so many levels, BIG welfare issue with all species - not just dogs.

[lou3]

one point i would say though is please put the puppies back in their pen do not have them in your bed at night. Its not good for them. A lot of owners feel very strongly about not having dogs in the bed (understandably - its a bad idea) and might be upset if they found out they had bought a puppy that had been sleeping in a bed before they got them. It also has health consequences at this early age.

[Blaze]

one point i would say though is please put the puppies back in their pen do not have them in your bed at night. Its not good for them. A lot of owners feel very strongly about not having dogs in the bed (understandably - its a bad idea) and might be upset if they found out they had bought a puppy that had been sleeping in a bed before they got them. It also has health consequences at this early age.

I understand what you're saying but all the owners are planning on having their puppies in bed with them at night. I have it very safe, it's pushed up against the wall so there's no way they can fall out and the blankets are tucked in so they can't get suffocated plus they have one side to them selves and I sleep as far away as possible. I get up and put them all back in the pen at about 5:00am so they're only in there for a few hours. I've tried keeping them in the pen but Lilly cries all night and then the babies start crying too. They're happier in the bed and I keep a very close eye on them, they don't move around when they're in there either because they're only in there when they are asleep plus I'm not a heavy sleeper so I wake at the slightest sound. I was sleeping on the floor next to them so I guess I could start doing that again. I'll try it tonight and let them back in at 6 weeks (which is only 1 week and 3 days away anyway). Lilly and her littermates slept in the breeders bed so Lilly is used to being in a bed and she cries so much if she has to sleep on the ground. But I do understand what you're saying and I'll try and get them back into the pen tonight.

[Country-Side Br]

Originally Posted by lou3

absolutlely fine, none of mine are weaned fully until six weeks. Any earlier is early weaning and thats wrong on so many levels, BIG welfare issue with all species - not just dogs.

Lou, can you elaborate on what you mean by BIG welfare issues by early weaning and where your rescources are so that I can look into that as well, please?

[lou3]

i am a vet student, i have recieved over 20 hours of welfare lectures as part of my course as well as attending 2 welfare symposiums with a further 16 hours of lectures between them. My resources are my notes and my lecturers as well as the journals kept in the vet library. One of our symposiums was on early weaning. Research has been done in pigs, dogs, cats and horses. Some of this research clearly demonstrating a link between early weaning and subsequent dog-aggression behavioural problems in puppies. This is thought to be more of a problem when the puppies are removed from the company of their littermates before ten weeks. It is recommended that all breeders keep their puppies together until at least ten weeks. For cats fourteen weeks is recommended.
Puppies weaned totally onto solids before six weeks and having no contact with mum after this time have been shown to be (on average) smaller at certain developmental "checkpoints" to have a higher incidence of minor afflictions such as mild infections and gastrointestinal upsets and to be more likely to suffer from separation anxiety as adults compared to puppies weaned between 6 and 7 weeks. No advantage has been recorded to weaning onto solids later than 6-7 weeks.
Lou

[Country-Side Br]

I see. Thankx
So, as long as the pups are eating solids and are still with Mom it's ok? My pups aren't cut off from Mom completely, I think that would just be too hard on both Mom and the litter, to be able to see each other and not interact. They are 90% on solids/water at 6 weeks of age, however. Until that time, they will nurse from mom at night and if they should catch her and get a chance during the day. I have to tell you...I haven't had any small pups going this route, in fact some are as big if not bigger than their parents. Is that study based on a variety of breeds, toy-giant, I wonder? That's still interesting information...a person is always learning. Even more interesting is that cats need to be together longer...they are so independent!