"Weaning your Puppies"

Weaning Your Puppies
(A messy day for any breeder.)
by:Debbie Jensen



Weaning day varies with your type of dog breed. Larger Breeds develop teeth earlier than smaller breeds so mothers have a tendency to want them weaned earlier. I have a friend that breeds Great Danes, she weans as early as 2 to 3 weeks. My Shih Tzus start getting weaned at 5.2 weeks old and are totally weaned by 6.6 weeks. Nothing wrong with waiting longer if the pups are just not ready.


Q . Why wean early? Most of us believe that pregnancy or giving birth is the factor that tires out our females. This is not so. Puppies nursing is what tires out a female, causes poor coat, and bad teeth with an emaciated look. By weaning earlier she will live longer and stay healthier. There is no excuse for your dog not living out its normal life span according to her breed; no matter how many litters she has had.


How to began weaning your litter of puppies. Start by making up a smooth gruel puppy food. When a pup that licks it off my finger, then I give it a teaspoon of water and teach it to drink. If the pup licks the water then it moves to the weaning crate. I place a bowl of water and gruel on one side of the crate spaced at least the length of a puppy's body because puppies have a tendency to lay on one bowl while eating from another. Pups will walk into the bowls and get covered with food for a day or so. It gets really messy but it's part of breeding and it's kind of comical to watch.


First Day of Weaning I will usually let the mother in to be with the puppies once a day to nurse them. And once again at night the first 24 hours of weaning.

Second day of Weaning I will allow mom to nurse the pups an hour before bedtime. This is usually the last time she nurses her pups.

Care of the mother Observing mom is extremely important at this time, keep an eye on her for Acute Metritis.

Bathing This is usually the first time they get a bath.

Stool Check
This is a good time to check the pup's stools for a firm consistency. The stool should not have a bad odor or a mucus like appearance. If this is the case, then it is time to take the puppy into the vet for a fecal analysis.

ayos din toh,,nice po,,

lemuel0909 wrote:

ayos din toh,,nice po,,

ang mahirap na stage for us breeders (weaning) thanks sir

RVL Kennel wrote:

lemuel0909 wrote:

ayos din toh,,nice po,,

ang mahirap na stage for us breeders (weaning) thanks sir

yes sir daig pa po natin yung dam,,hehe,,