It is not surprising to see your dog who just underwent delivering to change her behavior. You have to know that this is caused by several transitions your dog went through during her pregnancy period into delivering. Your kind of sweet and cute dog will become into an impulsive and also an annoying dog. She will be acting anxiously toward everything. This is normal and she will change her behavior more than a few times as time goes accordingly to her tasks as a new mother.
However, don’t worry about it. We are going to give you some information about a dog’s behavior after giving birth. And she will be back to normal after her puppies become more independent. Her sensitivity will be lessened and she will come back as your cute dog before her delivery.
In the meantime, it is advised that you are helping your dog with her new tasks as a mother. Be more understanding about her behavior and always be alert whenever she needs your help. Here we will discuss a bit the periods of the dog’s behavior after giving birth, therefore, we would have profound knowledge about what is going on with our dog.
Aside from the information in the article, I would like to recommend you for the useful links like 3 Important Tips to Take Care Of Mother Dog After Giving Birth, and also 7 Ways you need to know of how to Take Care a Pregnant dog. Those 2 links could provide you with necessary information regarding during and after the pregnancy of your dog.
Motherly instinct
During her initial three weeks after delivery, your dog will give her full attention toward her puppies. If she usually comes to her for comfort before her labor, here you will see her other side. She is totally a mother dog now. She only pays attention to her newborn puppies. She will ignore you totally. She might not want to leave her puppies at all, even for relieving herself nor to eat. She will stay with the puppies for all night day and night if it’s possible. Even if she finally leaves her puppies, it won’t be long. She will come back right away to her newborns. This behavior is very understandable because all puppies depend on the mother dog to nurse them every two hours or so.
In this period, it is better for you to stay away from them. Let the mother takes care of the puppies by herself. Prevent people or any other pets to come closer to the new mom as she might become aggressive and protective towards her puppies. Give them peace and space. Come only when you think they need help like cleaning their bedding, feeding and cleaning the mother dog, Other than that, you better become the spectator only. Watch them from afar.
Aside from the motherly instinct to always stay with the puppies, they might show aggressiveness. Not only to strangers but also to us as their owner. This is not because they hate us or so, but it is the result of the protective instinct which comes naturally. She won’t like anyone to come close to her puppies. She might growl, bark or even bite you if she feels you are dangerous for her puppies.
During the initial weeks up to the time when puppies start to be independent, the mother dog will always be with them. She will take care of them. Don’t be surprised to see a mother dog stimulating the puppies by licking the puppies’ nether part. It is to stimulate the puppies to urinate and defecate themselves. And many times the mother dog eats the waste of her puppies. It is done to hide the scent of her newborns which is the instinct to protect her puppies from the predators.
Not only that, sometimes a mother dog digs around the house. This is the protective instinct to hide the puppies from dangers and predators. What you can do is not to be close to them too much as the mother dog might think you are the danger for them.
House Accidents
During initial weeks after delivery, the mother dog will be reluctant to leave her puppies. And it is most likely there will be some accidents happen in the house for a couple of days after she gives birth. She doesn’t want to leave her newborns even though for relieving herself. She might relieve herself in the whelping box. And this is the chance for you to step in to help her cleaning her bedding and cleaning her body. Do this gently and not too rush which can alert her that you are the intruder.
Some other protective instinct she has is finding a right spot to hide her puppies. She is thinking that the place is not safe for the puppies. Hence she will dig around the house. She might rip your carpet or paw your floor thinking she has to make a secure place to hide her puppies. If this happens, help her. Move her whelping box in the secluded area which is far from any contacts with other pets or other family members. Keep the light shaded and make sure the place is quiet. She will be feeling that the place is more secure.
Another thing you should know what to do after your dog delivers is Safest Ways To Clean Mother Dog After She Gives Birth.
Lethargic Behavior
Be alert if you see the mother dog acts strangely. If she shows the sign neglecting her puppies, or even laying on them, take action soon. Place the puppies away from the mother. Put them in a warm box to keep them warm. And consult your vet regarding the mother dog. This condition usually happens because of an infection in the mother dog. During this period, keep under your surveillance about your dog’s behavior. And take the role as a mother taking care of the puppies.
Eating Puppies
I believe you would never want to experience this kind of disturbing behavior from your dog. Rarely it can happen to your dog. In an instance, the new mother kills and eats her puppies. Don’t think that your obedience dog won’t do that. It can happen to any dog.
This kind of behavior can be triggered because of some reasons. Mother dog might think that she has to kill her pups if they attract the predators because of the loud noise they make. However, if it happens to your dog, take proper action immediately and save the puppies. Remove them all to a new place to keep them safe and warm. You should clean the pups with a warm wet cloth to stimulate them to urinate and defecate until they can do it by themselves. Do not put them together with their mother without your supervision, unless they need the mother dog to nurse them. Pay attention if the mother dog starts licking the puppies because a single bite will kill the puppies.
If your dog happens to do this kind of behavior, it is advised not to breed her anymore as this is possible to happen again in the future. After the puppies are able to move around by themselves, try to put them close to the mother and check whether the mother dog can accept them or not. Of course, it should be under your supervision to prevent any unwanted things happened.
Hopefully with this information regarding dog’s behavior after giving birth will give you more knowledge about your new mother dog. And this information will prepare you for what you will expect from her. Keeping a close eye on your dog after she gives birth and consults with your vet when you spot any things out of normal behavior. Better prepared than sorry.
Let me take you to other useful links related to this topic. They are 3 Important Tips to Take Care Of Mother Dog After Giving Birth and 4 Important Tips to Take Care of A Puppy Without Its Mother