Some female dogs will accidentally harm their puppies because they are either lazy or careless. Large breed dogs will sometimes lie on puppies, smothering or crushing them.
Please note that mother dogs may accidentally crush them, to prevent this it's important to have a whelping box with "pig rails." If you do not have rails in the whelping box, you may need to stick by the whelping box when they are nursing to make sure they are not smothered and that she doesn't harm them in any way.
Puppies can be easily squashed or suffocated if they become trapped under the dam. You will also need to monitor the litter closely to make sure that the individual pups aren't being rejected by the dam. The dam may single out one pup and reject it entirely.
Most boxes will include a low railing (termed rails, pig rails, or roll-bars) fixed to the inside perimeter of the box. This is to protect puppies from being crushed or smothered by the mother should she roll over during birthing or while asleep. This is considered especially important with larger dog breeds.
Normally the new mother will spend most of her time with the puppies. For the first few days it may be difficult to get her to leave the nest even to go to the bathroom. However, it is important that she continue to urinate and defecate normally.
11 to 12 Weeks is Fine for Some Breeds
A few more weeks with their mother and littermates, as well as the people they know in their family, is often best for them. Larger puppies, however, shouldn't wait this long to go to their new homes. Nine to ten weeks of age is fine but any older could be problematic.
Newborn puppies should nurse at least every 2 hours for the first week or two of life. After this, they can stretch the feeding times to 3-4 hours, as long as they are still gaining weight and doing well. Once the puppies are 3 to 4 weeks old, you can begin the weaning process by giving them access to puppy food.
“The neonatal period from birth to 3 days of age is a critical stage for puppies,” cautions Dr. Smith.
Have a waterproof base. Be lined with bedding that is absorbent, can be cleaned (i.e., vetbeds, towels or a whelping pad) and doesn't slip easily when moved. Be safe and secure.
If the puppies are scattered throughout the whelping box and away from the heat lamp, the temperature is too warm. If they are all piled on top of each other, it may be too cold. Puppies need the extra heat, as they are unable to regulate their body temperature until several weeks old.
If your female is feeling stressed or threatened by too much noise or activity around her puppies she may begin harming the puppies as a way to protect them from any perceived outside threat. Some female dogs just simply were not cut out to be mothers.
They should be checked every few hours to ensure they are warm and well fed. The mother should be checked to make certain that she is producing adequate and normal-appearing milk. "The puppies should be kept warm and should nurse frequently."
Canine mothers muzzle grab their puppies (sometimes accompanied by a growl) to deter them from suckling during weaning. Cubs and pups also muzzle grab one another during play, typically between six and nine weeks of age.
As mentioned above, the mother is in charge of teaching the dogs to socialize during their first weeks of age. For this reason, in an attempt to correct their behavior, she may growl or bark at her pups.
If you prefer the cheap and disposable bed, then newspaper and puppy pads will satisfy your desire. In this type of bedding, your puppies will not get twisted. You can use towels, sheets, and blankets for bedding your puppies when they start moving here and there.
Feeling Stressed
In some cases, mother dog may be so stressed that she redirects her stress by acting aggressively towards the pups. It's very important to keep your mother dog's whelping area in a quiet, dark place where she has the opportunity to be the best mom she can be.
During the first 3 weeks most dams like to be in a warm secluded area, not in the family living area. Pups remain contently in their whelping box for the first 20 days of their life.
It is easier for the dam to protect puppies that are close to her, and a box that is too large allows the puppies to move away from their mother and puts them at risk of malnutrition and becoming cold.
I advise covering poop and pee with a layer of paper during the day and cleaning up each morning, leaving one piece of paper with pee smell. You cannot keep too clean, as when young the smell is what draws them to that area If you leave the paper soiled, they will also find another place to go...
According to the American Kennel Club, puppies younger than 10 weeks cannot be left alone for more than an hour. From 3-6 months, they should not be left longer than their age in months (for example, 3-month-old puppies cannot be alone for longer than 3 hours).
Puppies are still at high risk for the first three weeks, though, which is when fading puppy syndrome is most likely to occur. Puppies only really stabilize within their bodies at around 8 weeks of age, and they are at a higher risk until this time.
Take care not to overheat the puppies; newborns cannot move away from the heat on their own. Stimulation for elimination. For the first two weeks of life, puppies are stimulated by their mother to encourage urination and defecation. In the absence of their mother, you will have to provide the stimulation.
As long as the puppies are not crying and are gaining weight, they are getting enough to eat. If the mother is unable to nurse her pups for whatever reason, complete replacement feeding is necessary, unless the puppies can be adopted onto another nursing dog.
If the puppies huddle close to each other under the heat source, it may mean they're too cold and are trying to use the group's body heat to stay warm. If the puppies are scattered in different areas of the box, it could mean they're too hot.
If the female is not producing any milk at all, the puppies need to be fed a supplement immediately. You should also weigh the puppies. If they are not gaining weight, she is not producing enough milk. If the female is producing some, but not enough, you need to supplement feed the puppies.