Caring for Female Dog and newborn puppies

Caring for female dogs and newborn puppies is a responsible task. What to expect when your female dog becomes a new mother? Female dogs often need special care and attention for 2-3 weeks to ensure they and their puppies thrive.

Table of Contents

• Caring for a Female dog after giving birth
• Rearing and caring for Female dogs’s newborn puppies
• Placing puppies into caring homes
• Keeping newborn puppies warm
• Registering Puppies with the American Kennel Club
• Finding homes for puppies

Caring for a Female dog after giving birth

The Female dog who gave birth to puppies might show little interest in eating, especially during the first 48 hours after birthing her puppies.

Female dogs should be given adequate amounts of 30-40mg/kg/day calcium, 10-20mg/kg/day phosphorus, and 500-1000IU/day vitamin D to prevent eclampsia, a fatal seizure disorder. Symptoms of eclampsia include whimpering, nervousness, muscle spasms, and ataxia.

Female dogs will need 2-3 times her average 1 cup per day of premium puppy kibble to help maintain her milk supply and provide her with adequate nourishment.

This increased 2-3 cup per day diet should continue for at least 3 weeks post-whelping, but do not overfeed her!

After whelping her litter of puppies, the Female dog’s target weight is 55 lbs, within 5-10% of her 50 lb pre-pregnancy weight.

Rearing and caring for Female dogs’s newborn puppies

You won’t have to do much most of the time, as most dogs, like Female dogs, have solid mothering instincts. In that case, you only need to focus on the Female dog and trust her to care for her litter puppies.

However, some dogs aren’t suited to procreate and may not know what to do with their new litter. In these cases, you may need to step in and assist with caring for the newborn puppies.

Some tips for assisting with newborn puppy care include:

• Weighing each puppy daily to ensure they are gaining a minimum of 10% of their birth weight per day. Fido’s puppies weighed between 8 and 12 oz at birth.
• Ensure the puppies stay warm – newborns cannot regulate their body temperature and need ambient temperatures of 85-90°F.
• Gently wipe the puppies’ bottoms with a warm, damp cloth to stimulate urination/defecation if the dam does not do this herself.
• Supplemental bottle feeding with puppy milk replacer if the dam produces poor milk; the puppies must nurse every 2-3 hours.
• Monitoring for dehydration and illnesses, taking to the vet if concerns arise.

You can ensure the newborn puppies thrive alongside their female dog with attentive care and monitoring. Let the female dog’s instincts guide you, and only intervene if necessary.

Placing puppies into caring homes

As a responsible breeder, finding forever homes for puppies is essential. Thoughtful placement helps ensure each puppy gets the best life and does not end up surrendered to a shelter later.

Some best practices for placing puppies include:

• Screening potential adopters by having them fill out a detailed application, calling references, and conducting home visits.
• I am requesting a non-refundable deposit of $200-500 to show commitment.
• Interviewing adopters to educate them on the breed’s needs and assessing if the puppy is a good match.
• If not, draw up an adoption contract covering spay/neuter requirements and a return policy.
• We are keeping in touch with new owners and being available for advice throughout the puppy’s life.
• Taking back any puppy if the owner cannot keep them, no questions asked.

Responsible breeding and placement help ensure these puppies have many happy, healthy years as beloved family members. Patience and care in finding each puppy the perfect forever home is worth the effort.

Keeping newborn puppies warm

Newborn puppies cannot yet regulate their body temperature. They will need a warm, controlled environment to thrive. Take care not to overheat the puppies, as temperatures over 95°F can be fatal.

The optimal ambient temperature for puppies is 85-90°F (29-32°C) for the first 5 days after birth. After day 5, the temperature can be reduced to 80°F (27°C). Once the puppies reach 1 month old, the temperature can be lowered to 75°F (24°C).

Essential tips to keep the whelping area warm include

• Placing heating pads under half of the whelping box, leaving room to move off if too warm
• Using a heat lamp directed over the whelping box
• Wrapping water bottles in towels for supplemental heat if needed
• Monitoring the temperature daily with a thermometer

With a properly prepared whelping area, newborn puppies can thrive in a temperature-controlled environment crucial for their development. Adjust the temperature downward as they grow to prevent overheating.

Caring for orphaned puppies if female dog cannot nurse

You must provide round-the-clock bottle feeding and care if a female dog abandons her puppies. Are you prepared to take 1-2 weeks off work to properly hand-raise orphaned puppies? It is intensive but rewarding work.

When bottle feeding, hold puppies on their stomachs in your hand, never like a human baby.

Puppies that are hypothermic below 95°F (35°C) will not feed properly. Use a heating pad or lamp to raise their body temperature to 95-99°F (35-37°C), the same as the pre-warmed formula.

Initially, give just 2-5mL of puppy formula per feeding. Too much too fast can cause deadly diarrhea.

If diarrhea develops, immediately cut the puppy’s formula intake in half and consult a veterinarian. Never use cow’s milk – only puppy formula from a pet store or vet. Prepare each bottle fresh, as bacteria multiply quickly in milk.

Thoroughly wash all feeding equipment after each use to prevent contagion. A vet can demonstrate proper tube feeding techniques if nursing fails.

After feeding, use a warm damp cloth to gently stimulate the puppy’s anal region to encourage urination/defecation until they go.

Gently massaging the puppies also aids circulation; do this as they get ready to feed. With diligence and care, hand-raised puppies can thrive.

Weaning female dog’s puppies

Puppies should be introduced to solid food around 3-4 weeks old. Prepare a shallow bowl or plate approximately 1-2 inches deep – tall enough so the puppies don’t fall in but shallow enough to reach the food.

Offer wet canned puppy food or dry kibble soaked in water or formula initially.

As the puppies grow stronger over the next few weeks, gradually reduce the added water/formula amount and transition to primarily dry kibble.

When switching or adding new foods, do so slowly over 3-5 days by mixing a little of the new food with the current diet. This allows their digestive system to adjust and avoids GI upset.

Aim to entirely wean Fido’s puppies off nursing by 6-8 weeks old. The puppies will transition smoothly to eating solid foods by gradually introducing solids and reducing nursing.

Registering Puppies with the American Kennel Club

As a responsible breeder, register the puppies with the American Kennel Club (AKC) soon after birth.

Registering litters with the AKC is highly recommended for all breeders, even if some puppies will be placed as companions without breeding rights. Registration allows tracking of puppies and provides owners with full AKC membership benefits.

To register the litter, I will:

• Submit the AKC litter registration application within 1 week of birth. This requires the dam’s AKC registration number and info on the sire.
• Pay the $25 litter registration fee to activate the litter with AKC.
• Once processed, you will receive individual Dog Registration Applications for each puppy.
• As we place each puppy into new homes, we will submit Dog Registration Apps with new owners’ info and a $35 fee per puppy.

Registering these puppies with the AKC provides invaluable health/genetic tracking and allows to place AKC-registered companions or future show/breeding prospects. Responsible registration benefits all parties.

Finding homes for puppies

Finding suitable forever homes for puppies requires carefully screening potential owners. Some may initially seem ideal but fall short of providing a nurturing home long-term.

To avoid rehoming issues, I will thoroughly vet applicants by:

• Requiring all household members to meet the puppy for compatibility

• Asking detailed questions about their lifestyle, experience with dogs, plans with the puppy, etc. Such as:

1. Who will be the primary caretaker and trainer?

2. What if someone develops allergies or you move/have a baby?

3. How will the puppy be cared for during vacations?

4. Are you prepared to cover vet costs and training expenses?

                   I am explaining the realities of owning a dog- high energy, exercise needs, shedding, training requirements, 10–14-year commitment, etc.

                   Guiding the AKC registration process if relevant

                   Drawing up a contract covering conditions of ownership return policy if the home is unsuitable.

I will listen closely to their responses and ultimately trust my instincts on whether this will be a nurturing forever home. Being transparent about dog ownership and selective placement helps ensure Fido’s beloved puppies have the best lives. Their wellbeing is my top priority.

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Breed two different breeds together and what kind of variation can you expect?

When breeding two different dog breeds together, there can be significant variation among the resulting puppies due to the mixing of the sire and dam’s genetics. 

Some key things to expect include

• Coat Characteristics – Puppies may inherit the coat type, length, and texture of either parent breed or a combination. For example, breeding a curly poodle with a short-haired Labrador retriever may produce wavy or curly coat puppies.

• Coloring – The puppies’ coat colors and patterns can mix the colors found in either breed. Breeding a black lab with a brown poodle could result in black, brown, or sable puppies.

• Size – Puppy size will often fall somewhere between the size ranges of the parents’ breeds, though some may be smaller or larger than average.

• Ear Shape/Set – Ear shape is a variable trait that may favor one parent’s upright or floppy ears or be a mix.

• Temperament – Puppies can inherit any blend of the behavioral tendencies of each breed, making this very unpredictable.

• Health Issues – Any genetic conditions found in either parent breed may be passed down. Testing parents helps minimize this risk.

In summary, expect a diverse combination of physical traits and temperament from crossbreeding, with no way to predict specific puppy attributes. Thorough health testing of parents is critical.