[gardenyorkies]

There have been many threads lately about weaning puppies...Most of them have been about weaning pups because Mom does not have enough milk or doesn't seem to be interested anymore...


My concern is there are many breeders supplementing puppies from birth or thinking their Mom's do not have enough Milk...IMO 3 weeks old is too young to start the weaning process...

Yorkie puppies typically open their eyes about 14 days old...They start to try to toddle around about 3 weeks old...

I think it is important to let these babies gradually wean themselves from Mom...Every litter is different as to when they will be completley weaned...

* If puppies are happy, not losing weight, then it is safe to assume that Mom has enough milk to feed her puppies...

* Milk is made on a supply and demand system...Sucking is the only way a puppy can tell Mom's body that she needs to make more milk...Keep Mom fed well, offer her plenty of water and she will make milk...I have not had one Mom that could not feed her babies for 8 weeks or longer...

* When you give the babies bottles of formula you have started the weaning process by telling Mom's body that she is making too much milk...When babies are full from the bottle they will not nurse as frequently and Mom will NOT make enough Milk...

* The first week or so Mom will spend many hours laying in her whelping box...The second week she will start to act bored because she now has enough milk to feed the babies and they are happy, sleeping for a longer period of time...This is when my Mom's will lay outside the whelping area...

When I wean a litter of puppies I also grind up some dry food, give them a small water dish and leave it out for the pups 24/7...I do this when I think they are stable on their feet ...Puppies that can not stand well may fall into their water bowl and drown...I also give the pups some canned food until I know they are eating plenty of dry food, not ground up, on their own...Every litter is different!

It is a rare incidence that Yorkie Moms can not feed their pups to weaning...A sick mom is a different story and will probably need help part time or full time help depending on the circumstances...

Yorkie puppies benefit greatly by being with Mom for those short 12 weeks!

Sorry this is so long...I hope a few other breeders have some helpful things to add!