Rough mother...
 

Cassie had her babies yesterday (Saturday morning) and had a very easy and uneventful labor and delivery (first delivery).

Her mothering skills on the other hand, are something else! I know the moms lick their babies to stimulate peeing and pooping, and that she will clean them and lick them often, but Cassie is obsessed. She licks them constantly and roughly when they're trying to nurse, making them fall off her and roll around.

Just a few minutes ago, she bit one's tail while cleaning her, and the baby cried. :(

Does anyone have any ideas? I thought the first few weeks would be so easy since the mom is supposed to do all the work, but everytime the babies nurse, we have to supervise, and it takes a long time!

Also, how often are they supposed to nurse?

Thanks for any help anyone has.

I am not sure what to tell you about it though myHoney seemed the same wayin the first 24 hours but after the cords were dry she got more relaxed and left them alone a little more. Having said that she never bit anything by accident either.

I wonder if she may be uptight by too much supervising. Not a clue really, just a thought.

Hopefully someone who really knows better will be around to help you out.

Kim :)

First I have to say that I love those cute piggy tails on your baby!

Cassie is one of those 'licky' dogs - she is always licking something. We can't pet her without her licking us - kind of like she is saying, "Thank you for petting me." She will find something soft, like the sofa, a towel, etc. and lay down and lick it, like she's nursing it.

So, pretty much she has a licking fetish! LOL I wonder if that's why she keeps licking them so much.

Then a little while ago, they were crying for milk, and she was laying on the sofa. Her ears perked up, and she went to sleep!:eek: I expected that she would have jumped in that box with her babies, but they cried and she ignored them.

I wonder if her age (9 1/2 ) has anything to do with her lack of mothering instinct.

Thank you! I love them too but Honey not so much! LOL She starts working on messing them up as soon as they are in. :rolleyes:

I am not sure but could be her age that causes her lack of intrest. I haven't given Honey run of the house too much since her babies came one week ago tomorrow. I keep her in the pen with them all the time except for potty outside and short periods of sitting to cuddle. I have the box, a bed outside of the box for her to get away, a pee pee pad and her food and water. She does spend less time in the box now but does still spend a lot of time insde with them and I never hear them cry so I know she is keeping them well fed. Well, that and thier weights jump a lot each day! Are you weighing your little ones? If you are and they are gaining each day then you may not need to be worring as much.

Here's something funny with my Honey. I have had a seriously hard time getting her potty trained and before they were born she would always use the pad in the pen and would even sometimes pee in her bed where she sleeps! :eek: But since the day they were born she will not even pee on the pad in the pen. She will hold it and persistantly ask to go out. I am hoping I can get her better habbits while they are here to continue after they are grown! :D I know, off the subject but interesting. ;)

Hopefully by morning some of the more experienced breeders will be here to give you some thoughts on it all until then I would just keep an eye on her and make sure your babies are gaining.

Kim :)

Zoe did tend to the babies alot that first week. She licked them alot to although they didn't really cry alot so I'm not sure if your girl is overdoing it or not? Have they gained weight? And is your momma getting added calcium now? Maybe someone more experienced will jump in here. I will say that first week or two was pretty scary for me too! (mine are 3 weeks tomorrow and I'm just now starting to relax a little)

Yea, I don't think they like us messing with their hair much. LOL:p

They were just born yesterday, and were weighed then, but I haven't weighed them today yet. I know she is feeding them, she is just a little indifferent and kind of rough.

That is funny about Honey's new potty habits. My daughter's shih-poo would always pee in his bed and crate. I could never understand it. We finally gave him more freedom around the house, and he topped doing it. Go figure! We have a jingle bell hanging from our front door knob, and Cassie will nudge it with her head when she needs to go potty. We're working on getting the shih-poo to do the same. :rolleyes:

I slept out in the living room with them last night, so I could make sure she was feeding them, and not hurting them. I put her in the box around 4 a.m. when they were crying, and she stayed there until after 7:00! A little while ago one of them was crying, and she just walked away ignoring it. I had already taken her out to go potty, fed her and offered her water, so I figured her needs had been met, now she needed to take care of her babies' needs. I put her in the box, and she carefully stepped over them and let them nurse.

She did lick one for a full 2 minutes! I can't imagine that baby had anything left to potty after that!

I do think she is a bit overzealous, and I'm hoping she will just calm down as time goes on.

They were born yesterday morning, and as I type this one is not even 24 hours old yet, so I have not weighed them again yet.

I am hoping she will just relax, lick them when she needs to, and not ignore them when they cry, which she has been doing. I totally expected her to jump in the box the minute she heard a peep, but I think I heard her tell me to deal with it! :eek: I took care of that by putting her in the box, and she stayed and took care of them. :rolleyes:

I have read about calcium, and forgot to ask the vet about it, b/c she didn't mention it. What kind do you suggest? :confused:

Not to worry about the over zealous licking, it will subside. The first 72 hours are crucial. She's doing this to keep them warm and stimulate them.

Yes, calcium tabs are important, however, you can scamble her an egg, and make sure she gets plenty of sunshine. There is also a whelping pudding recipe, do a search

The licking wouldn't bother me, if it weren't that she has bitten them a few times by mistake (at least I hope it was by mistake:(). It doesn't help that or rottweiler did this a few years ago, and hurt a baby so badly, it had to be put to sleep.

I know, I know, rotty v.s. yorkie is totally different, LOL, but I still have that memory every time she gets a little rough and makes them cry. :rolleyes:

Is one Tums a day good for her? Or is there something better for her?

Thanks!

I would get calcium tabs from your vet or his recommendation. Scramble eggs and the sun have more calcium than tums.

Wow! Is she 9 1/2 months old or 9 1/2 years old? :eek::eek::eek::eek::eek:

I was just going to ask the same thing. Either way...9 1/2 months is too young and 9 1/2 years is too old...this poor girl shouldn't have been bred at all.

But, now that the puppies are here...I hope all goes well with the litter.

Both you ladies are correct. 9 1/2 months is definately too young for mother instincts to kick in, she's just a pup her self. 9 1/2 years she's a prime canidate for eclampsia.

9 1/2 years old! Can you believe it! She did great too!

I couldn't agree more, and we are a great example for spaying your animal if you don't plan to breed her. It was not planned. Her extreme licking has been great for whenever she has been in heat, b/c I have never known her to be in heat unless I noticed the typical swelling in that area. I have never seen a drop of blood come out of her.

So, I did not know she was in heat, and she was going potty in our front yard. Our neighbor left her door open and her Yorkie snuck out and got to Cassie.

I do have to say that she is not a typical older dog, and apprently, she is not aware that she should be slowing down. She runs like a might dog, has great teeth, and more energy than our younger dogs.

It's really not an excuse, just an explanation that I would have never bred her on purpose. Needless to say, she never goes out potty alone now!