When is it safe to move mom and pups?
 

Hi there! New to this board so I've been reading up a bunch. We are getting a 2 yr old female addition to our house who just recently (a few days ago) had pups. Mommy and the pups are all coming home to us, we're very excited!!!

Question is, when might it be safe to move them all? We thought the first two weeks is mostly the critical part, but wanted to get your opinion. We don't want to jeopardize the health of any of them.

Thank you!!

Hi welcome! My female just had her first litter a little over 2 weeks ago, and it is just exciting to experience. A couple of things to consider is how well the mother is going to adjust to the changes in her life. She is going to want to keep her new babies protected but a move can be very stressful not only for her new babies, but herself. If she gets stressed it could impact her babies as well.
Another question to consider is how far are you moving them and how cold it may be. If the pups body temperature drops significantly, it can have very problematic results for the little ones.
I don't know a whole lot about moving them that young, and I could be wrong about all this, but those are just a few things to that I would consider before doing anything.
The biggest suggestion is to talk to your vet and get their professional opinion about it all.

hope that helps.:confused:
Welcome again! It is a great place

Can I ask under what situation are you getting this mom and her puppies?

We have been waiting for this little girl for months...but because of a divorce...no property (including pets) could be given or sold. Then once the divorce was final it was discovered she was pregnant. In order to keep mommy healthy (we were afraid she might abort with a change in homes) she stayed with her original family. Now the pups are born we would like to get her and babies home as soon as it is safe.

Also wanted to add that yes I will be calling at least a few vets, but thought maybe someone here has personal experience. In addition, we are both retired so will be with them all 24/7 to watch for any problems :) Thanks again!

Oh wow, okay now I understand.

Hopefully some breeders will come on and give their opinions. I think it is entirely different then moving mom from room to room. You are talking about her going into a whole new home which is very stressful to a dog and on top of it she is stressed because of the puppies.

Good deal, I wasn't sure to the extent of the situation so I just thought I'd throw it in there:)
Another question, how well does this yorkie know you? Yorkies (many pets, really) are so protective and attached to their owners that it may be difficult to adjust to a new home and owners. If the mama knows you pretty well and handles new situations pretty well, the move might be ok.
I don't know what all you have asked the owner about in regards to the behavior of the dog and how well she's been handling the birth and nursing. The behavior and situation that the yorkie has been exposed to tells a lot about how they may be able to adjust to new surroundings.
However, I would look around and research on the net as well to see if there is any articles and/or opinions about moving pups and mothers, as I'm sure there are others who have had this happen.
hopefully some more breeders will jump on and give out some advice:)
Again, just throwing more ideas out there.:confused:

i was thinking more about this and i think u both seem like u will give this mama a good home. i would just make sure to have all the things to give ur new additions a warm welcome! so i dont think u should have a problem if u just move. it may be hard at first but i am sure things will go well! what is ur yorkie's name? do u plan on selling the pups? good luck and welcome here to YT! this a wonderful place to be

I wouldn't move them for at least 1 month!
 

If I were in your situation, I wouldn't dare move dam and pups until they are at least 1 month old. It would be much too stressful for the dam. Many problems could easily arise. She could lose her milk. She could try to hide her pups, etc. or depending on the dam's disposition it could be fine. Most Yorkies are VERY protective of their pups. I wouldn't chance it. Especially if this her 1st litter? I don't think any vet worth his salt would suggest otherwise! Best of luck!

HI and welcome to YT. congrats on momma & pups.
ChewyGeorgia85 has gave you some great advice.
I also wondered if you have any other dogs in the house. with it all being new to the momma dog and she will be very protective over the pups. having a strange dog around her may not be good at all. If no other dog/ pets would be better for her to adjust.
Does this mother dog know you at all? any change is stressful for a dog and one with pups makes it that much more stressful. some will do good and others wont so its hard to say. if you do bring them home do not mess with her pups let her adjust some what first before you do. giving it another week I think would be best , But I don't know what her pre owners are like and how she does with them so its all really hard to say.

As Cindy has stated, moving momma to a whole new living situation along with puppies can add alot of stress. I don't think I would advice moving them until momma is close to being finished nursing. At least that way, puppies are able to eat on their own if a problem would arise.

Tough call!
 

I bought a dam, that was "due" in 2 weeks, but she was VERY social, and the move was no problem. She immediately "owned" my lap, I had to lift her, she was huge, but she just wanted a person. She was a great Mom, and allowed me to help her with her whelp. I MUST say I was LUCKY. I have heard, of that going all wrong! I opted for pick up before, so she could get used to me.

So I will ask...
How well does the dam know you?
Is this her first litter?
If not, was she a secure, good Mom the first time?
If she was a nervous Mom before, please wait.
If you MUST move them, before they are a month, be sure the move is warm... and put Mom and babes in a very small, private area. Mom will be looking for the dangers in her environment, make sure she only has a small area to worry about, as this is stressful.
Part of me says, if she knows you well, get them home before the pups are moving around a lot, if they get far from her, she will stress.
REALLY, a lot depends on where they are coming from, going to, and you.

Thanks so much for all the advice! Her name is Lilly, she's 3 years old and has had multiple litters. I've met her only once before...she is about 150 miles away. I'm told she is an excellent mom, cleans up the puppies on her own.

We have a 3 yr old male yorkie and a 17 yr old male schnauzer at home. We have a big old house so it won't be a problem keeping them seperate. My plan is to have her and the pups in our spare bedroom, where it will be quiet and I can spend most of the day and be there all night. Then when the puppies are older we can have supervised play time with the other two :)

Oh also, once the vet says it's ok we're going to have her spayed so that she can just concentrate on being a happy doggie.

That's a long drive in Feb... whats the plan to keep her and the pups warm for the trip?

What kind of homelife is she coming from...? Kept in a kennel? How many dogs did this breeder have?

I don't know the situation but I can't honestly believe this breeder cares for her dogs if she is giving up a litter of pups and the mom...just doesn't sound right to me.

This whole thing just is not sitting right with me and I know how stressful a dog coming into a new home is like because of my work in rescue. If the breeder is not going to keep her until the pups are at least 6 weeks then you have to give her plenty of space from the other dogs and from yourself. You need to go very slow...Her job is to protect those pups and she could view you as a threat so please go easy. She also might be so over bred she doesn't care anymore..The more litters some of these dogs have the less interested they are in the pups. I have seen wonderful moms start caring less and less for their pups by the 3rd/4th litter.

:thumbup: I couldn't agree more. Also, if you are going to take on this responsibility, do you have experience? I don't like this one bit! Momma needs to be as comfortable as she can be with new babies. Stress can bring on a lot of problems with momma. If it were me, as I said before, wait till the puppies are old enough to eat on their own. Why create problems if you don't have to. Momma would not be comfortable with you and your home only being around you one time.

I must admit I am a bit surprised by how judgemental some of the replies are. I’ve tried to indulge all of the questions, but somehow it has gotten twisted into a bad situation.

Since some of you are so very curious, this poor woman is recently divorced. She has two children….one with special needs. None of her dogs are kept in kennels, I believe she has around 6. She also has several parrots which she has rescued and even built a parrot facility above her garage just for them. She has been a great pet owner, and has breed yorkies for some time now. Lilly getting pregnant was a complete accident, we were expecting just to pick her up after the divorce was final, but things do happen.

She’s just overwhelmed right now. She has to deal with an ex-husband who left her for another woman. She has to sell her house. She has to figure out the best future for all of her animals. Then let’s throw a job and children into the mix.

We are trying to do right by this little girl and her puppies. Neither us or her are willing to risk any of them. I came here hoping for advice, and I believe some of it was good….but unfortunately the anonymity of the internet allows people to throw stones.

I hope I didn't offend you with any questions or suggestions :confused:
The best bet would be at least 4 weeks before you move, at this point the pups can provide more of their own body heat and it is not as critical with mama's milk is not as necessary. If you have a chance, go visit mama and pups a few times (i know it could get expensive) so she becomes comfortable with you around and socialization of the pups can continue. :)

ChewyGeorgia you have not offended me in the least!! Your comments have been very helpful to me, and I think visiting is a wonderful idea. Thank you :)

No one is being judgemental..you came on here and did not tell the whole story and for those of us that really love our Yorkies it all smelled. Your first post I thought you meant room to room..then it was a little more info..and then you slammed us.

I am truly sorry this woman is going through such hell in her life and maybe if you had explained a little more then you did then maybe you wouldn't be so upset and think we are judging you. We are only trying to do what is right for the mom and puppies as you are.

Im sorry how some the replies were posted. Im glad you came here for advice, there are many here that want to try and help you.
You really didnt have to explain any thing to anyone here.

back to the topic. 150 miles is like what 3 hr drive? thats a pretty long trip for mommy and babies. the first three weeks puppies can not regulate their own heat, they rely on the mom and puppy piles unless you provide additional heat for them, so if you do move them you will need to make sure you keep them warm. keep water and nutri cal for the trip.
The smells of your other dogs when bringing them home might make momma dog very nerves but like you said you have an extra room to keep them separated so thats good. what ever you decide to do I hope all turns out good for you and them. keep us updated.

No one can really help someone if they are only given half of the information...you could kill dogs that way.

P.S. You don't have to apolgize for me because I don't think it is fair to point the finger at us when we were trying to figure out what was going on for the dogs sake. I don't give a rip about the people but I do care very deeply for the dog and her puppies.

Thanks yorkieshadow, I do appreciate it, and I will keep you updated :)

Cindy, I care about the dog and puppies too. That's why I came here in the first place.

I didnt apologize for you or any one else. I was talking to the OP.
yes I do understand in helping we needed more info. as if this dog was coming from a bad place BYB etc. why the move? but its when we start saying
this breeder doesn't care for her dogs or the whole thing just is not sitting right with me. like she has some thing to hide... we don't know these people.
many had gave good advice, thats all she was asking for. we all care about the dogs thats why we are all here.

Yes you did but unless the questions are asked then you can't figure out the answers.

I said
Im sorry how some the replies were posted.
I never said I apologize for this and that member.


im out of here , Have a nice day.

LOL actually I was trying to keep it simple in the beginning because I didn't want to irritate anyone with details. ANYways, I have gleaned so far that it would be better to wait at least 3 weeks...and try to visit mommy in between if I can :)