# Weaning Puppies



## Edwinna (Apr 21, 2006)

Audrey's babies will be 6 weeks old on Saturday. All the puppies are doing great and growing well. I have them eating softened puppy food and drinking water (they aren't too keen on the water). Audrey is still letting them nurse as well. I have reduced the time she spends with them but then she gets uncomfortable from the milk she has. When and How do I wean the puppies completely from her without making her uncomfortable? Will her milk dry up on its own?
I hope to have pics of the puppies by the weekend. It is so hard to keep them clean! They enjoy having their paws in the food. They are playing all the time now and sometimes pretty aggressively. The smallest one is the most aggressive. She will just pounce on one of the others for no reason. It is so interesting to watch their personalities develop.
Any advice will be so appreciated.


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## wagirl98665 (Jan 5, 2006)

I don't have any advice, but sure can't wait to see your puppies!


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## adorableaccentsdogbows (Aug 9, 2004)

Is she still sleeping with them at night? Normally Mom will get tired of the nursing after a while especially after the teeth come in. My girls will start to let them nurse for shorter and shorter periods of time. Then they'll get up and turn their face toward the pups and if the pups persist Mom will either get away from them, put them down with her paw and start playing with them or put them in their place. I always watch, and always make sure that she has a place to go where the pups can't get to her if she chooses.


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## 2maltese4me (May 8, 2006)

I'm not a breeder and have no experience with this, however I have heard that mom will wean them on her own......she will remove herself gradually. If your unsure, maybe put in a call to the vet. Good luck, cant wait to see the baby pics!


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## HappyB (Feb 28, 2005)

> I'm not a breeder and have no experience with this, however I have heard that mom will wean them on her own......she will remove herself gradually. If your unsure, maybe put in a call to the vet. Good luck, cant wait to see the baby pics!
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Not everyone has a Dr. Jaimie. You would be surprised at the limited knowledge vets have concerning breeding, whelping, and weaning. Many only have book knowledge, and that may be related to breeds other than our little Maltese. When I first started breeding, I went running to the vet. Little did I know that the care he was giving my dog could kill her. After aborting a litter and getting ready to do a section just for his time/convenience, I took my dog (had him disconnect the drip), and got the h.... out of there with my dog, never to return.
I am on a chat site with over 600 breeders, many of them active in the show world, and I've learned far more from them than I've ever learned from a vet. This is a site on reproduction and whelping. Like I said, not everyone has a Dr. Jaimie.

Now, for those of you who may be curious....Maltese moms may nurse their pups for eight weeks or more without any indication of weaning, if you do it the natural way. I always let my moms tell me what they want. If they want out of the x-pen, then I pick them up and let them back into the normal population here (if there is such), then when they want their babies again, they go back and ask in again. When I have pups, I cut back on my work so that I'm never gone from them over a few hours. True, I could make a lot more money at work than I could from the sale of any pups, but I sure would worry if I had to be away from them. I have fixed a way for mom to get to another part of the x-pen where the pups can go, if I'm going to be away for more than a few hours. She can also use this at night. 
I free feed puppy kibble to my mom and babies, and it's just one of the natural things to see the babies up in the bowl one day. If the pups need extra food, I soak it, or use other foods, but it's not uncommon to just let them eat from mom's bowl until she weans them, unless there is a very tiny one like my Pocket.

The idea behind a lot of breeders weaning their babies early is for the mom to be able to come back into season and breed again as soon as possible. You will see this done in puppymills so they can crank out as many pups as possible as often as possible.


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## ourdonbi (Feb 25, 2006)

i have no advice on this matter didnt even know what weaning meant until i read your posts








but i just wanted to say it must be so much fun to watch the new babies grow.
pictures are a must please post as soon as possible i'll be looking forward to seeing the pics


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## RexsMom (Jun 8, 2005)

I have no clue about weaning puppies, but I would love to see pictures of the babies!


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## Edwinna (Apr 21, 2006)

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OK,this will be a stupid question for many but not me. Does nursing the babies prolong the length of time before she will go into season again? And, how do I figure out when that season will occur? I do not want to breed her again for awhile and I have the male here in the house also.
Thanks for the help.


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## HappyB (Feb 28, 2005)

Surprisingly, the bad vet I quit is one of the people who told me that so that I "could get them ready to breed again" NOT. 

I would think that if your girl is in good health, then she should be within her normal range. That's the way it works here. 
I'm sure if you watch for signs, your male will tell you. He should start showing an interest in her a couple weeks before the actual season, but, to be on the safe side, I would sure check her on a regular basis and separate them if there is a question.


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