What to Do When a Mother Dog is Ready to Stop Nursing

When puppies are born the mother dog knows just what to do. She cleans them and feeds them. A female dog will nurse her pups until they reach about five weeks of age. Once they have their teeth and she knows that they can eat food she declares it time to wean.

At about four weeks old the pups begin to drain their sweet mother dry. Their new teeth make nursing very uncomfortable for the mother dog and she begins to wean the pups. You'll know she is beginning weaning when she begins feeding her pups less often, and begins to not let the pups nurse. She may even go outside and refuse to come in. She may act irritated when the pups try to nurse. These are all signs of weaning.

When it's time it's time and mother dog knows best. A mother dog has instincts just like you or I as parents. She will not wean her pups until she knows they are capable of surviving without her milk.

As a pet owner this is the time to begin to offer puppy food and or puppy "formula". Puppy food is available at all grocery food stores. Remember to read labels carefully as there are many to choose from for the many needs and stages of puppies. Pups should start off on soft foods before hard ones just like babies.

Offering replacement milk for puppies is the way to offer them the nutrition of their mothers milk while also teaching them to lap up their fluids. Water alone will not satisfy a puppies nutritional needs. Their mothers milk contains many nutrients and such that water just will not offer. Puppy replacement milk is a great idea. It is sold with the puppy foods or at your local farm supply store. Mix it up and offer it in a shallow pan. Puppies of four to five weeks of age should be able to lap it up fine. If for some reason they can not it will be essential to bottle feed them. Please note though that if a puppy cannot lap up fluids it will not be able to eat soft foods either. Bottle feeding will be the only way to keep the pup alive if it cannot nurse from it mother.

Puppies are wild little bundles of joy and energy once they are four to five weeks old and older. They are walking and playing and full of love. They are also at the stage of weaning. A mother dog will wean her pups. As a pet owner that's the time to offer soft puppy food and replacement milk to ensure that the pups still are receiving all the nutrition that they need to continue to grow! Take care and thanks for reading!