He will be missing her

    WHY WON'T SHE COME OUT TO PLAY?   

Hey, Why can't I play     with our puppies too?

With all the research I did, I couldn't find any advise on how daddy felt about the new puppies.  So I turned to Grandma, Polly Brown.  She was raised on a farm with many different animals and had 8 children of her own.  And this is what she said:

Mom will be very protective of the pups.  She will be aggressive and will not let anything near her pups. You don't have to worry about the male hurting the pups, you have to worry about the female hurting the male.AS THE PUPS GOT BIG ENOUGH FOR DADDY TO PLAY WITH, I WATCHED HIM CLOSE BECAUSE HE WAS A LITTLE TOO ROUGH.  NO WONDER MOM WOULDN'T LET HIM NEAR THEM!

Now through experience, I found this all to be too true!  Cookie was never mean, until then.  She returned to her sweet self after the pups could fend for themselves. 

Pepe was courious.  He would not leave Cookie's side during Labor.  And she didn't want him there!  She growled, barked and was very upset if she could see him.  Yes, she acted like you  #x%0#  you did this to me.   I had Cookie in a Pac & Play, my homemade whelping box, I didn't leave her side.  She didn't mind me being there at all.  However, I had to cover the sides with blankets so she couldn't see Pepe because when she did, she acted as if she was going to Kill him.  Cookie was calmer when the top of the play pen covered as well.  Pepe didn't mind Cookie's behavior, he didn't even try to fight back.  I tried to lock Pepe out of the room but he wanted to be with her so bad he tried to tear the door down.  To save my house I came up with the blanket idea.  The no eye contact worked.

Pepe heard Cookie crying and moaning.  He looked at me with wide eyes, as if to say, mommy what's going on.  I played lullabye music to keep everybody calm.

It was the strangest thing.  Cookie allowed Mary Jane, our female cat in the play pen with her during labor.  After the pups were born, I picked Pepe up and let him look in the Pen, Cookie was too exhausted to say anything.

As each day went by Cookie was more intent on not allowing Pepe around the puppies.  Pepe would stand on the arm of the couch to look in at the new babies and Cookie would growl and carry on.  I moved the Pen where he couldn't look in.  I didn't want to upset Cookie.  The pups could care less.

When Cookie would go outside to do her business she made sure it was quick.  I had less than two minutes to sneak out a pup and let Pepe smell it.  Pepe didn't try to hurt it but he did try to paw at it to play and that was too rough.  I think Cookie knew that as a man he didn't know how gentle to be so she just wouldn't let him near the puppies.  These were their babies but she was their protector, their mother. 

When the pups were about a week old I had Cookie and the puppies out on the couch under the covers and Pepe would get so courious he couldn't stand himself.  He got about a foot away and that was that she attacked him!

To save Pepe I scooped him up as fast as I could but took a bullet for him, Yes I got bit.  Cookie was not aiming for me but she meant business. 

To say the very least that never happened again.  Because I knew better.  Cookie became calmer as the puppies grew older.  At about 3 weeks I had the puppies out on the floor and Cookie was within an inch of the pups.  Now she would let Pepe smell the babies but that was all.

At 4 weeks, Cookie started to distant herself and allowed Pepe some play time with the puppies.  Now I could see that Pepe was a little rough and watched him closely, not to let him accidently hurt a pup.  He never had intentions of hurting a puppy, but he could. 

My adivse to you is let mom take care of the puppies for the first three weeks with out any worry of she would concieve as a threat.  This means keep her puppies away from the others including Daddy and people who are not immediate family. 

You are going to miss her so much, but she is busy.  Give all that attention that she use to get, to Daddy.  He feels left out.  Pepe did not mind Cookie being aggressive but he would egg her on.  She couldn't intemidate him and he wanted to be close to her no matter how mean she got.  Pepe loves Cookie and wanted to see their little miracles too!  She said "NO".

Pepe stayed next to the whelping box for 6 weeks, protecting Cookie and the puppies.  Cookie stayed in the whelping box and only left to go to the bathroom for 3 weeks.  I fed her inside the box.  I offered her water several times a day with a glass.  I never left a bowl of water in the box for the fear of a puppy drowning.

It was a success.  The pups were happy, healthy and playful.  The loved shared by Cookie and Pepe is obvious.   By the time the pups were 6 weeks old it took two parents, Pepe and Cookie to keep up with the puppies exploring.

    HOW DOES MOMMY FEEL ABOUT THE PUPPIES GOING TO A NEW HOME?