Week old pups - should mum leave them at this age?

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Patches

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I've never bred puppies myself but was quite shocked by something at the school this afternoon.

Girl (didn't look the brightest type, bit rough etc) had a Jack Russell on the yard. I stroked it (well she jumped up me so I couldn't resist). Owner excuses her jumping up me by saying it was because she's "fussy as she's got pups at home". I asked her how they were and she said a week old today.

I roughly know where they live and the walk to school and back would have her separated from her pups for an hour to an hour and a half, probably closer to the latter.

I couldn't help but just say in response "Awww, she should be with her babies." but realise that as I've never bred any pups it might be perfectly normal.

So, my question is, is that normal?
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I wouldn't think it would be....she could quite easily bring something nasty to her babies could she not?
Though I may be completely wrong as well.
 
I think it depends on the dog.
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Our german shepherd deserted her pups the day after she had them, for half an hour to 3/4 of an hour, she wouldn't miss feeding the horses with my dad.
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I don't remember the collie we had leaving them alone when her pups were young though.
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I thought it might affect bonding as well, never mind anything else.

Must admit, she didn't even look like she'd had pups. There was no "milk bar" sagging (I think that's what you call it). She said she'd got eight puppies.
 
Isn't it different if the dog leaves them by choice though? She said hers was fussy because she was fretting at being made to go for a walk.
 
can only say that the pups were fine and she did a good job of raising them despite her frequent habit of deserting them for horse duties.
 
Arrr that's great to hear. Maybe I'm worrying over nothing. Just seemed a bit odd.

Can't imagine the pups are anything nice either......indiscriminate breeding again. She said they didn't know who the dog was. Their girl got out of the garden a few times and then ended up with pups.
 
My whippet bitch left her puppies within a couple of days, she was desperate to come for a walk with me and the other whippet. By week 2, she did not want to sleep with them and she just visited to feed them, do a head count and clean them up. I let her choose when she wanted to be with them and when she wanted to be with us. They were warm and safe, so it was not a problem. My mothers Doberman bitch was a better mother to them to be honest.
 
Depends on the bitch really, day 1, 2 and 3 the bitch is usually very protective and reluctant to leave the whelping box and pups even for food or water. Towards the end of the first week and second mine will usually leave the pups to lie outside of the whelping box or outside in the sun for an hour at a time.

So not abnormal but I wouldn't want to restrict the bitches access to the puppies, she should be able to see them at any point. Though I understand that if they had nobody at home to keep watch perhaps they brought mum away so that she didn't squash any puppies in their abcence.
 
I have had bitches who have been happy to leave the pups for quite long periods when pups were only a week or two old. However 2 things concern me about the JR you mention, firstly the bitch is being taken away from the pups rather than having free choice to come and go, and secondly I would be very concerned about the bitch picking up something nasty and taking it back to the pups. The fact that she doesn't seem to have much milk would make me wonder if she is getting stressed and could end up losing her milk.
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WOW should be way longer then 1 week! Well maggies mom was! Crikey! Yeah and as for passing infections, they have aa very weak immune system so should be kept with them so cant pass anything on to them!
 
To be seperated or a break...fine...to be taken for a walk off your own land/garden, not something I would recommend
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this is leaving the puppies highly suseptible of picking up viruses/infections that mother could carry home.
 
i wouldn't take my bitch that far away from them and for that amount of time too, 8 pups for a jack russell is a bit much! They obviously havn't had any experience and havn't read up on breeding either to prepare for the pups. I hope they get her spade after this
 
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