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Well, Bambi's pups are 1 week old tomorrow. She's doing a really good job of taking care of them. The first few days it seemed they cried all the time which made me think they weren't getting enough milk. She was seen at the vet who said she was healthy (I was worried about an infection). So I changed her food and put a blanket instead of newspaper in the crate and they've been very quiet and comfortable since. She's out walking around now, going outside a few times a day and playing in the pool for a bit. So she's taking really good care of them and herself.
My concern is, she's taking a little too much care for them. She has really changed since they were born. So I know it's just because of the puppies and her natural reaction to want to protect them.
Crate door open or closed, if another animal walks by (even if they don't turn to look at her or anything) she will attack the crate door, growling and snarling. If someone knocks on the door (and she's 2 rooms away from the front door) she'll start barking (which she's never done before). She barks, growls and snarls at any person (or child) who walks by the crate too. I had pest control out the other day and she got so worked up barking and growling at him (who was in eyes-reach but was still 10 feet away) she ended up stepping on one of the puppies and it cried for a good few minutes. She barked at my husband the other day, barking and growling and snarling and spinning in circles (he wasn't even in the same room, he had just walked by) so I went over and gently tapped the door of the crate and told her "no bark". She snapped at me.
We got her on July 26th so had her for just shy of 2 weeks before the pups were born and she was an absolute sweetheart. Played with everyone, loved to be petted. In that time I'm not sure I ever even heard her bark let alone growl or snap at anyone or thing. So I'm 100% positive with a clean bill of health her aggression is her way of protecting her pups. It's natural, I know. But I'm starting to get concerned.
I have a blanket over the crate for a little more privacy. So the only "open" spot is the door and I have a small box fan in front of it blowing in to keep her cool (it's in the 100's here). She's in a room that is not frequently traveled. I mean, you have to walk pass it to get in and out the back door but other than that it's not like other animals or people are constantly walking by her. It's pretty quiet where she is and is the most secluded area in the house (the rest of the house is highly traveled).
At this point, to avoid her actually hurting me, the kids or another animal, I feel like I have two options. But I don't like either one. So I need your advice.
I could leave her crated 24/7 with the exception of when I let her outside to relieve herself. But I don't like that idea because though it's a big crate with plenty of room for her to move around, I just don't like leaving her crated.
My other option is putting her and the pups outside in one of the dog runs. Though they'd be safe from other animals wanting them as dinner (this run has a "top" on it cause it's used for puppies and we have some darn big owls around here known to take off with cats). BUT my concern here is that the pups are not going to get the people and other animal interaction and socialization and they aren't going to learn the "sounds" of the house--vacuum, water running, toilet flushing, kids stomping around, yadayadayada. And not having these things in their lives could make them very shy and timid puppies so they'll be extremely hard to place.
I don't know.......what do you think I should do?
Have you thought about a baby gate across the door so mom is still secluded but allows her to have more room and allows the pups room when they start moving around. And yes it is natural, puppies can change a dog's attitude completely, but normally once they start wondering and getting independent, mom gets better.
The reason dogs are great is they wag their tails, not their tongues.
GRRR This aggression crap is really starting to tick me off. She's attacking everyone and everything accept for me and my 3 daughters. But she went haywire at my 3 year old nephew the other day. And he wasn't anywhere near her or the puppies. She's attacked my cat so much that she won't even come in the house anymore. She growls and snarls at the thunder when it rains!!! And it rained nearly every day the first two weeks we had her and she never even moved let alone get up, spin in circles snarling at thin air!!!! She doesn't listen to a thing anyone says anymore. She used to do all her commands and fast.......I mean, if your lips even looked like you were about to say "sit" she was sitting like a pretty puppy. Used to be you could say, "potty" and she was OUT the door. Now I have to chase her around the house, put her on a leash and drag her outside. And it has nothing to do with not wanting to leave the puppies. You open that crate door and she takes off flying. And in order to get her back in with them I have to put her on a leash and push her back in the crate. This is getting ridiculous and I've had enough of this. I don't know what I'm doing wrong or how to fix it. What the heck???
I'm far from an expert but the dog run sounds the better option because it keeps everyone safe, I have had puppies that came from stables, sheds, cellars etc. and they quickly became used to living in a house and also you seem like you will worry if she is kept crated the whole time. Good luck.
Hi JustAnother,
Just wondering how you're doing with Bambi now?
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