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Originally Posted by labman

I would be interested to know how much there is behind that slick floor idea. sounds to me like one more myth of the 50's. Since we don't host breeding stock, I haven't seen the instructions for puppies. Although they often line them with papers or towels, I know my friends sometimes leave part of the dog guide school's ultra slick fiberglass whelping boxes bare. Many tile floors are just as slick as hardwood.

Are those the same books you built the little box out of?

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I'm sure it was. When I found out Ava was pregnant I went to the library and got every single book they had on whelping puppies haha so I'm not sure which info went with which book, I just took notes from each book.

Well that is great that hardwood floors are okay :) The puppies are getting so big, that little whelping room isn't doing so great anymore. It's getting harder to separate potty area, sleep area, and play area. So I could turn that room into a strictly potty room, and they could have the run of the kitchen. :)

Thanks flcutiepye :)

Yeah I don't know if I want them to roam all over the house haha... there are too many hazards they could get into. We leave the basement door open so our cats can go up and down, so I wouldn't want them to fall down there. My daughters playroom is downstairs, so there are tons of things they could get into there. Not to mention I would rather keep them close to their potty area, to avoid them going to the bathroom everywhere.

I was more referring to playtime, and introducing them to new areas.

If it were warmer outside I wouldn't worry about taking the puppies outside. But I am in Ohio, so it's cold haha I just want to make sure it's okay to take them outside for short periods.

The puppies respond to me when I am bringing food or when my daughter is getting ready to come in a play... they love her :) Now when I step into their room they go crazy, pulling on my pants biting my toes haha... the go nuts until I sit down with them, then I am their own personal jungle gym haha!

One puppy has a for sure home with one of my friends, she has a 2 year old so she is wanting a puppy that can grow with her daughter :) She wants the little gray boy with the white stripe down his head. I have 2 more friends interested, they will be coming to see them. I haven't advertised them anywhere because they still have 4 weeks here, so I figure I might as well wait until they are closer in age to being able to go to a new home before I advertise them. And I want people to be able to sit with them and see their personalities... as they are growing into their own everyday. There is one, that's my favorite... a little girl, she is very shy and quiet, then there is a little boy that is a mama's boy... he always wants Ava haha.

Sasha's pregnant again?? Wow, Tyson got to her again? That's crazy... don't get me wrong, I think the puppies are great, but I couldn't put Ava through that again haha she is scheduled to be spayed on Feb 14th... Valentines Day haha no more puppies for us, as we weren't expecting this litter!

Prospective parents' visits are a good source of strangers for the puppies. It also give you a chance to evaluate them.

Yeah, I totally agree with you labman, and that is what I plan to do... have people that are interested, come visit with the puppies and talk to me about the puppy's potential new home and new owners.

The puppies go for their first set of shots this week, so I definitely want to wait until they have those shots before I bring unknown people into the house with them.

Okie dokie... need some more advice or insight if you have any :)

The puppies are now 5 weeks old (can you believe it!). They are doing great with softened puppy food.

My problem is that I know the books said at this point I needed to start transferring their dependency from Ava to me (people). And they seem to be doing that. Anytime I step into their room they are all over me because they know I bring their food. But they still cry and whine when they see Ava.

Ava is really over them I think. It is getting harder and harder for me to get her to go in the room with them. I basically have to drag her, then the pupppies attack her and try to nurse. They are so big, Ava can't lay down anymore to let them nurse, she just stands up and they all hang under her.

I tried to leave her out all day yesterday, but she started actively leaking milk from her teats this morning, so I just put her back in with the puppies.

The books said to try and prevent nursing from 5-7 weeks, but to put Ava back in with the puppies after they eat and at night... so how am I to prevent nursing?

When would it be okay to allow Ava to stay away from them and end their dependency to her?

I know what you mean about the puppies attacking mommy! We would take Sasha out of the puppy room & when we brought her back in, the puppies all bombarded her & tried to feed all at once! Sasha is also small like Ava & would stand while the puppies were under her nursing! The puppies got too big to nurse off Sasha when she was laying down!

"Anytime I step into thier room they are all over me because they know I bring their food."-- The puppies did the same to us! They would go CRAZY when we walked into the puppy room! When I sat with them, I was bombarded with 11 big puppies! They would climb all over me & bite at my feet & clothes! Lol

The only thing I can think of to stop the puppies from nursing is to buy a dog shirt/sweater for Ava.

"When would it be okay to allow Ava to stay away from them and end thier dependency to her?"-- I think 5 weeks. Just allow Ava to go in there to make sure they are warm enough. Also, I left the puppies w/ some stuffed animals & they loved it! I actually had Sasha lay with the stuffed animal so her scent would be on it!

The puppies are ALWAYS going to try to nurse off mommy, even if they are full! We took Sasha to the park & our friends brought 2 of the puppies to play. The puppies would not leave Sasha alone! The puppies were almost 3 months old & had been away from Sasha (in a different home) for a little over a month! They kept running in between her legs to try to nurse off her! Sasha was like, "damn it!! I thought we got rid of all of the puppies & now they're back!!" lol! Actually, even at 6 months of age, the puppies still tried to nurse off Sasha! She didn't have any milk at the time, but they still tried to suck on her nipples!

POST MORE PICS OF THE PUPPPIES!!! =o)

So the puppies are completely weaned from Ava and doing great :)

Now on to my next concern... man you all are probably sick of me haha!

Since having the puppies Ava lost SERIOUS weight. Now, of course, I know that is to be expected after carrying such a large litter, and nursing them all. But she looks borderline emaciated!!
She isn't nursing the puppies anymore, and is back on regular dog food vs puppy chow. I would have thought she would start gaining weight, but she hasn't. (I will get a picture of her tonight and load it... you all saw my proud pictures when I rescued her, so you can see how small she is now).

Are there any suggestions to help her safely gain weight?

If I don't see a drastic change this week (as it will be over a week since she stopped nursing) I am taking her to the vet to make sure everything is okay.

I mean she is acting fine, not lethargic, eating well, drinking well... she just isn't gaining any weight :(

Maybe go back to the puppy chow. Would she eat more if you gave it to her?

Yeah she eats a lot. When she was on the puppy chow and was nursing, the books said to give her 3 times the amount she usually eats, and give it to her more often so she would get the nutrition she needs while nursing. So I did that. Then when the puppies were fully weaned I switched her back to dog food, but I kept her portions big because she is so skinny and I was hoping that since she was done nursing, she would put weight on... but she hasn't.
She is just so skinny :( I mean her middle goes in so much that her hip bones stick out. Maybe I'm just being over protective, but I keep comparing her to when I first got her and she was thick and muscular (although now I realize she was pregnant at that time, although we didn't know).

I will have my husband help me take a good picture of her tonight and maybe let you guys be the judges, but I really think she is too skinny, and nothing I do is helping put weight on her.

As long as an under weight dog will eat more, pile it on as long as you have no reason to suspect a medical problem. Most of my Labs get 3-4 cups of Pro Plan adult. Lucky needed more like 6 to maintain a lean body. Peggy came to me at 7 months and 55 pounds with her ribs clearly showing. It took 7 cups of Pro Plan a day before I saw much difference. At that rate, she gained 15 pounds over the next 2 months before I cut back.

Thanks Maxs Mom for the information. I really enjoyed reading about you experience and had a good laugh as I can relate to some of what you said. I no longer feel like the long ranger.