Hi, my bro is going to mcichigan and his dog just had pups. We are going to take care of them but mom has never met us and never been to our house! I'm scared that mom will eat her pups to protect them from this weird place she's never been before.

Congratulations!

The Dogs Experts will wander in when they come online and will check this category. Meanwhile, I'm thinking your brother should include the dog's bedding and other things that smell like home. I'm guessing it would be a good idea to limit her to just one room, like a spare bedroom, so she can get used to that and so the pups won't wander all around and get lost. How long will she and her pups be at your house?

She shouldn't unless she is extremely stressed.

Is she a fairly laid back dog? Does she get on well with strangers? If so you should be fine.

Generally when people have a dog with a litter handling the puppies from birth is needed (to get weights and measurements) but in this case I would just keep an eye on them, only intervene if you have to.

Mom should keep the whelping box pretty clean but if it does get messy try giving mom some treats and lots of love while you change the blankets, and try not to touch the pups. I would suggest splitting the box in half and putting a blanket on each side so you can change half at a time and just shuffle the pups over.

The dogs will be here till after new years so two weeks my brother did bring things that smell like home too. Thanks!

Thanks but there is one problem. She doesn't have a whelping box! Just toys a water and food bowl and blankets. She is in a garage which is blocked by a baby gate so the litter's dad, my dog, and my cat don't get to her.

How old are the pups? Putting them in a garage is really not a good idea. Puppies can't regulate their heat. They need a warm place. Garages aren't known to be warm.

The garage isn't warm but there are blankets in there I also expressed this problem to my mom and she said they'll be fine plus they are constantly huddled together. They are 3 days old

They won't be fine, even with blankets, at 3 days old.

There's a reason that breeders have heat lamps for their puppies. Blankets aren't enough. Huddling isn't enough. They need to be warm.

Is there another room in the house they could stay? Is your brother bringing all his breeding gear over? I would think that as a breeder he'd be more concerned about the welfare of the puppies. I've never heard of a breeder that leaves 3 day old puppies to live in a garage without a heater or a whelping box.

The spare room belongs to my other dog my parents room is off limits my room too the kitchen is an of course not. The only other room we have is colder then the garage it's the freezer! My bro brought a child gate to block off the room a cardboard box

Why is your room off limits?

How long is this supposed to last, with your family keeping the puppies?

The puppies are very vulnerable this young. Think about lying in the garage on the cold floor, without your clothes on.

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The spare room belongs to my other dog my parents room is off limits my room too the kitchen is an of course not. The only other room we have is colder then the garage it's the freezer! My bro brought a child gate to block off the room a cardboard box

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Move the other dog to the garage, and move the puppies and mom into the spare room. Get your brother the "breeder" (and I use the term loosely) to invest in a whelping box and heating lamp. If not, tell him that he risks the death of all the puppies. They're too young to regulate their body heat. If left in the cold garage with only a blanket for warmth, you'll soon be on this forum asking why all the puppies are dying. Harsh, but true.

This is why people that aren't breeders, shouldn't breed. :(

My room is off limits because the xmas tree is in there.

Its to late my brother is already on the plane flying to Michigan. My parents are set on them in he garage and we now have the freezer room which is next to the garage stuffed with towels so no cold air gets through there is an extra blanky also.

We can't move my dog because it is basically her room. If we switch them my other dog will snap and kill the puppies while trying to get them out of their territory. This is just a guess but I know my dog. We now have a small heater in that room.

In which state do you live?

I also want to know if it is normal for the dogs too be squeaking kind of like mice at this age. They are blue heelers :). 4 of them 3 days old. They kind of look like cow hamsters lol. Ps I don't think they'll die its now warm in there. Well kind of - _-

Its also a problem becase if the mom dog was in my room she would snap when I tried to go in there and sleep.

I've been around newborn kittens and also domestic mice, and all "squeaked" as newborns, so I'm guessing new puppies do too. Where does your brother keep the new family at his house?

In a corner at the hall but they are in our house now in a corner with a baby gate blocking the room. The mother dogs food and water dish are in there along with some toys. There are three blankets with the moms bed on top in there too

My brother is much older and is living somewhere else. We are babysitting the pups while he goes to Michigan.

Washington

Basically your options are:

Buy a heat lamp

Or

Give the mom and pups to the shelter

Using lots of blankets is all well and good for people, but because puppies simply cannot regulate their body temperature until 2 weeks of age, blankets are useless, the environment needs to be at the right temperature.

A whelping box is a must.
What are they being kept in at the moment? You need a box with 3 high sides and one side with a shorter section for the mother to step in and out of.
You need to watch every time the mom gets in and out of the box to make sure she does not step or lay on any puppies.
Pig rails are also good for larger dogs as they protect the pups if mom lays on them also.

The box should only ever have FLAT blankets on the bottom. If the blankets are scrunched up or covering puppies they can easily suffocate.
I will attach a picture of what I consider to be a very good whelping box.

http://whelpingboxstore.com/images/uploads/large.jpg

My parents refuse to spend money on another dog. And of course we won't give them to a shelter. We has a heater directly on the pups. With third blankets but no box.

A space heater??

I don't know it is a small one about a foot high and a foot wide probably less.

It is blowing on the mom and pups from hmmm 3 feet away.

That's not a fire hazard? What if the mom knocks it over?

Its square and so cannot be knocked over more like a rectangle actually... it is not by anything that can catch fire. It is also hot air but just mildly hot. It would take much more warmth for it to be a fire hazard.

Not good enough.

I realize you're only 11, so maybe you don't understand, but puppies cannot regulate their body heat. That means that they cannot be in a cold room. They have to have heat lamps. They need a warm place, not blankets, not a small space heater that only slightly warms the room.

If by some miracle these puppies make it, than please, tell your brother to spay his dog so that there are no more unwanted puppies. Breeding costs money, and it takes knowledge. If he's not willing to invest in the proper equipment, than he shouldn't be breeding.

He is going to spay the dog and actually I understand quite well. The problem is since I'm so young I can't just move the dogs. My parents have to agree which sadly they don't.

Also, the garage isn't the type your thinking of. Its not the place located directly by the door to outside where people park there cars. It is connected to the living room through a doorway that has no door. It is a few degrees colder in there.

But the pups will survive

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but the pups will survive

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I hope so, but it's not a given. Far from it.

Without a heat lamp, there's a far greater risk of illness, and a far greater risk of death. Puppies are fragile health wise to begin with, even with the proper care and the proper equipment. Without it, there's definitely an increased risk.

I do realize pet lamps are important but I'm afraid my bro and my family just don't want to buy one I feel when I pick them up that the pups are warm and it is now that we've added heat a fairly warm room.

Excuse me when I said pet lamps I meant heat lamps but I would also like to know what those are.

Here's a picture. This is the set up that's the best. Whelping box, and heat lamp.

Attachment 34575

There are many different heat lamps on the market. It's usually what the breeder prefers, or what they've found works best. Any place that sells whelping boxes will also have heat lamps.

OK ill try to get my parents to get one.

You can make a whelping box. There are tons of great designs that you can get off the internet. Sadly you can't make a heat lamp.

Please keep us posted. I really do hope it all works out, but I'd be lying if I said I wasn't worried. I am very worried for these puppies.

Bla, I have chosen not to respond to this thread until now. Please forgive me but I get upset when I read threads that I know right off the bat are from backyard breeders. Here on AMHD, members reserve the right to answer the questions we feel like answering since we aren't paid for our time.

For 11 years old, you are very grounded. You are much smarter than many adults that I have met. I have a suggestion. Call your local pet store(s) and see how much a heat lamp will cost. Tell them the situation, that you are a kid, and can't afford much. This way, hopefully they won't take advantage and attempt to sell you their most expensive model. Although I am sure your parents have already bought your xmas presents, ask them for money for xmas so you can buy a heat lamp. If they refuse, ask them if there is a chore you can do around the house that you can get paid for so you can buy the heat lamp immediately. There is a good possibility they will respect the fact that you are acting like an adult, willing to work in exchange for helping keep the puppies warm & comfortable and are concerned about ensuring they are given the best opportunity for survival. When your brother gets home, tell him what you did and that you would appreciate his paying you back for the heat lamp out of the money he receives selling the puppies. If he refuses, don't give him the heat lamp. Either keep it or donate it to your local shelter.

You are a very good person for attempting to do the responsible and adult thing when the adults around you are not. It saddens me they are setting such poor examples, especially at a time of year when we are surrounded by people helping each other by donating either time or money. I can't imagine a worse Christmas morning than waking up to finding a dead puppy. I hope they all survive and I wish you a Merry Christmas and a very Happy New Year.

*edit*: regarding a whelping box, you can do an internet search as Alty suggests to find out how to build one, or you can ask someone at the pet store how much their cheapest whelping box costs. If it is too expensive at the store & too difficult to build yourself, ask the person at the store if they have any boxes that they are planning on throwing away that could work well as a whelping box that you can attach the lamp to. If they don't have anything, maybe your vet will have something you can borrow.

Thank you for the help and I hope you a wonderful xmas. The only think I have been considering is that dogs have been having puppies outside in harsh weather for thousands of years. Animals such as baby chickens do need an inkibator(sp?) to keep