Handling A Puppy – Puppy Care 101
Having a newborn puppy is one of the glorious feelings, someone can ever experience. When you have newborn puppies in your home, the first thing that comes to your mind is “can I touch them?”. When Can You Touch a Newborn Puppy?
Start touching them is the first thing that we all want to do. So, the question is when can you touch a newborn puppy? Well, the answer is quite simple, as the owner, you can touch them as soon as they are born but there are some facts and tips that you may need to consider first.
When Can You Touch A Newborn Puppy?
You can touch them to check their gender or to put labels on them or check if everything is ok. However, you should avoid touching them if you just want to as they are susceptible at this stage.
Every owner wants to touch their new puppies even I wanted to and interestingly, I just never run out of reasons why I wanted to touch them and I think that’s this is something, that everyone wants and feels.
You just can’t stop yourself because they are so cuddly and cute, and I think nobody even can. Everybody will have to agree on this as there is nobody who will deny a chance of touching and holding a newborn. This is a Fact.
You can help your dog in cleaning the puppies and sure they are always safe and warm. More importantly, with the help of this article, you can understand whether it’s ok to touch newborn puppies or not?
I have taken some interviews on this topic and the answer is no and yes. Yes, you heard it right, it depends, touching newborn puppies has its pros and cons, and I feel that I should share this with you.
I hope you will find this article helpful and will leave a comment down below. So without wasting more time, let’s begin.
When Can You Touch A Newborn Puppy?
When Can You Touch a Newborn Puppy?
Now, this is the most certain question, the answer is yes as well as no. Some scenarios are there that allow you to touch a newborn puppy but not many. So, if the following matches with your scenario then you can go ahead and touch your puppy because you will need to.
The following Scenarios in which you can Touch Puppy.
- The times when your dam neglects their newborn puppies.
- If the puppies are neglected by their mother.
- When the mother is sick and unable to feed their newborns or keep them warm.
- If you find something wrong with your puppy or puppies and may need supervision.
- When a mother is trying to harm or unintentionally hurting their newborn puppies.
- When You have to clean the Whelping box.
- When your puppies accidentally moved away from their mother.
- Weighing Your Pups
- When Mother Milk Supply is Not Adequate.
Does it seem like you got an idea of When Can You Touch a Newborn Puppy? Let’s know more in-depth about these points.
The times when your dam neglects their newborn puppies.
Sometimes the dam neglects their puppy and the reason can be anything, maybe she is not in a healthy condition or she is still in pain or other things. At this moment, you are responsible for your dog’s puppies. From cleaning to feeding them, all depend on you, so at this moment you will need to touch and care for them.
When the mother is sick and unable to feed their newborns or keep them warm.
Sometimes mother becomes sick after giving birth to a newborn due to some kind of infection and fails to feed their newborns & keep them warm. This is very rare but if it happens then you have to take the responsibility for her puppies and take care of them.
If you find something wrong with your puppy or puppies and may need supervision.
If you feel one of your puppies or all of them is not in well condition or unhealthy, then you need to touch them and take them to your vet or call your veterinarian for a home visit.
For Further Reading
- 7 Mistakes That Every New Puppy Owner Must Avoid
- Is It Safe To Sleep With Your Pet?
- Home Remedies For Dogs With Arthritis
When the mother is trying to harm or unintentionally hurting their newborn puppies.
There are sometimes when mother unintentionally hurt their puppies by giving too much pressure through her bodyweight without knowing. This happens mostly when she is first
Can the mother completely neglects their puppies?
Yes, they can just like humans. I know you have seen it happening with humans, so there are also instances when this kind of situation happens with dogs.
When Can You Touch a Newborn Puppy?
If you find that your dog is rather staying with you than her newborn pups then it’s alarming, you should consider moving the whelping box near you. By doing so, your dog can be with her newborn pups and continue to nurse while having you near.
This is common to happen with first-time mommies as mostly they have spent most of the time with you. Normally, the first-time mommies would rather stay near you than staying with their newborns.
Do I need to touch them when I will have to clean the Whelping Box?
Yes, of course, you will have to move your puppies by touching them, without touching them it’s almost impossible, right?. When I had the pups, I used to ait for the cleaning time. I don’t know about you but I do love doing this as I am getting another chance to touch the cuddly.
Even after birth, your dog would still have their vagInal discharge for almost 4 to 8 weeks and it will certainly leave some stains and spots on the whelping box. You will need to check the box regularly to ensure your dam is having normal discharge and will not have to face any unhealthy side.
Mom Accidentally moves away from their Puppies
Adding to this, it’s best to clean the box and your dog as it will provide clean and safe surroundings to your pups. The fun part is you will have to touch and move them to do so.
Note: You will need to do the cleaning process fast as you should avoid keeping your puppies away from their mother for a longer period. Don’t expose the puppies and keep them back near their mother.
This is common to happen as a mom has to leave the whelping box to defecate or pee. You may find your puppies looking for their mother. Most of the newborn puppies feel unsafe and start struggling, trying to look for their mother.
In such conditions, you will notice they already moved far from their mother in the box ( if a whelping box has plenty of room for extra movements ). In such a condition, you need to move them back near their mother as soon as she returns to keep the pups warm.
Weighing The Pups
Veterinarians highly recommend weighing your frequently as losing weight is a bad sign and a major risk for puppies. Losing weight indicates that there is something wrong with them and you need urgent assistance, If you notice something like that then it’s time to visit the vet as soon as possible.
You should avoid something like this from happening, so it’s very important to weigh your puppies, once right after their birth, and once a week thereafter.
To avoid this from happening, you will have to weigh in your puppies from the time of their birth and once a week thereafter accordingly. Just remember to hold them with a firm grip and delightedly as they are very sensitive right after their birth.
When Mother Milk Supply is Not Adequate.
This is very rare but still, sometimes, mother’s milk is not enough for the puppies. This kind of circumstances usually happens when a dog gives birth to 12 to 14 puppies.
At this moment, you have to feed them with milk supplements. You should always include milk supplements in your whelping kits, nobody knows if you need to help your dog in feeding her pups.
I know, me too, cannot avoid the chance of touching the newborns but you have to feed the pups by keeping them near their mother. Note: You should have your hand cleaned when you feed them.
Pro & Cons of Touching Newborn Puppies
Handling a puppy is fun but there are some cons as well as pros that are present when you do this. I have shared some Pros and Cons of handling a newborn puppy and I hope that might help you someway:
Pros of Touching Newborn Puppies
When you touch and handle them right from their birth, the puppies will be comfortable and accustomed to having you & a human person around. Just like their parents, they will not have to adjust themselves when they interact with their humans and will feel comfortable and safe.
When Can You Touch a Newborn Puppy?
By handling and checking them, you will be to track their healthy growth. You can track their development once in a week especially their weight to avoid any chances of risks. Plus, the veterinarian also recommends checking the weight of the newborn puppies once a week. Decreasing weight is a serious health concern.
You will be able to check their temperature as well. Generally, newborn puppies don’t have the ability right now to control their body temperature. So, aside from just checking their weight. You should also check their temperature frequently.
Cons of Touching Newborn Puppies
Generally, newborn puppies are certainly very fragile and delicate, so in any event, they slip or falls from your hand, it will result in causing huge problems or even worse like death to the puppy :(. It doesn’t mean that you should hold them tightly, you should hold them gently with a firm grip but with precautions.
Newborns do not get their immunizations until they are 5 to 6 weeks old. So, at this moment, they are vulnerable to Illness. Viruses, Bacteria, and Germs can easily affect their health if your pups are not well protected.
How to Handle Newborn Puppies?
You can also transfer germs and bacteria through your hands by toughing and handling them. So, it’s highly recommended to wash your hand thoroughly with good sanitizer and then touch them to avoid transferring bacteria.
Before you touch and handle your newborn cuddly puppies, there are some points to consider:
First of all, you should check the temperament of the mother. Yes, sometimes you will find them in a good temperament while other times in bad. Even their good temperament can change when their pups are touched or taken by someone and may become aggressive as well. So, make sure she is comfortable when you going for her pups.
I would highly suggest avoiding touching them for the first 2 to 3 weeks, except for some cases like when you have to clean them or feed them. At this stage, they are very vulnerable to illness, and too much touch can transfer the germs and bacteria from your hand to the puppies.
Before going ahead and start touching your puppies, wash your hand thoroughly with good hand sanitizer to avoid any chances of infecting them with germs or bacteria.
After washing your hand, start touching by running your fingers down their back and sides. Avoid sudden lifting. Now put and slide your right hand under the pup ribcage and lift them gently. This is the best way to lift and pick up your puppy.
Avoid tight grip as their bones are not that strong and can be easily fractured if you don’t pick them properly. With a firm grip, make sure the pup doesn’t slip or fall.
Don’t touch them too much, one time in a day is enough, and don’t lift them for more than 5 or 10 minutes as they are very weak and fragile at this moment, and right now they should be with their mother.
Limit the touch to 1 or 2 times a day from the first 3 or 4 weeks and keep them near their mother always.
Will, my dog bite me if I touch her puppies?
Well, It depends, Sometimes they can bite their master if they feel their puppies are threatened by you. Also if she is in bad temperament, the chances are high that they may bite you. If you find that she is trying to hide her puppies then it’s better to avoid touching them.
When Can You Touch a Newborn Puppy?
Conclusion
In this post, I have shared why you should hold and touch your newborn puppies and why you shouldn’t. The choice is always yours if they are your puppy whether to touch them or not. I would say, you can touch them once or twice a day for 4 weeks as I did but keep your hands clean.
There are cons and pros of touching a puppy but I think the cons can be easily tackled. You just need to hold them with clean hands and a firm grip and make sure they don’t slip or fall. If you do this carefully, You can successfully hold and touch them without any cons.
As per the rule of thumb, don’t spend too much time touching and holding your puppies and keep them near their mother always. Plus, make sure you track their development. Check their temperature and weight once a week at least.
If you have any queries, feel free to ask by commenting down below in the comment section. I hope you enjoyed this post if you did then don’t be cheap to share or comment. Congrats to the newborns and Best of luck. When Can You Touch a Newborn Puppy?
94% of pet owners say their animal pal makes them smile more than once a day. In 2007, I realized that I was made for saving Animals. My father is a Vet, and I think every pet deserves one. I started this blog, “InPetCare”, in 2019 with my father to enlighten a wider audience.