Cross Breeds

When a mother dog takes out one of the puppies and pees on it, is she abandoning the puppy? What should i do?

At first, she would take the puppy out of the crate and feed it by itself in a hidden area (under a bed or desk). Now the mother takes the puppy out, pees on her (or near her), then goes back to the rest of the puppies leaving the puppy alone. This has been happening for a couple weeks and they're a month old. The dog is a first time mother.

Public Comments

1. No, the mother is not abondoning the puppy. It is only leaving its smell mark where the puppy was left. It is in fact teaching the puppy after easing. In case it does not return on its own, the mother would search for it. I presume, since this is happening for quite some time, you could have discovered return back of the child
2. Yes, she is marking the puppy, probably instinctual so it will be safer. Have you given this dam any extra calcium? I suggest you give her some calcium with magnesium. It sounds like she is being over taxed nursing and this is pretty typical of dams when they get low on calcium. Also start supplementing and feeding these puppies at 3-4 weeks. 45 years raising AKC champions