Many of the female dogs traveling with humans get pregnant. I’m sure if that happens you will know to feed your dog more. And gets regular exercise. Once she has the puppies they should begin to nurse within an hour or two of birth. The milk contains antibodies from the mother that do the most in the first 16 hours after birth so it’s important they nurse during that time.

The first week they nurse they eat every two hours, the second week every three and by the third every four. Mom cleans them after they nurse (yeah, ew, she eats their poop) so while you should give her a break from the puppies make sure she cleans them first. Three and a half weeks is the earliest you can begin to wean puppies. Mix a good puppy food with water to make it mushy. You might have to encourage the puppies to start eating. You can try dipping your finger in the mushy food and letting them lick or suck it off. If you start weaning at three and a half weeks it should last about four weeks. If you wait to start til five your six weeks it should last two weeks.

Separating puppies too early from their mother and siblings can lead to behavioral problems. They learn how to behave with other dogs by being with their mom and brothers and sisters. If they don’t get enough time with them before being separated, they can grow up to have problems with other dogs. They might be scared of other dogs which isn’t awful but they can also be aggressive to other dogs which, especially if you are outside most of the time, can be a really big problem. Most dog people say between six and eight weeks is the best time to leave their family behind.