I've been reading that Newfoundlands (as well as other breeds) will sometimes, unprovoked and compulsively, move their new litters from place to place after whelping. I can see how this might be a throw-back to wild dogs moving their litters to minimize scent accumulation which might attract predators. Any ideas on what might trigger it in our domesticated companions? How do breeders deal with it?
Nesting behavior
- Thread starter RivNewf
- Start date
Sound Bay Newfs
Active member
I have never had to deal with it. My dam and pups stay put. A mom might move her pups to a safer place, if they were born in a place she did not think was safe for them.
sarnewfie
New member
my last litter with hope, she was actually picking them up and trying to move them.
The theory is that in the wild, they move them to another den due to the scent building up.
Hope however, decided she wanted to move them into the basement wich is off limits to the doggies, and, safer than upstairs i guess! :lol:
The theory is that in the wild, they move them to another den due to the scent building up.
Hope however, decided she wanted to move them into the basement wich is off limits to the doggies, and, safer than upstairs i guess! :lol:
BluwaterNewfs
New member
Sugar tried to move her pups once - she was too warm, so she though they were too warm. THey were less than 24 hours old at the time. We repositioned the lamp that was heating the whelping box she was fine. Left her pups were they were.
Garden_girl
New member
We used to have Rottweilers. After setting up Wally's whelping box in an extra bedroom in our home, she moved every one of her 11 puppies to the walk-in closet, she moved the blankets, too. It was very dark and den-like in the closet and we let her stay there because I think she felt they weren't as vulnerable there-we figured Mother knows best. I knew that she would probably try to move them again if I brought them back out and closed the closet door.
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Has anyone noticed oxytocin causing such behavior? In a recent litter I know of, the mom required a shot the day after whelping and, upon return from the vet, she seemed excited and agitated and moved her pups out of a nice whelping box and under a nearby bed. The owner tried a few times moving the pups back into the box but the mom prevailed. After a few days under the bed she relented and allowed the pups to be moved back to the box. I've heard that oxytocin can increase excitability and wonder if that might have been the cause.
newfvo
New member
As with most behaviours, I believe that "nesting" has more to do with an individual dog then a specific breed. I have never seen a corelation between oxcitocin and increased activity, excitability or anxiety. The bitch you refer to could have just as easily have been anxious from being taken into the vet so soon after having her litter.
I have had Newf bitches that did not nest at all and a few that ripped everything they could get their teeth on to shreds. The same goes for my Frenchies. I truly believe it just depends on the bitch and that specific pregnancy.
I have had Newf bitches that did not nest at all and a few that ripped everything they could get their teeth on to shreds. The same goes for my Frenchies. I truly believe it just depends on the bitch and that specific pregnancy.
dee
New member
I can see the oxytocin causing an acute effect due to the discomfort from the resulting uterine stimulation but nothing to really motivate her to move her pups. Probably the injection post whelp was a 'clean out shot'. Is this a first time mom? That could maybe explain some of her anxious behavior. But I've never had a Newfy mom move her pups from the whelping box over the years. Most tear the blankets, shred newspapers etc just prior to and a shortly after they whelp.
"The Book of the Bitch", a great breeder's reference IMO, states, "Some breeders argue against this injection (oxytocin) being given, as it can seem that a bitch which has been passively content with its puppies becomes excited and stressed again under the influence of the hormone, but this stage soon passes."
This was a 1st time mom. She had 5 pups over about a 5-hour period and the breeder thought she was done. 5 hours later she had another. The next day she was running a fever of 104 and the owner was concerned that there could have been a retained placenta. The vet gave a shot of oxytocin and a round of antibiotics. She recovered quickly.
Without a doubt, the stress of a trip to the vet so quickly after whelping could have been enough to upset the new mom, but oxytocin is a powerful hormone.
This was a 1st time mom. She had 5 pups over about a 5-hour period and the breeder thought she was done. 5 hours later she had another. The next day she was running a fever of 104 and the owner was concerned that there could have been a retained placenta. The vet gave a shot of oxytocin and a round of antibiotics. She recovered quickly.
Without a doubt, the stress of a trip to the vet so quickly after whelping could have been enough to upset the new mom, but oxytocin is a powerful hormone.