The Bulldog in this video is encouraging her puppy to play. The puppy is very young still, and still not quite steady on his feet, but is coming along. This is a vocal puppy. Mom seems to be doing something the puppy dislikes, and he tells her so in so many words. Mom is very patient. She backs off until her pup’s anxiety subsides. Glenda Taylor in The Nest writes about how dog moms care for their puppies and educate them.
How mama dogs care for their puppies
From their first breath, the mom licks and cleans her puppies so they are stimulated to breathe and to nurse. If the puppies are separated from her for whatever reason, the mom would whine to let her human family know. Before the puppies open their eyes, if one of them scoot in a direction away from Mom or away from the litter, the mom would get nervous. She won’t let strange dogs approach her pups, sometimes not even the puppies’ father. If she senses threat, she would put herself between her babies and danger.
Like the mama in this video, dog moms nuzzle their young ones and might put her face very close to theirs. If they want to climb up and sleep near her neck, she would lie very still. Even after the puppies are weaned, mama dogs might still snuggle with them.
She also has the role of educating her puppies. If they get to rambunctious in their play, she would let them know in no uncertain ways. When dogs live in the wild, they would look for food to feed her young, but when they live with us, that’s not necessary. Instead, she shows her care by carrying a doggie toy and leaving it where her puppies will find it. You can read the entire article by Glenda Taylor here. Have you witnessed a mama dog caring for her puppies? Feel free to share it in the comment on the bottom of this page.
Article source: Glenda Taylor in The Nest
