My dog is aggressive protecting her deceased puppies. What to do?

One important thing to consider is if your dog has any more puppies inside of her. If you are unsure then I would recommend taking her to the vet for an x-ray to see if any puppies are left. If she has not passed all the puppies by now she will need to have surgery to have them removed. If you were sure she has delivered all the puppies then her behavior is probably just due to anxiety and depression from losing her puppy. Give her lots of attention, love, and affection and she should be fine in a little bit. Help her get back to normal routine as this may help her feel better more quickly. I think it should be fine to let her outside with other dogs as long as you supervise them for the first few minutes to make sure everything is going to be OK. i'm sorry about losing the puppy. I hope this helps.

Hello. This can be very difficult as you are trying to rationalize an irrational situation for her. You can ask your veterinarian for a safe tranquilizer, like low dose Trazodone, & also use a Adaptil ( DAP ) collar. You will need to monitor her 24/7 when the puppies are with her. If she continues to show aggression, you will just have to raise the puppies yourself, & please do not consider rebreeding her. She will most likely not change her behavior. Good luck & thanks for contacting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

I would strongly recommend to get her on an anti-anxiety medicine. If she is this aggressive when she normally wasn't before babies, she could also have something else going on. I would have your vet take a look at her to ensure she is otherwise healthy. Your vet will be able to put her on some anti-anxiety medicine to help calm her nerves. She likely being very protective over her babies or she could be in pain somewhere. I am sorry that I do not have a great over the counter or quick remedy. These things take time. You could give her a calming chew or calming collar but I am afraid these wouldn't be strong enough. Plus, I cannot say whether or not they are safe for a nursing mother. Finally, I would try to arrange a place for her to be when you have your company arrive. If you have to board her or take her to someone else's house, you may need to do this. Having a lot of strangers in her house especially if they are wanting to see her puppies will only stress her out more. I would keep her and the puppis separated from the guests unless you are confident that she is better.

Dogs can become more protective when they have puppies. Unfortunately there is not really a way to stop this aggression as it is instinctual and hormonal. A better option is to keep strangers and other unknown persons and pets away from the new mother. Make sure she feels safe and that her litter is kept in a low traffic and quiet area. The more the mother is stressed, the more likely she will be to show aggression. This aggression will generally decrease as the puppies get older. If her aggression is to the point where she is dangerous or extremely disruptive, you may consider removing her from your breeding program and having her spayed. Always be positive towards her and never frustrated or angry. This is normal behavior for a mother. Best of luck and please feel free to post any additional questions.

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! I am so sorry about Snoppy! Usually there is nothing you can or have to do as long as she is other wise fine. The puppies are either reabsorbed into the body or the dog will pass them. If she was almost full term you can take her to the vet to check for any puppies still present in the uterus with an X-ray. Causes of miscarriage are: uterine infections, brucellosis, genetic issues with the puppies, other viral or bacterial infections and medications Snoopy may have received during pregnancy. If she is sick she should see a veterinarian. Any puppies that are full term and remain in the uterus will cause her to be sick. I wish you the best!

Hi. Thanks for using PetCoach. Since she is not spayed my best guess is that she is having a false pregnancy. If you are not planning on breeding her my recommendation would be to get her spayed. ( https://vcahospitals.com/know-your-pet/false-pregnancy-or-pseudopregnancy-in-dogs ) Best wishes.

If she is taking care of them I would leave them with her. It may cause more stress if you take them away. She is getting aggressive over being a protective mom. Let her finish then you will need to start handling them to help her understand you are helping and giving them back so she gets comfortable