Could I get the opinion of an experienced breeder, please?

[HardySwine]

Our cockapoo has recently had a litter of puppies, now six weeks old. She’s been getting fairly fed up with life as a mum and is clearly missing her normal routine which used to be going to work with me.

Over the last week or so we’ve started taking her for short, late-evening walks so we don’t meet other dogs, washing her off carefully before she goes back in with the pups. I know there are breeders out there who say never to do this but I also know that others are far more relaxed and do it for the mental health benefits of the bitch.

The rule for taking dogs to work is that they are fully vaccinated, so I know that they’re all covered. I had always planned to wait until we’d had the puppies’ 8 week vaccinations before taking her in, but I’m starting to wonder if I might do it sooner, giving her a full and thorough bath when we get home. The puppies only tend to nurse at night, so they wouldn’t miss that while she’s out during the day.

Any pearls of wisdom would be much appreciated

When you say take the mum to work how long are you proposing leaving the puppies for ?
I think it is fine to give mum some separate time from the puppies and short walks but someone should always be in house and she should always have the option to return to her puppies at any time.
For mine it was important they had homes to go to at 8 weeks as mum had enough then but they need to be able to spend time with the pups as and when she wants.
The puppies will still want to nurse and it was important with mine to give the smaller ones time with mum to top them up while they were still weaning - some puppies take a long time to get used to solid food
I also wouldn’t let mum be mixing with other dogs outside the household off the lead whilst she still has nursing pups
Not sure this is all based on science but it’s my experience

Thank you. I had wondered how anxious she might get being away from them. She actively avoids feeding them and only asks to be with them to clear up after them (both food and poo!)

I’ve been completely paranoid throughout about her mixing with other dogs so definitely wouldn’t do it if there’s even the slightest chance of her picking something up. I just feel so sorry for her!

The pups need to be with her, you will stress them out by removing her for a long period of time. It's only a few more weeks, it's not going to harm her to put up with it, but it will harm them to remove her.

Mum shouldn’t be prevented from being with her pups before 8 weeks. They’re still learning a lot from her. Very important stage to interfere with.

Are you planning to leave them alone?
You really can’t do that, they are much too young.
I find mum starts to get more & more getting tired with them from about four weeks beginning to spend just a few minutes away which gets longer till about seven to eight weeks. They still need her around though & they really need someone there to feed & watch them. You surely aren’t proposing to leave them unattended in the house, I must surely be mistaken in thinking that?