When Does a Female Dog Start to Wean Her Puppies?

A mother dog nurses her newborn puppies until they are able to eat solid foods, usually between 4 and 6 weeks of age. At this point, she'll begin to wean the pups off of her milk and onto solid foods, allowing them to nurse less and less. While she'll do this on her own, you can help her by getting the little ones used to eating puppy food.

  1. Weaning

    • Weaning involves transitioning puppies from their mother's milk onto canned or dry puppy food. This doesn't happen overnight and when mom starts to wean them at around 4 weeks of age, she'll still nurse them between meals while they're learning to eat solid foods. The entire process takes around four to five weeks and at the end of it, the pups will be eating a diet exclusively of puppy food, according to the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. This gradual process gives the mother dog's milk supply a chance to dry up while letting the pups start to explore and understand their environment without her constant care.

    Reasons for Weaning

    • Weaning coincides with teething in pups, which begins when they grow their first set of teeth at between 3 and 4 weeks old, according to the Vetwest Animal Hospitals website. When puppies cut their teeth, those sharp chompers make nursing unpleasant and irritating for mom, but they do allow them to chew their food. At this point, she will make herself available less often for the puppies to nurse from by getting up and exercising for short periods of time. She'll also regurgitate some of her own diet as a soft, transitional food for them to begin eating until they can eat fresh solid foods all on their own.

    Helping Mom

    • While a mother dog can handle the weaning process by herself, you can help her out by providing her pups with their transitional diet. This diet consists of puppy milk replacement formula mixed with commercial puppy food to form a mush, advises the VCA Animal Hospitals website. Give the mother dog some breaks from her young when they are around 4 weeks old, by playing some games with her or otherwise occupying her time. While mom is off having some fun, provide the pups with a shallow dish filled with a mixture of puppy formula and either canned food or dry puppy food soaked in water. Over the course of four weeks, reduce the amount of formula you add to the food.

    Considerations

    • While the puppies are being weaned, keep them with mom so she can still nurse them occasionally and teach them important social behaviors. Feed the mother dog a food designed for puppies while she's still nursing the babies to provide her with the extra nutrients and calories she needs to produce milk. During the weaning process for the pups, slowly transition mom back onto adult dog food as well. Keep in mind that when the pups are initially learning how to eat solid food, they may walk in their food and get it all over their bodies. Wipe them clean after meals and put them in a warm, draft-free area to dry.