Animal Welfare Professionals

I volunteer with a "friends of" group supporting a county shelter.  I started fostering a pregnant female dog on Jan 3, after reviewing the anticipated schedule in detail with the shelter vet tech.  I was told that the puppies would stay with me AND the mother for 6 weeks, and then (maybe some of) the puppies would move to another foster situation for 2 weeks for broader socialization.

Three healthy puppies were born on Jan 16, now 3 weeks old.  The vet tech just informed me that she plans to remove the puppies from the mother next week, at just 4 weeks of age.  They are not yet up on their legs, have not yet started eating mush (I will start that once they can wobble over to the bowl).  How concerned should I be about the county shelter's change of plans?  What best-practice guidelines or studies can you point me to about the likely negative impacts of removing puppies at 4 weeks of age?

I'm sure there are other studies out there but here's one based on a 2011 research study I found after a quick Google search:  https://healthypets.mercola.com/sites/healthypets/archive/2011/09/29/puppies-taken-from-litter-too-soon-develop-behavior-problems-as-adults.aspx

Here's another one that lists the Crucial Puppy Development in Weeks 6-8 and the role the mother plays. It's targeted to new owners getting a puppy from a breeder but the issues are the same. https://www.snowdog.guru/early-removal-of-puppy-mother/

Four weeks is WAY too young to take puppies from their Mom.  In the State of Maryland it is illegal to sell or give puppies away before 8 weeks.  At the shelter where I work, puppies can't get spayed/neutered until 8 weeks.  Puppies receive their first vaccines and worming at 6 weeks.  They can't receive a rabies vaccine until 12 weeks.  OCCASIONALLY, we have had a momma dog that was SO THIN, that our vet thought it best that the mom come into the shelter - away from the puppies - and get spayed and adopted.  BUT, the pups were already 8 weeks old.  The longer the pups can stay with their mom, the better.  Even if they're not really nursing anymore.  She teaches manners and "how to dog".  I don't know of any reason to separate them so soon, seeing as how they can't be spay/neutered, or receive any vaccines, yet at 4 weeks.

Thank you for your replies.  The shelter has now agreed to keep the 3 puppies with the mother until 6 weeks of age, at which time the entire litter will be moved to another foster situation for at least 2 weeks.  While this may not match all of the online advice, there is a rationale for this plan -- I have a very low-traffic home in an isolated, rural area.  The puppies will have broader socialization (human and canine) with the next foster family, including dog-savvy children.  By keeping all 3 pups together, the idea is that they will continue to teach each other about proper biting and play behaviors.  This shelter's policy is that animals must be spayed/neutered before going to adoptive homes, and these puppies will be neutered at 8 weeks.  They and their mother will get their first vaccines  during the coming week (puppies 4 weeks).  

That is great news that they are allowing the puppies to stay together and with mom until they are 6 weeks. It is reasonable and smart that they want to move them to a more active environment for more well rounded socialization.

Generally speaking, it seems that keeping the all the puppies together with their mom until at least 6 weeks is crucial to healthy development. However, situations involving rescue animals can complicate things. Breeders, at least responsible ones, carefully select the Who, What, When, Where and Why of their breeding program. In the rescue world...you get what you get.

I fostered a pregnant mom dog who gave birth to six puppies. She was a fearful dog who occasionally lunged or snapped at strangers. At around three weeks old, she began snapping at her puppies over food, toys and when they tried to play with her. Since the puppies were eating mush pretty well on their own already, the shelter and I decided it was probably best to remove her at four weeks old because the cost of her inappropriately aggressive behavior would probably outweigh the potential benefits of her presence.

After she left, I saw two puppies briefly vocalize for their mother. They made distress calls at the walls of their enclosure, which seemed odd at first but since they couldn't find her inside, I guess they directed their calls to 'outside' their home. The puppies stayed with me until they were eight weeks old.

I incorporate a lot of socialization when I foster puppies and kittens so these guys were exposed to lots of noises, surfaces, movements, people, new environments, etc. and had a large yard in which to play with each other. They were all confident, reasonably calm and friendly puppies, however, there were two puppies I often had to interrupt during their playtime outside. They didn't get nasty or even inflict wounds but the spirit of their play would get 'unsportsmanlike' and I would either redirect them to a toy or gently pick one up. Other than that, I did not observe any unusual behaviors while they were with me.

I had the opportunity to meet one of these puppies at 6 months and she was wonderful...a little timid but sweet, friendly and amazingly gentle. Her mom was present at this reunion and they played together perfectly. I wish I had the chance to meet them all as adults but I think the outcome was probably as good as it could have been.

It is probably more important that the puppies remain with at least one other littermate until 8 or 9 weeks than to stay with their mom. Plus, let's be real, not many fosters are set up to keep Mom or all the puppies after six weeks so separation at this age is often necessary.

Good job advocating for your fosters...looks like it all worked out!