Do Mother Dogs Miss Their Puppies? - Before And After Separation

As we stated in the introduction, it is easy to attribute human emotions and responses to dogs. While this can be fun and is often an important part of our interaction, it is essential we understand there is a difference. If we treat a dog as if they were fully human, we negate some of their innate dog instincts which can be harmful to them. A basic example would be to think a dog is disgusting for licking their private areas in public, even though this is important canine behavior.

At the same time, we also need to recognize that dogs are animals capable of emotion. They may not be as complicated (i.e. evolved) as human emotions, but they are still valid and important. Does this mean dogs have an emotional connection to their puppies?

When a mother dog gives birth, she will look after everything they need. She will feed them with her milk, move them to safe spaces and even help them to defecate. They do this naturally and are able to provide due to hormonal changes in their body. Not only do they provide practical support, but they also start to teach them necessary behaviors they will need as an adult dog.

The question this proposes is whether this behavior is because they care or because it is a natural instinct. The answer is that these two things are not that different. We human beings care for our offspring, but our bodies go through similar hormonal changes during birth.

We can say, however, that a dog's emotional response to their offspring is not as complex, although no less wonderful. For example, when a puppy is born with birth defects or is not as strong as their littermates, it is common for the dog mother to kill and eat this puppy. For some this can seem emotionally callous or even morally wrong, but this is why applying human codes of behavior to dogs is wrong. The dog is only doing what is best for her and the litter.

Another important factor is what happens after the newborn puppies are weaned. When the weaning process ends, the mother dog will start to reject her puppies. This is an important part of their development so they can learn to fend for themselves. In the wild, dogs can stay with the original pack in which they were born. However, it is common for males to move to start a new pack of their own. In these cases, it is a natural behavior and isn't likely to cause the mother dog any stress.

With all of this in mind, we can take a look at some of the situations in which a mother dog might miss her puppies. By looking at them more closely, we can understand what they might be feeling.