QuestionI just got a baby basset, she is 6 weeks and when she was with the mother. She
baby never left the nursery. She just whines all the time really. I move her
around, indoor outdoor, rock her, shh her, talk to her, play, feed and water her. I
don't want to take her back but I think she might be missing her momma. Am i
right or is there something I should be doing?
AnswerHi Heather,
Quite honestly, the best thing you can do at this point is to stop treating her as a human child. Puppies don't need to be rocked, they don't need to be talked to constantly, they don't need to be carried. They aren't raised in a nursery, they are raised in a whelping box. You brought a puppy home much, much too early and it is now your job to act as a surrogate DOG mother. The quicker you can get your head wrapped around this the better. If you continue on as you're doing you will raise a dog with behavioral problems.
A responsible breeder will not remove the litter from the mother until 8 weeks of age, in many states it's illegal to sell them prior to this.
Here is a website that explains the different learning stages and will tell you what you should be doing and looking for:
http://www.diamondsintheruff.com/DevelopmentalStages.html
It is human nature to try to comfort what we think of as sad animals/people. This is not what dogs do for each other. It is also our nature to coddle very small, new things. Again, not what dogs do. I'm not trying to be critical of you however, you really must start looking at her as a dog, not a human. To not do this will be an injustice to the being you brought home to be responsible for.
