when female stops nursing

Question
Our 4 year old Beagle has had her first litter they are now 8 weeks old and still nursing. We have separated her from her 2 pups. How long before her milk dries up and she can play with her pups again. They can see and touch each other but not nurse.

Answer
Dear Sharon,

Thank you for writing to me about your Beagle.  I am not sure why you have decided to separate the pups from their mother.  There is a strong bond between them and she still has things that she can teach them.  The mother will start keeping the pups from nursing in a natural manner, especially if you provide other means of nourishment for them.  Their teeth will get too large and sharp and she will stop allowing them to nurse.  I would not recommend dramatically cutting the bond.  Let the mother do what comes naturally.

Additionally, I would like to encourage you to spay your dog.  For every heat cycle that happens, the chances of her developing cancer go up dramatically.  Spaying her would be sparing her from these almost certain cancers.  Besides that, for every puppy born, there is one less home for a dog (including Beagles) on death row.  The over population of these homeless dogs is heart breaking.

Best Regards,
Shelley Davis