Pet Information > ASK Experts > Dogs > Dogs > my Jack Russell just had puppies

my Jack Russell just had puppies

19 10:36:20

Question
My five year old female Jack Russell Terrier just had her first batch of puppies. She had six in total. She had them last Sunday, four days ago. the puppies haven't opened their eyes yet but they all look healthy. Lately, the mother has been taking the runt of the pack, the last to be born, out of their bed and trying to give it to a member of my family. She just started doing this tonight and I'm wondering why she would be doing this.

Answer
I cannot imagine why she would be doing that, but I would guess that there might be something wrong with it.

Her whelping box should be set up in such a way that she cannot get out of it. Just the fact that she is hauling one of the puppies around means that she might decide to leave it somewhere and it could die if it gets chilled. Or she might decide to move the entire bunch somewhere else. They MUST be kept at temps around 90 degrees the first couple weeks as newborns cannot regulate their own temperature.