wheening puppies

Question
my Shih Tzu puppies are 6 week old and the mom no longer wants to nures them.  i have to lay her down to nurse them  So i have tried puppy food( Royal Canine baby puppy food small bites)  and they seem to like it o.k. However they don't eat very much at all.  they are 1 1/2 lbs is the runt, 2 lbs, 2 1/2 lbs and 3 lbs.  How do i start this process.  Whenever they see or here the momma dog they go nuts and attack her to nurse.  Should i seperate them for the day and only have them nurse 2 times a day?  They like the water they drink that fine.  Should I leave the food out for them all day or just bring it out 3 times a day.  thank you Sindy

Answer
Hi. Soak the food in water before giving it to them. I would seperate mom some during the day to give her a break. Do this for a few days to get the pups use to eating food. If mom doesn't want to nurse them at all anymore, then go ahead and completely wean them. It'll take them a few days to get the hang of it, but they will. I'd offer the pups food three times a day. If mom wants to nurse just once or twice a day, then that's fine as well. Just continue to offer them food 3 times daily. They won't starve, trust me.:-)