Mother moving puppies

Question
Our bullmastiff recently gave birth to a litter of 9 puppies but one was stillborn and 2 died because their body temperature wouldn't increase. We crossed her with our male neapolitan mastiff. At first she was very protective and wouldn't leave their side but now she seems to constantly want to be away fom them. We have them in a small room with a pen built around the outside of it. The other day she dug a hole right under the house and tried to move them there, she had only moved one by the time i heard it screaming and moved it back, we think the father may have gone into the room and disrupted her. We started locking her in the pen but that didn't work out well, she now tries to get out all the time and has dug a hole in their and moves them into the hole where they get covered in dirt and slightly buried. So we have been frantically running backwards and fowards letting her in and out of the pen when she barks and making sure she doesnt bury them alive! what can we do about this problem? the puppies are almost a week old and i hate hearing that high pitched screaming noise they make when she has their heads in her mouth and it looks horrible too. is there any way that we can stop the problem of her wanting to move them? we have work tomorrow and cant be running in and out of the house to let her in and out of the pen and cant lock her in the room in the pen because it becomes very messy.

Answer
Hi Leigh

She's letting you know she's doesn't feel that the pups are safe where they are.  But you have to convince her otherwise.  It's common for Mothers to move their off-spring and picking them up by the head is one way she'll do it.

If she has the pups outside, chances are when you come home, the pups won't be were you want them to be.  A whelping box would have be ideal, but honestly, a little mess for a few days until she gets control of herself is a small price to pay.   Line her room with newspaper to help with the mess otherwise when you get home from work, you are going to be searching for pups.

Good luck