whelping of Female Pit and seperation of male and female during whelping

Question
Help! I have two pitbulls male and female and they are like family. They freely roam the house all day and are never seperated or caged or tied up, My female is about to give birth in about a week. What should I do about the male? Do we keep him away from her and the puppies? I am scared that he may try to bite the new puppies.

Answer
Hi Dez:

I doubt he'd try to actually harm the puppies but you will need to keep him away from them for a wile so that the female doesn't become stressed & she may be the one who harms him! The normal motherly instinct usually kicks in immediately & she will likely not appreciate any other animal being near the litter. Once they're a few weeks old she'll probably become more accepting & tolerant of interaction. Be sure to have her totally isolated when whelping is occurring - a room off the beaten path is usually best. The first few days are especially important for her to have privacy & bonding time with the new litter.


I hope this helps & wish you the very best!