papa wont leave whelping box

Question
My chihuahua's have been togeter since very young,  this is the 3rd litter and now I'm having difficulty keeping papa out of the whelping box.  Should I be concerned about this?

Answer
Hi Chris:

Well, I DO understand your dilemma. I have a similar situation but with me it's one of my other females who seems intent on playing surrogate mother to a litter whelped by a different female. The biggest concern is since papa isn't female & therefore has no maternal instincts he may inadvertently smother or otherwise injure a puppy, especially considering such a small breed. I would do your best to encourage him to stay out of the box for at least the first 2 to 3 weeks to allow the puppies to become stronger & more mobile. You may even have to move the box to a different room which you can close off to him. I'm sure he'll protest & may sit or lie outside the door for hours but you'll have to be strong & determined. Otherwise, I doubt any real harm will come from his presence, unless the puppies will one day need psychological therapy as they're confused about who their REAL mommy is! Provided he plays well with them once they're older it's perfectly OK for him to interact but be wary when food or other jealousy issues are present or if a puppy should bite him too hard with their sharp little alligator teeth & he reciprocates instinctively. They're too fragile for rough play from him but he's unlikely to comprehend this as a female/mother would. You may try getting papa a new chew toy or something that will keep him occupied so he won't feel so alone. Good luck!