shi tzu-first litter of puppies

Question
why would a dog kill their first litter of puppies? and would it be likely to happen again. is there a way to prevent this from happening?

Answer
Hi Pam:

There are several possibilities as to why this happens: one, often a novice mother simply becomes too vigorous in cleaning up the placenta & in her hurried attempt to do so mistakenly ingests the puppy along with it. Also if she's older then 3 years & this was her first breeding, it's been found that breeding beyond this age for the first time often results in this behavior. It's unknown if the new mother simply doesn't have the necessary maternal instinct or if she somehow views the litter as edible or if she somehow resents them -- either way it's an extremely unfortunate situation. Some dogs will do this while whelping, just after or even as long as several weeks later. There's no actual cure for this other than obviously taking away the litter & raising them yourself & in my opinion, if it happens once it's likely to happen again. My personal feelings are that if a bitch exhibits this behavior it's not a trait I want to reproduce so I would immediately have her spayed to prevent any future breedings. Some dogs simply don't make good mothers, just as some people don't! I would just keep her as a pet & if you want to pursue breeding I'd advise you to find another female from a reputable breeder who can provide you substantial background & also be somewhat of a mentor for you. My most sincere condolences on this occurrence -- I know it must be very heart-breaking.