Maternal behavior in bitches

Maternal behavior plays a major role in the survival of puppies during the first weeks of life, and it may also have a long-lasting effect on their cognitive development. This paper offers some cues and clues that could help the clinician when dealing with newborn puppies.
 

Introduction

Studying mammalian maternal behavior gives an idea of the necessary interactions between a mother and her offspring and the level of dependence between the two, and the behaviors will vary between precocial and altricial species. In the bitch, good maternal behavior is important for two major reasons. Firstly, since puppies are born helpless, deaf and blind, and have limited movement (i.e., an altricial species), they are totally dependent on an external source to survive. For domestic dogs, in comparison to free-roaming dogs and some wild canids, parental care is performed mainly by the dam, so puppy survival is directly affected by the quality of the mothering abilities (assuming no human intervention). Secondly, the mother’s behavior can affect future development of her offspring; although recent studies are not conclusive, maternal quality seems to directly impact a puppy’s cognitive development and performance [1,2,3].

Canine maternal behavior has been studied for many decades [4,5,6], and it is agreed that such behavior is a response to the needs of the neonates. The main aspects involve direct contact (for thermoregulation of the puppies), oral interaction (by licking), and nursing, playing with and disciplining the puppies. However, the impact of maternal care in the cognitive development of dogs is a recent concept, with various studies (1,2,3,7,8) attempting to understand and predict how early interactions between a dam and her puppies can affect the latter’s cognitive abilities, how long-lasting these effects are, and how great the impact is on the future performance and behavior of adult dogs. Consequently, poor maternal care could be the origin for later unwanted behaviors. This review will focus on the common aspects of maternal behavior around parturition and during the first weeks of life, and will discuss how maternal care may influence a dog’s cognitive abilities and temperament.

Impending parturition

Behavior changes in the pregnant dam can appear one or two days before the due date 9, but the signs may or may not be obvious, depending on whether the bitch is primiparous or multiparous. In most cases she will be restless and have a reduced appetite 12-24 hours before whelping. Nesting and digging behavior is more variable and depends on both individual and environmental factors, and the level of human contact [10]. No correlation has been established between the intensity of preparation for whelping and the quality of maternal behavior. Other signs also described include inattention, drowsiness, aggression, anxiety, unpredictability, irritation, and an increased tendency to seek attention from the owner, although some bitches may prefer seclusion. As parturition approaches, the bitch will spend more time in the whelping area. A decrease in body temperature may cause shivering [9], and could explain other behavioral changes, but the use of this parameter as an indicator for parturition is still debatable. A drop of around 1.0 °C has been used to indicate impending parturition [11], but vaginal temperature loggers have shown that this drop does not have a predictive value for the onset of whelping [12].  [...]