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From the moment puppies are born, a mother dog is immersed in a sensory-rich world of scent, touch, and sound that ties her to her litter.
Hormonal surges ensure she is hyper‑responsive to their needs, creating an unbreakable connection in the early days.
In this article we will repeat the same question many times that many owners naturally ask, do mother dogs miss their puppies when they’re gone, or do instincts override emotions?
🔎 Read the full article at Doggozila Magazine on the link below: 👇
🔗 https://doggozila.com/do-mother-dogs-miss-their-puppies/
#puppies #puppylove #dogmom #dogadoption #puppylife #puppyvideos #puppydog #pets
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0:00
You know, it's one of those questions
0:01
that probably every dog owner has asked
0:03
themselves at some point. You watch a
0:05
mother dog pour her entire being into
0:07
her litter for weeks, and then one by
0:09
one, the puppies head off to their new
0:11
homes, and you're left looking at her
0:13
wondering, "What is she feeling right
0:14
now?" Well, the answer is a lot more
0:16
fascinating than you might think. Let's
0:18
get into it. So, do they do they feel
0:21
that pain of loss, that sense of an
0:24
empty nest that we as humans can't help
0:27
but imagine they're feeling? This is a
0:29
question that really gets to the heart
0:31
of what goes on inside a dog's mind
0:33
somewhere between pure animal instinct
0:35
and what we might call emotion. And
0:38
right off the bat, I'll tell you the
0:40
answer isn't a simple yes or no. It's
0:42
way more interesting than that. It's
0:44
really a story about the powerful forces
0:46
of biology, the unique way a dog's
0:48
memory works, and a bond that doesn't
0:50
just end, it completely transforms. To
0:53
really get to the bottom of this, we've
0:54
got to go right back to the beginning,
0:56
back to those first few critical weeks
0:58
of life when that bond between a mother
0:59
and her puppies is about as intense as
1:01
it gets. Just imagine what her world is
1:04
like in those early days. It's this
1:06
incredible storm of sensory information.
1:09
Powerful hormones are just surging
1:11
through her body, hardwiring her to
1:13
respond to every tiny whimper. Scent is
1:15
everything. It creates this unbreakable
1:17
link to each individual puppy. constant
1:20
touch, constant sound, it's all
1:22
confirming for her that her litter is
1:23
safe. This isn't just a sweet, fuzzy
1:26
feeling. It is a deep biological
1:28
instinct screaming at her to keep her
1:30
babies alive. So, let's peel back
1:32
another layer and look at the actual
1:33
science here. What's really going on
1:35
inside her brain that forges such a
1:37
powerful connection? And more
1:39
importantly, what does it mean for what
1:40
she remembers later on? Okay, so a huge
1:44
piece of this puzzle comes down to one
1:46
little hormone, oxytocin. You've
1:48
probably heard of it. It gets called the
1:50
love hormone or the bonding hormone.
1:52
Well, for a new mother dog, her system
1:54
is absolutely flooded with it. It's the
1:56
biological fuel that drives all those
1:58
nurturing behaviors we see, the
2:00
cleaning, the nursing, that fierce
2:02
protectiveness. It's basically the glue
2:04
holding that maternal connection
2:05
together. Now, this is absolutely
2:08
crucial to understand. How she remembers
2:10
her puppies is totally different from
2:12
how we remember things. We humans, we
2:14
store these complex emotional stories,
2:17
narratives, a dog's memory. It is
2:19
overwhelmingly driven by scent. She's
2:21
not sitting there replaying a movie of
2:23
her time with the puppies. Instead, her
2:25
brain creates this incredibly detailed
2:27
scent profile for each one, like a
2:29
unique fingerprint. And that scent
2:31
imprint is so powerful, it can trigger
2:33
recognition years later. This is key.
2:36
But here's the thing. That super
2:38
intense, all-consuming, I'll do anything
2:41
for you maternal phase, well, it doesn't
2:44
last forever. In fact, it's not supposed
2:46
to. Nature has a plan. And that plan
2:49
involves a huge shift in her job
2:51
description from constant nurture to
2:53
tough love teacher. And you can see that
2:56
shift happens so clearly right here. The
2:58
first 3 weeks or so, it's all about that
3:00
intense nurturing and protection. But
3:02
then, right around week four or five,
3:04
something changes. She starts weaning
3:06
them. She'll introduce a bit of
3:08
discipline, a little growl, or she'll
3:09
just get up and walk away. And by weeks
3:11
6 to 8, she is actively pushing them
3:14
toward being self-reliant. She's
3:15
preparing them for the world. And this
3:18
is where we, as humans, can really get
3:19
it wrong. We see her move away from a
3:21
puppy that's trying to nurse, and we
3:23
think, "Oh, she's rejecting him." But
3:25
what we're actually seeing is a master
3:27
class in canine parenting. She's doing
3:30
exactly what her instincts tell her to
3:31
do. She's teaching them survival skills,
3:34
and that is a perfectly healthy and
3:35
necessary part of her job. So, what
3:38
happens next? The puppies have all gone
3:40
to their new homes. The house is quiet
3:42
again. How does she adjust? And what
3:45
happens if they meet again down the
3:46
road? Okay, so let's say a mother and
3:49
one of her grown-up puppies do reunite.
3:51
How does she even recognize them? Well,
3:54
it usually happens in a few distinct
3:56
steps. First, that familiar scent hits
3:58
her nose. That is the primary trigger
4:00
that unlocks that old file in her brain.
4:03
Then that scent is instantly connected
4:05
with all the positive associations of
4:07
those early weeks. And then you might
4:09
see it. Those old familiar social
4:11
behaviors might just reappear like a
4:13
gentle nudge with her muzzle almost like
4:15
an echo from the past. So as an owner,
4:18
what's our role in all of this? How can
4:20
we help her through this big change?
4:22
Well, the most important thing is to
4:24
provide stability. Keep her routine
4:26
consistent. Give her mind something to
4:27
do with puzzle toys or scent games to
4:29
redirect her focus. And of course, lots
4:32
of one-on-one time and play with you
4:34
helps fill that social void. It's all
4:36
about giving her structure and
4:37
reassurance as she transitions back to
4:39
being well, just her. All right, so
4:42
we've covered a lot. The initial bond,
4:44
the science of her brain, and what
4:46
happens when they go their separate
4:47
ways. So, let's circle all the way back
4:49
to that big question we started with.
4:52
Let's get really specific here. When we
4:54
ask if they miss them, are we asking if
4:56
they're pining away, remembering the
4:58
good old days, and feeling a complex
5:00
sorrow the way a human mother would? And
5:02
this is where you can really see the two
5:04
forces at play. On one side, you have
5:07
these purely instinct driven behaviors.
5:09
If a puppy goes missing early on, she
5:11
searches frantically because her biology
5:13
is screaming survival threat. But on the
5:16
other side, you see behaviors that feel
5:18
like something more. Those happy tail
5:20
wagging reunions, a mom who seems to be
5:22
a little gentler with a more timid
5:24
puppy. These things hint at a connection
5:26
that might just go beyond pure automated
5:29
instinct. And that really brings us to
5:31
the most important takeaway here. Maybe,
5:34
just maybe, we've been asking the wrong
5:36
question all along. Maybe a mother dog's
5:39
love isn't measured by how much she
5:41
misses her puppies after they're gone.
5:43
Maybe her love is measured by how well
5:45
she prepares them for the world. Her
5:47
ultimate success as a mother is defined
5:49
not just by nurturing and teaching, but
5:50
by being able to successfully let them
5:52
go. Her job is to make them independent
5:55
survivors. And in that, her love is
5:57
profound, practical, and perfectly
5:59
canine.
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