The BOYZ are learning valuable lessons from Zene. Last night, I watched her take one of their chewies from their puppy playpen and instead of take it away to chew it, she sat right down in the middle of them all -- almost taunting and teasing them with it -- but also in an effort to show them it was hers (low growls) and that they should respect her. I love seeing this approproiate behavior and I know how important it is for the puppy to have some "basic doggie language skills" before they head home.
The below exceprt was posted in a Facebook Vizsla Group, and I was happy to see a well-known breeder on the East Coast comment that she refused to breed one of her girls because she was afraid she would not have any maternal instincts/be a poor brood bitch; much respect for her decision.
Canine Maternal Behavior
Maternal behavior is, thus, almost identical in wild a canids and domestic dogs. Immediately after birth, the mother dries the puppies, keeps them warm, feeds them and licks them clean. The maternal behavior right after birth is controlled by hormonal processes and problems may occur if the female gives birth too early. On the other hand, pseudo-pregnancy causes females to undergo hormonal changes which may elicit maternal behavior in various degrees. Maternal behavior seems to be self-reinforcing. Studies show that the levels of dopamine increase in the nucleus accumbens (a region of the brain) when a female displays maternal behavior.
When the puppies become older, the mother begins to educate them. She gives them the first lessons in dog language about the time weaning begins. Growling, snarling and the various pacifying behaviors are inborn, but the puppies need to learn their function.
The canine mother has three main tasks: (1) to feed the puppies, first with her own milk, then by regurgitation, (2) to keep them clean and warm, especially when they are very young, and (3) to educate the puppies.
A good canine mother is patient and diligent. When the puppies grow, dog owners often misunderstand the mother’s apparently more violent educational methods. She may growl at them and even attack them, but she never harms them. Muzzle grabbing is fairly common. Without the mother’s intervention, the puppies would never become capable social animals and would not be able to function properly in a pack (a group of wild dogs living together is in English called a pack). When the puppies are about 8-10 weeks old, the mother seems to lose some of her earlier interest in them. In normal circumstances, the rest of the pack, then, takes over the continuing education of the puppies, their social integration in the group (which probably mostly consists of relatives) and their protection.Entire article: http://rogerabrantes.wordpress.com/2014/11/11/canine-maternal-behavior/
