The average lactation phase for puppies is around two weeks, but can last up to four weeks. As long as you're vigilant and making sure puppies are fed and healthy, there's no reason you can't leave them unattended during this period of time for short periods of time. I don't know of any breeders who leave their puppies unsupervised before they are at least 4 weeks old. The showers are carefully coordinated so that someone is there and they work in shifts for the first week or so, so someone is awake during the night with mom and her puppies.
Once puppies start moving and can better regulate their temperatures, constant supervision isn't necessary, but by that time they're causing chaos, so they need someone with them most of the time to keep them from getting into too much mischief. It only takes a few seconds for a new puppy to be crushed by a clumsy mother. If they can't afford to take 8 weeks of unpaid leave, they shouldn't raise. For the first 4 weeks, the mother dog can only leave her puppies for a very short time.
In the first week, puppies should be fed every 2 hours. By the third week, the mother could begin to keep her distance from her babies more and more to teach them to be independent. In the fourth week, puppies can be kept away from the mother dog for a long time. This is also often the week when the mother's milk production slows down.
But before puppies can stay away from their mother forever, they must be healthy enough to fight any disease or infection. The best time to permanently separate puppies from their mother is between 8 and 12 weeks. As long as puppies stay close to their mother, the ambient temperature is not too critical. However, if the mother leaves her puppies alone, they must be provided with an external source of heat.
For the first four days of life, the ambient temperature where puppies are kept should be maintained at 85-90°F (29.5-32°C). The temperature can then be gradually decreased to about 80°F (26.7°C) between the seventh and tenth day, and to about 72°F (22.2°C) by the end of the fourth week. If all puppies look similar, you can identify them using non-toxic permanent markers to mark each one on the abdomen (you can use multi-colored permanent markers). You should make sure that a litter has no more than four puppies to prevent this from happening.
This was my first dog, so I had a lot of questions and watching the breeder with the puppies and their mother really helped me: the breeder was close, so I was able to visit him often. The larger the litter, the lower the ambient temperature should be, as the puppies will cuddle up and stay warm. Puppies that are crying or appear to be cold should be placed on the inguinal (posterior) nipples and checked frequently to ensure that the other puppies do not push them away. Then, you can introduce the puppies to porridge, which is a mixture of canned puppy food, water, and some moistened dry kibble.
Eclampsia most commonly occurs when puppies are between three and five weeks old and the mother produces the most milk. If their nipples start to turn red or look irritated, you should remove the puppies for a few hours and then put them back on. A happy litter of chubby puppies is the best indication that the mother is producing adequate milk. As an example, these are the kind of steps a decent breeder will take to give their puppies the best possible start in life.
Make sure that the dog mother has enough space to move and that her puppies are out of danger. In my opinion, it's not fair to abandon a litter of newborn puppies and hope that the dog will cope. I know absolutely nothing about breeding and puppies, but using common sense and a touch of care, I even know that it is an absurd idea to think that you can leave your dog and puppies alone before and for several weeks after birth. The mother dog will normally carry the puppies in her belly for an average of 63 weeks and a maximum of 65 weeks.
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