Week 1-2

You may notice your dog nipples becoming enlarged.

Day 32 (Approximately)

Your dog should be eating much more than normal. You should be providing her with puppy kibble rather than her normal adult food. She will eat 50% - 100% more than normal.

Exercise like daily walks are very much ok, however intensive exercise or heavy training should be stopped.

Day 35

You may want to take her in to have Blood progesterone levels tested to confirm pregnancy. If pregnancy is confirmed you may be able to have an ultrasound done to see how many puppies you should be expecting.

You may notice your dogs abdomen getting bigger now. However some times if the dog is having a small litter you may not see any abdomen growth at all.

Day 45

You should take the dog in to your vet for a check-up. The vet should be able at this point to palpate the puppies and give you an indication of how many to expect.

Pre-Labor

Delivery will happen at approximately day 63 (Can range between 56 - 69) you will see the signs of pre-labor. Now small toy type breeds can deliver a week early, where larger breeds with bigger litters may go up to a week later.

Starting two weeks before the due date you should begin taking her temperature once a day rectally. Her temperature should be between 101 and 102.5 Fahrenheit. When her temperature drops to 100F or below, labor should begin within 24 hours.

Stage One

The first stage of labor is easily spotted. She will become uncomfortable, start pacing and nesting, panting and shivering. She will stop eating and maybe even vomit. Be sure you provide her with a calm, dark quiet place. She may want you to be with her or she may want to be left alone.

The cervix begins to dilate and contractions of the uterus begin. You may not be able to actually see the contractions at this point. This stage of labor is the longest of the three and may last anywhere from 6 - 24 hours. At the end of this stage the cervix should be dilate and ready for puppies to be born.

Stage Two

During this stage the contractions will come on in force and you will most likely be able to see them happening. Her abdomen will seem to tighten and loosen. The placenta sacks will break and a green/brown color fluid will be passed.

Each pups will be born inside a sack. The sack must be removed so the pup can breathe. The mother normal takes care of this and eats the sack and licks the pups face clean. However, be prepared to do this yourself if she doesn’t. The mother will also bite of the cord, this is normal so don’t freak out!

After the pup is clean, it should start to breathe and make a bit of sound. Now if you notice the pup is not breathing quickly take the pup in a dry towel and ever so gently rub it vigorously taking special care to do this softly. Most times this will help to bring the pup around, however there are cases where pups just don’t make it.

The next pup should appear within 30 minutes after 10 minutes of straining. It can take up to 4 hours for the next pup to appear. The mother may also take rests between pups, this is normal.

If you see the pups legs coming out first you should help the mother by grabbing the pups rear leg gently and pulling it out in a downwards smooth motion. Be very careful when doing this.

Now if 4 hours have gone by and you feel that there are still more puppies to be born you should take your mother to the vet. You must also take the already born pups with you. Be sure they are warn and safe from the wind and from chill.

Stage Three

The concept of a third stage of labor is borrowed from human labor terms. It is a very indistinct period in dogs. Once all the puppies have been born the dog enters this third stage of labor during which time the uterus contracts fully, expelling any remaining placenta, blood and fluid.