How long till a dog gives birth

We share many similarities with our canine companions — we enjoy many of the same foods, we experience some of the same emotions, and we’re both highly social species. One area in which dogs are rather different than humans, though, is pregnancy.

For one thing, dogs almost always give birth to more than one offspring at a time, known as their litter of puppies. And dogs don’t stay pregnant for nearly as long as human mothers do.

So, how long are dogs pregnant?

If your female dog is spayed, she can’t reproduce and you’ll never have to worry about your dog’s pregnancy cycle or gestation period. But if your dog isn’t spayed, or if you’re simply curious, you might want to learn more about pregnancy in dogs.

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Let’s take a look at everything you need to know about canine pregnancy, and finally answer the biggest question of all: How long do dogs stay pregnant? In this article you will learn about the pregnancy process for dogs, learn how to take care of pregnant dogs, and how to become prepared for your dog’s pregnancy.

How Long Are Dogs Pregnant?

The dog gestation period averages out to 63 days, or about nine weeks, for most dogs. The entire pregnancy can be broken down into three stages, corresponding with the three months of pregnancy.

The First Month of Pregnancy for a dog

In the first step of pregnancy, the male’s sperm travel to the female’s uterine horns and become embedded in the uterine lining around the 16th day. A few days later, around day 22, the fetuses themselves start to take shape.

As mentioned above, there probably won’t be any major signs that your dog is pregnant during the first weeks of this stage. By the fourth week, though, you might see some morning sickness symptoms, vaginal discharge, a loss of appetite, and a lethargic disposition.

The Second Month of Pregnancy

By the second month, the fetuses are growing quickly. By the time the pregnancy reaches its 45th to 50th day, the puppies will have skeletons and claws, as well as a coat. A few days later, the pregnant female will begin looking for a nesting spot in which to deliver her new puppies.

In this month, you’ll notice your pup showing signs of pregnancy like:

• Increased appetite and weight gain
• Increased urination
• An enlarged abdomen
• Vaginal discharge
• Changes in behavior, like an increase in affection or withdrawing from contact

The Third Month of Pregnancy

The puppies are almost fully developed by the 58th day of pregnancy, and they’ll start to move into a birthing position in the mother’s birth canal in the final days of the pregnancy. At this stage, the mother will probably become restless, perhaps panting and pacing about, and will experience a loss of appetite. The body temperature also drops about 12 to 24 hours before labor begins.

It’s a good idea to prepare a whelping box for your dog to deliver her puppies in. Line a comfortable box or bed with quilts, blankets, or towels to give your pregnant dog a place to nest. She’ll go to this area when birthing is imminent to prepare for labor.

Once labor hits, your pregnant dog will continue to behave restlessly and refuse to eat. Vomiting may continue, and clear vaginal discharge may appear. Then, the puppies will start to be delivered. Labor itself can last anywhere from a few hours to a full day. It should not last longer than 24 hours, though. Puppies will appear one at a time, every half hour or so, but should not appear in increments longer than two hours.

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Your Dog’s Heat Cycle During Pregnancy

Before a dog even gets pregnant, they go through the heat cycle. This is the pre-pregnancy stage in which female dogs become receptive to mating. It’s important to understand this aspect of your pup’s reproductive behavior.

The heat cycle lasts between 18 and 21 days. Intact female dogs — those who haven’t been spayed — will go into heat about every six to eight months, although this can vary. The heat cycle itself is broken down into four stages:

• Proestrus is the first stage of the heat cycle and lasts for about nine days. Female dogs will start to attract males during this stage, although they will deny the males’ advances. The vulva swells during this period, and some bloody vaginal discharge will probably appear.
• Estrus occurs next, and might last for just a few days or between seven and 11 days. The vulva is still enlarged, and discharge will probably lessen in volume and lighten in color. It’s in this stage that the female permits mating.
• Diestrus occurs around 14 days into the heat cycle. At this stage, the female will no longer allow mating — all swelling and discharge ceases, and the cycle ends.
• Anestrus refers to the period of time after one heat cycle ends and the next one begins. This lasts about six months’ time, in most cases.

It’s important to realize that your dog, assuming she hasn’t been spayed, will experience the heat cycle on a recurring basis. But she’ll only get pregnant if she mates with a male.

Signs That Your Dog Is Pregnant

It’s often difficult to tell when a dog is pregnant, especially at first. You may notice a bit of weight gain, but that isn’t necessarily uncommon for dogs. Your pup might pack on a few pounds if they’ve been getting a lot of extra treats, or if their exercise routine has waned a bit recently. But it will become more obvious that your dog is pregnant as time goes on.

What can clue a dog parent into the fact that their pup may be pregnant?

What should you feed your Pregnant dog?

Much like us, your pregnant dog needs high-quality nutrition when she’s pregnant. Often the food we feed our dogs is not doing them justice and this is especially the case when your dog is eating for more than herself. Many conventional kibbles are filled with artificial flavors, low-quality protein sources, and not enough fiber.

Wild Earth is a Vet-developed dog food that is a high protein (feeding them sufficient protein is incredibly important for pregnant dogs), folate, and folic acid (vitamin B) that helps prevent birth defects, rich in calcium and vitamin D to promote and strengthen bones and also importantly providing a high fiber source of complete nutrition. 

Our food is full of beta-glucans, a powerful digestive fiber that helps to fight off disease and increase immunity especially when your dog needs it most. It also contains superfoods like chickpeas, sweet potato, oats, and blueberries so your dog and her litter can thrive!

Learn about our Clean Protein Dog Food and our Skin & Coat Dog Supplements to help provide your dog with all of the nutrients they need to thrive.

The Early Signs That A Dog Is Pregnant

It won’t be long before you start to notice key signs of pregnancy. The first is often swollen, red nipples, since your dog’s body is preparing to produce milk for the litter of puppies she’ll be birthing. This also happens to your pup’s nipples during the heat cycle.

The Next Signs of Pregnancy

Around the third or fourth week of pregnancy, you might start to see more obvious signs of pregnancy. These include lethargy, lack of appetite, and possible vomiting — it’s very much like the morning sickness we associate with human mothers.

The Final Signs of Pregnancy

At this point, you’ll have noticed something is up with your dog. But the “symptoms” of pregnancy can look like a lot of other medical issues, so it’s important to have your dog examined by a veterinarian.

Around the 28th day of dog pregnancy, your vet can perform abdominal palpation, which simply means prodding around your dog’s belly to feel the growing puppies. Eventually, x-ray scans will be able to be performed to definitely confirm the pregnancy and determine the number of puppies. A blood test can also be performed to detect a particular hormone, relaxin, that is only released by the dog’s system during pregnancy.

The final stage is the actual pregnancy of your dog. This process can be difficult for pet owners who have never been through this before. This process involves the delivery of puppies, nursing dog, raising of the puppies, and more. It is important to keep the new puppies warm during the first few weeks. It is important to monitor a dog’s temperature during the pregnancy process. This should be for the expected puppies as well as the mother dog. The litter size can make this process take longer or shorter depending on the breed and the size of the mother’s belly.

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How Many Months Is A Dog Pregnant For?

The average dog pregnancy typically lasts for roughly 55 to 65 days, or typically just over 2 months. The exact amount of time can vary depending on the breed of the dog, the health of the mother dog, how many puppies, and many other factors. There is a chance that the puppies could be born sooner than the average, but for the most part, the average dog is pregnant for just over 60 days. If you are mating dogs then you can keep track of the exact date of mating and then look forward on the calendar roughly 60 days into the future.

Will Dogs Get Pregnant After The First Time Mating?

It is very possible that your dog could become pregnant after just the first time of mating. Female dogs have a chance up to as high as 40% of getting pregnant after the first time of mating. This is much higher than many other types of animals which is important to know if your dog hasn’t been spade or if you are planning to get your dog pregnant.

Prepare Your Dog for Motherhood

So, how long are dogs pregnant? There are a total of approximately nine weeks of pregnancy or about between two to three months. You might not even know your dog is pregnant during the early stages of pregnancy, but it will become more obvious as she moves into the second month. Pregnant dogs will typically act differently compared to female dogs that aren’t pregnant. You will be able to notice that your mother dog is acting differently compared to how she was before she was pregnant.

As soon as you notice what could be the symptoms of pregnancy, you’ll want to work closely with your veterinarian to make sure your dog and her litter stay healthy throughout the pregnancy. Your vet will also be able to give you a better idea of a due date and the size of the litter.

Being prepared and educated ahead of time is the best way to ensure your dog safely gives birth to a beautiful litter of adorable newborn puppies.