Dog Breeding - Signs of Whelping

Many people use the day of first breeding as the basis for determining when the bitch will whelp. However, a bitch may not ovulate until after her second or third breeding, so a more accurate determination of the whelping date can be obtained by using serum progesterone assays during estrus to determine ovulation. Ovulation coincides with the LH surge (see The Estrous Cycle). The expected date of whelping is 62 to 64 days after the LH surge.Whelping usually occurs earlier in bitches with large litters and later in those with small litters and single pups. Puppies born on the 56th day after ovulation are likely to be of low birth weight and physiologically immature. If they are born on the 55th day or before, they are premature and probably will not survive. Any gestation beyond 65 days from the day of the first breeding may be postmature and require veterinary examination.

Dog Breeding – Signs of Whelping

Two to three days before the dam is due to deliver, start taking her rectal temperature each morning. Twelve to 18 hours before labor begins, the rectal temperature drops from a normal range of 100° to 102.5°F (37.7° to 39.2°C) to 99.5°F (37.5°C) or below. This drop may not occur; if it does, it’s so small that it can easily be missed. Don’t assume that a normal rectal temperature means she won’t deliver soon. As the day of whelping approaches, restrict her to the house.

Twelve to 24 hours before whelping the dam loses her appetite, becomes more active and restless, perhaps rummages in closets, digs in the garden, or scratches up her owners’ bed. Remind her that the whelping box is nearby. An experienced dam usually takes to it without difficulty. But if she decides to have her puppies in some other spot, move the entire family to the whelping box as soon as she finishes delivering.

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