How to Predict when Your Dog Will Whelp Her Puppies

Last Updated: June 6, 2022 References

Whelping is the term for female dogs giving birth. The average length of dog pregnancies is 63 days.^{[1]
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Research source} Being able to predict when your dog will whelp will help you prepare her and your home for the arrival of her puppies. You can make this prediction by working with your vet and looking for signs at home that your dog is about to whelp.

Part 1

Part 1 of 3:

Getting a Veterinary Prediction

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Measure progesterone levels. Progesterone is the hormone that maintains pregnancy. Its levels start to rise at ovulation (ovary releases an egg to be fertilized), become higher during pregnancy, then decrease shortly before whelping. When progesterone reaches a certain level in the blood, your vet will know your dog is ovulating and predict the whelping date.^{[2]
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- Your vet will take daily blood samples for several days to measure your dog’s progesterone levels.^{[3]
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- Whelping will take place about 62 to 64 days after progesterone levels indicate ovulation.
- When progesterone drops at the end of a dog’s pregnancy, whelping will likely occur in one to three days.^{[4]
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2
Measure luteinizing hormone (LH) levels. LH is the hormone that stimulates ovulation. Its blood levels will peak at ovulation, allowing your vet to predict when your dog will whelp. However, LH levels peak for only a short period of time, so it can be easy to miss this peak.
- Because the LH peak is so short, your vet may prefer to measure only progesterone levels.
3
Determine when your dog is in diestrus. Diestrus is the phase of a female dog’s reproductive cycle when it is out of heat. It lasts about 57 days.^{[5]
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Research source} To know when your dog is in diestrus, your vet will swab the inside of your dog’s vagina and look at the vaginal cells with a microscope.
- Vaginal cells look different in each phase of a dog’s reproductive cycle. Once the cells indicate diestrus, your vet will predict that whelping will occur in about 57 days (give or take 3 days).^{[6]
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4
Have your vet perform an ultrasound. After your dog is 25 days pregnant, your vet will be able to see the puppy fetuses, and even detect their heartbeats, on an abdominal ultrasound.^{[7]
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Research source} Using this information, your vet can estimate the number of days until your dog will whelp.
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Let your vet take x-rays. Later in the pregnancy, between days 42 and 52, your vet will be able to see the fetuses on an x-ray. Before day 42, the fetuses’ bones are not developed enough to be seen on an x-ray.^{[8]
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Research source} At this point in the pregnancy, your vet will predict that your dog will whelp in the next few weeks.

Part 2

Part 2 of 3:

Recognizing Signs Indicating Whelping is Near

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Take your dog’s rectal temperature. A drop in body temperature is one of the most reliable clinical signs to use when predicting whelping. Your dog’s body temperature will drop below 99 degrees Fahrenheit/37 degrees Celsius approximately 8 to 24 hours before whelping.^{[9]
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- Starting on day 60 of your dog’s pregnancy, take her rectal temperature twice a day.^{[10]
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- Keep track of the temperatures in a log and watch for when her temperature drops at least 1 degree.
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Notice personality and behavior changes. Your dog will probably start acting differently at the end of her pregnancy. About one day before whelping, she may become restless, prefer to be by herself, and demonstrate nesting behavior.^{[11]
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Research source} Nesting behavior is when a female starts building a nest or safe area to care for her babies.
- Examples of nesting behavior in dogs are dragging papers and blankets to a quiet area.^{[12]
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- Your dog may also start panting the day before she whelps.^{[13]
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- Some dogs can become extra sweet and loving right before whelping, and others can become very irritable.
3
Detect a decreased appetite. Dogs that are within one day of whelping will typically start eating less. This does not happen with all dog breeds, though. Your dog may continue eating as usual the day before she whelps.
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Examine your dog’s vulva. One day before whelping, your dog’s vulva (external part of her reproductive system) will start to swell. It may also start leaking a clear mucus.^{[14]
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Research source} You may want to put some extra blankets on your floor so the mucus does not get on your floors.

Part 3

Part 3 of 3:

Following General Whelping Tips

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Prepare the whelping area. Knowing when your dog will whelp is half the battle. You will also need to prepare for the whelping process. Prepare a whelping area an area in your home where your dog can comfortably give birth and nurse her puppies. This area should be warm, quiet, and secluded. This area should also have supplies:^{[15]
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Trustworthy Source
American Kennel Club
The American Kennel Club (AKC) is a purebred dog pedigree registry in the United States. The AKC advocates for the responsible ownership of dogs and promotes purebred dog events, such as the Westminster Dog Show.
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- Rectal thermometer (and KY jelly to lubricate the thermometer)
- Blankets
- Gram scale to weigh the puppies
- Heated whelping nest
- Pen and paper to record notes about the puppies (weight, coat color, etc.) and mother
- Puppy formula and feeding tubes for puppies that aren’t nursing on their own
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Intervene only when necessary. Most whelpings occur without complications and without need for human intervention. In fact, too much help from you make your dog nervous about giving birth. There may be times, though, when she will need your help with the whelping process:^{[16]
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- Tearing the placental membrane from the puppies’ mouth and nose, in case the mother is tired or inexperienced
- Rubbing the puppies with a towel until they start breathing and crying
- Using clean scissors to cut the umbilical cord to about 1/2 inch (1cm) from the puppy’s abdomen
- Tying the end of the umbilical cord with a piece of clean thread
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Contact your vet if there are whelping problems. If something doesn’t seem right about the whelping process, contact your vet as soon as possible. For example, call your vet if your dog is past her scheduled whelping date. Here are some other reasons to call your vet:
- Intense labor for 20 minutes, but a puppy hasn’t been delivered
- The mother develops a fever (rectal temperature above 103 degrees Fahrenheit/39 degrees Celsius)
- Bloody discharge from the mother’s vagina for 10 minutes
- Green discharge coming from the vagina, but no puppies have been delivered

Warnings

In-home testing kits for measuring progesterone levels are not always very accurate. Do not rely only on the testing kit to predict when your dog will whelp.

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