Dogs will usually give birth roughly 63 days after breeding. This is the time you would want to get things ready for the new mother. You would want to build a whelping box, so the mother has a nice safe place to raise the puppies.
Before the mother gives birth, she will usually start digging, scratching, trying to find a place to hide, to make a place like a den to give birth, as their natural instinct will take over. I have seen a dog in the woods, give birth with not help from a human, and when I got their, she had cleared a spot in the leave, and pushed it all away, and make a small den, and her 5 puppies were doing fine, and all healthy.
You would not want your dog to have puppies in the woods, but that was a site I witnessed. You would hopefully have a whelping box make up for your dog, that has safely rails inside, so the mother does not squeeze any of the puppies, and she can't lean up against them, and smoother then by accident.
It is better if you are with the mother, while she is giving birth. You mostly need to be their, in case the cord is wrapped around the puppies head, or the mother can not get it out herself, after trying. Always let the mother do it herself, if there is a problem, has clean towels, and a sterile pair of scissors handy to cut the umbilical cord in case of emergency.
Usually the mother will have one puppy at a time, sometimes pretty quick, and sometimes about an hour apart. When each puppy comes out, the mother will take the sac, and lick it and get it open, and then start licking the baby, and this will get the puppy to breath. Next, the mother will chew part of the umbilical cord off, with a long piece still hanging on the babies, they she will chew off even more later.
Your dog will appreciate you more, by being with her, and be gentle with her, and tell her she is doing good. If for any reason something goes wrong, you would need to make sure you get the sac off of the puppy, and then take the towel to dry them up quickly, and then rub their chest to try to get some air into them, so they can breath. You would then take the sterile scissor, and cut the umbilical cord, and then give the puppy to the mother so she can lick her, then put her on one of the teats so the baby can immediately eat.
Depending on how your dog is, and how she feels most comfortable, some dogs will squat and give birth, others will lay on their side, and let them come out that way. Giving birth is a natural thing, you should just be present for emergencies, and to sooth your dog.
A dog out in the wide that has her puppies on her own, will be much more protective of her pups, and maybe even growl or bite you if you try to get close to the puppies. If you are right their in the box with her, when she is giving birth, and you are helping her, and putting each puppy on a teat, and making sure they all get milk, she will much more likely welcome you into her pack, and it will be much easier for you, when it comes time to socialize the puppies.
At roughly 2 weeks, the puppies eyes and ears will be opening, and then not much longer after that, the puppies will be playing with each other, and jumping around, and nursing from mom non stop almost it seems. You should have your dog checked out by a vet, before birth, and after birth, and you can take the puppies in also for a check up.
Mothers will usually start to wean their puppies about 5 weeks of age. You will start your puppies on a feeding schedule, and its' best to search for the proper amount and schedule online, but a little common sense can go along way. All puppies need to be vaccinated against puppy diseases at the proper time. You can have your vet do this, and some pet stores offer this service, and some times you can administer the shots yourself, but learn before you do that.
All dogs must have a rabies shot, and only a qualified vet can administer rabies shots, and not until the puppy has reached 4 months old, and not any sooner than that. The rabies shot is very important, as is the shots that are typically called either 5 in 1, or 7 in 1, and you would give them in a series, after waiting a certain amount of time, you would give another shot, usually 3 sets of shots, but with anything, you should consult your veterinarian, and make sure you read any directions very carefully, before trying to do it yourself.
I personally have been buying my own shots for years. I usually get them in a box of 25, that I keep chilled, and I buy them on the internet, and they come in a box with dry ice usually, from a well respected company, one of the biggest I believe, and I do see how it has become harder to buy online, and some companies have discontinued selling to the public, so please do some research.
While your dog is pregnant, she will require more food and water, she is eating for several now! When the puppies are born, and right after, your mother is going to be hungry. I suggest you give her some canned dog food, that is easy for her to digest, and lay off the dry bits for a bit, make sure she has plenty of water, and the softer food will be more gentle on her system, she since just gave birth. I find the mothers are extremely hungry after giving birth, just something I notice with raising dogs for over 25 years now.
For the first several weeks, the mother will use her tongue, to stimulate the puppies, and give them bowl movements, and the mother will clean and lick up all the accidents the little puppies make, until they get to much for the mother, usually right around the time she starts weaning them, and you will start feeding them.
Besides keeping everything clean, your job is not that hard for the first 5 weeks, the mother will be the one doing all the work, as you start to feed the puppies, and clean up the box, you will get much more involved, trust me, I've been cleaning up after dogs and puppies for many years, that's one reason you teach your dog to go in a certain spot, right from the beginning.
Your dog should already have a regular vet, and he or she should be aware that your dog will be giving birth. If you suspect any unusual activity, or smelly, foul, orange or reddish discharge, or any other thing you might think is wrong, get her to the vet as soon as you can, don't let your dog go thru any pain, and don't let any of the puppies get hurt, if you can help it.
If you use common sense, and read several different articles about dogs giving birth, that is the best way to teach yourself about it, don't read one article, read several different opinions, you will learn much more that way.
Vince Stead has been raising dogs for over 25 years now. He has written a book called "Sammy the Runaway Mastiff".
You can find his books at places like Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and even his own website at http://www.vincestead.com
You can get every one of his books as a book at regular price, and you also get them as digital downloads for only $2.99 each.
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