How Long Are Dogs Pregnant? You Gotta Love em'

How Long Are Dogs Pregnant?

This is 'Ava' my Belgian Malinois approximately a month before she gave birth.

She became pregnant after a successful mating with the male dog we had selected and time period the breeding was to take place.

How Long Are Dogs Pregnant?

Some dogs, as with humans, vary on the length of gestation.

Complications aside and allowing for differences in age and size and also if it is a first pregnancy as these may all affect the time before birth, the average pregnancy lasts between, 58-68 days.

When to get your dog pregnant?

Your female will come into heat approximately twice a year, about every 6-8 months so this is not a calendar year, this will continue throughout their lives and unlike humans do not have a menopause and so remain able to get pregnant into old age, although this is not advisable and the heat cycles do often become erratic or less regular they remain fertile.

They will be in heat for three weeks with the last two weeks being the ideal time to fertilise the eggs, (or be mated.)

How long will she be pregnant for?

With some minor variations for size and age and breed the general term is about 2 months.

( between 58-68 days from conception to birth with the average based on research about 9 weeks/63 days.)

What to look for when I think she is pregnant?

Well for certain the speed of gestation compared to us humans might catch you out.

For a while you would be hard pressed to notice anything out of the ordinary.

The earliest and most obvious signs will be the redness and growing sign of her nipples which is also apparent during her heat cycle, these will become even more enlarged as the teats get ready for her milk.

In larger breeds of dogs the swollen stomach that we associate with pregnant women will not become visible until about 3 weeks before the birth, whilst smaller dogs 'show' sooner.

In the first few weeks you notice a loss of appetite and energy and sometimes vomitting similar to our morning sickness although this is not always a sympton at all in dogs.

Added to the swollen teats, loss of appetite and general lack of energy these may well be the easiest symptoms to notice about you dog being pregnant.

Other signs that you may notice about her?

As well as the signs mentioned before, as the days and weeks go by, changes in her mood, feeding and attitude towards you and your family will become more noticeable.

She may start to eat less and less and she may become more affectionate and 'needy' to you, or totally the opposite, she may avoid you and like to stay apart from you in quiet areas.

At around day 28, end of her fourth week, a vet should be able to confirm her pregnancy using an ultrasound scan similar to those used by Doctors on us. At this time they will be able to give an approximate 'puppy' due date.

From weeks 4-6 she should begin to regain her appetite and put back on her weight to prepare for her puppies as they begin to grow quickly.

At this time smaller portions more often throughout the day will be preferable to one big meal, this helps with digestion. Her belly will to start to firm up and her teats will get even bigger as the milk ducts ready themselves for the arrival in a short time of hungry mouths.

From weeks 7-9 her stomach should be noticeably larger and rounder now and in the last 2 weeks you should be able to feel her puppies moving when you gently press on her abdomen.

When she gets ready for birth.

Often she will start to dig in her yard if you have one, usually in dark out of the way places, like behind trees and big shrubs or bushes, if she is inside she will try and find places to hide, under beds, or in closet corners often taking clothing to build a nest with. It is best to have built some sort of a whelping box, with sides high enough to stop a puppy climbing out but low enough for mum to get over. These boxes don't have to be complex as they tend to get messy and chewed on once the pups start exploring.