How to Deliver a Litter of Puppies
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Whelping and Rearing Information
Whether intentional or not, many of us find ourselves with the reality of delivering our first litter of puppies. You want the best possible outcome for both the puppies and the mother but so many things can go wrong. With this guide, hopefully your nerves won't get the best of you.
There are three things you must know ahead of time:
1) What supplies you should have on hand.
2) Where your dog should have her litter of puppies.
3) What your involvement should be in delivering this litter of puppies.
I will cover this information, and much more, at length on this page. If you have any questions, feel free to post them in the guestbook at the bottom of this page and I will do my best to address them in a timely matter. I may even add a new section to this page dedicated to your question.
[Photo Credit: Janet Ford - Ironwood Coonhounds]
There are three things you must know ahead of time:
1) What supplies you should have on hand.
2) Where your dog should have her litter of puppies.
3) What your involvement should be in delivering this litter of puppies.
I will cover this information, and much more, at length on this page. If you have any questions, feel free to post them in the guestbook at the bottom of this page and I will do my best to address them in a timely matter. I may even add a new section to this page dedicated to your question.
[Photo Credit: Janet Ford - Ironwood Coonhounds]
What qualifies me to give advice on delivering puppies?
"A wise man has many counselors" according to Proverbs 15:22. Since I am giving you this advice on delivering a litter of puppies, you should know that I come from an extensive background of experience in this area and I'm not just a writer who enjoys research (though I'm certainly that, too!).My parents raised boston terriers. In fact, their first litter was born on April 1, 1969, the same day that I was born. My mom loves to share the story of how jealous Miss Susie was that my mom wasn't paying enough attention to her babies because I was there. She would point her little snub nose up into the air and turn her head in disgust if my mom looked at her while holding me. My mom made the transition from boston terriers to cavalier king charles spaniels when I was in my 30's.
I also married a man who's parents raised dogs. They raised coonhounds and were quite competitive in hunting circles as well. They raised treeing walker coonhounds with a couple English redtick coonhounds here and there. It was more about training and hunting than breeding for them but they did raise several litters under the kennel name of Mudd Lake.
My husband John and I began raising dogs of our own shortly after we married. I was raising, milking and showing a large herd of dairy goats and he was enjoying a cattle hobby. Border collies were a natural for us. They helped us with our chores and filled us with awe at their intelligence and fabulous nature they had towards our three children. When we ventured away from livestock, we re-homed most of our border collies as working border collies are not happy dogs without jobs to do. Our preteen son was at this time spending a lot of time in the woods alone (we live surrounded by hundreds of acres of forest) so we got him a redbone coonhound companion named Music. Her sister Ruby and a male named Amos soon joined us also and Ironwood Coonhounds was born. I also tried my hand at raising and showing cavalier king charles spaniels but my passion for the coonhounds was too strong to give proper dedication to both breeds.
I was not the only child in our family to follow my mom's footsteps. Both my sister and my brother also went on to breed dogs. My sister raises and shows top quality cavalier king charles spaniels and my brother and his wife raise newfoundland dogs, in all color variations (yes, they come in more than just black!).
In addition to being a dog breeder myself, I am also the National Coonhound Examiner and the author of Guide to Ethical Dog Breeding which is currently being revised and expanded (stay tuned!).
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Puppy Delivery Supplies
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These are the items I suggest you have on hand. Some are necessities and others are items that will make delivering puppies much easier, especially if you plan to breed your dog more than once.
- Whelping Box
- You are only limited by your imagination here. The key to remember is that your whelping box be a safe place for your dog to have her puppies and to care for them the first several weeks of life. Safety, ease of cleaning, size and cost are things to consider when choosing a whelping box. I know of a toy breed breeder who whelps her puppies in a bassinet due to her back problems (and then moves them to a different area to raise the litter, of course). Some use the highly desirable Whelper Helper which is higher in cost but a dream to use. I have used small kiddie pools for our coonhounds for years. Easy to wash and I don't feel bad in disposing them after a couple litters have been reared in them.
- Shop Towels
- Shop towels are the ideal thing to use for wiping puppies off when they are born. They are both sturdy and disposable. Paper towels can be used but they just don't hold up so you will go through a LOT of them and may get frustrated that the paper towel is wet before you are done with one puppy, even if you use several at once. An old hand towel or cut up pieces of old bath towels work as well but you'll want to throw them away afterwards and not wash them. The tissue the puppy sack is made of is a nightmare to wash off. Shop towels are cheap and perfect for this job!
*Having them in a box like this is a God-send when whelping puppies! - Dental Floss
- Dental floss is something you hopefully won't need but should have on hand just in case. It is a great item to use to tie off bleeding umbilical cords. Only use unscented/unflavored plain-Jane dental floss or you risk direct infection to the puppy. Fishing line can also be used. Never use regular thread as it can easily cut through the umbilical cord and cause more problems.
- Scissors
- Buy a good, sharp pair of scissors for cutting umbilical cords (only cut if using hemostats or your puppy can, and likely will, bleed to death!). Use them only for whelping puppies if you plan to have more than one litter. Use rubbing alcohol to disinfect after use. They can also be used for cutting fishing line if not using dental floss.
- Hemostats
- Hemostats are like little locking medical pliers. You attach two of them to a puppy's umbilical cord and cut in between. Leave the hemostat on the puppy side until you are certain the bleeding has stopped. I recommend having two pair of hemostats in case you have two puppies born very close together.
If you plan to breed very many litters, umbilical cord clamps may be the better choice. - Thermometer
- You will need a thermometer to keep tabs on the mother's temperature before and after the puppies are born. If you have to call the vet, they will want to know your dog's temperature. A normal adult dog's temperature is 101. It's rare you need to take a puppy's temperature but it could happen and you'll need one on hand. Your family will not appreciate you using theirs. Get a digital rectal thermometer for the fastest and most accurate results. (a fidgeting dog getting their temperature taken is not a pretty sight!)
- Oxytocin
- Oxytocin is a medication used to encourage contractions. It is used to restart a slowed or stopped labor. You will need to get this medication from your veterinarian, who can also properly instruct you on it's use much better than I can.
*Oxytocin should never be handled by any woman who could be pregnant. - Gelled Calcium
- A female dog who has recently given birth is at risk of contracting eclampsia aka 'milk fever'. Milk fever is a very fast acting condition that could potentially kill your dog before you get to the vet. It is important to know the symptoms and have the medication on hand for fast administration. Again, get this from your veterinarian.
- Puppy Scale
- A puppy scale is a must-have item. You should be weighing your puppies at birth and frequently the first couple days to monitor their progress. A lack of weight gain or of weight loss is an early sign of something being wrong such as low milk quantity/quality. You will also need to have an accurate weight on your puppies to accurately worm them.
- Puppy Safe Dog Wormer
- The day your puppies are born, you need to worm their mother with a puppy-safe wormer. I prefer and recommend a wormer with Pyrantel Paomate as the active ingredient.
Dry Erase Board
A surprising puppy delivery item you may be really glad to have!
I have a dry erase board in my whelping room. This enables me to keep notes as puppies are born and update it with weights and worming dates.
Board Dudes Magnetic Dry Erase Board Value Pack, 24 x 36 Inches (79194XNT-12)
Amazon Price: $40.95 (as of 05/31/2012)
Signs that your dog is in labor
These are general signs of labor. You dog may display some or all of these labor signs. Take notes of what you notice and times you are noticing them. Your vet may ask for this information should she have problems.
- Your dog will be looking for a place to have/hide her puppies.
- Your dog will have a glassy-eyed appearance like she is in never-never land.
- Your dog will likely begin to refuse to eat her food.
- Your dog's tummy will suddenly look like she's already had the puppies but she hasn't. This is called 'dropping' when the puppies are moving into the birth canal. Her hips may look a big more hollowed out.
- Your dog may act increasingly needy or she could do the opposite and act grumpy. Either way, she may act nervous and 'off' temperament wise.
- A dog shivers when they are having contractions. She may also pant and become increasingly thirsty. Holding their breath is also not unusual when contractions are happening, usually accompanied by the glassy-eyed stare.
Calcium Caution
Lactating mothers need high calcium. However, do NOT feed calcium rich foods like puppy chow until AFTER the puppies are born as it can result in abnormal labor.
Where should your dog have her puppies?
Your dog requires a warm, quiet and dry place to have her puppies that is free from any drafts. I have a heated whelping room special for my redbone coonhounds. Something strongly recommended for a dog breeder as a #1 priority. However, if you are looking to help your dog have her only litter, a quiet room in your home is also suitable.You need to be there for the big event. Too many things can go wrong with either the puppies or the mother dog. Sometimes something as simple as the mother not cleaning the bag off the puppy's face in time can result in a tragic, needless death. If labor is strong and no puppies are coming out and it's been an hour between puppies, you will need to call your veterinarian or you could lose both the mother and the unborn puppies. You will also want to prevent the mother dog from being too gung-ho about the umbilical cords or you could end up with umbilical hernias, or worse - the intestines actually being pulled out from the abdominal wall when she pulls on the umbilical cord. I do not allow my female dogs to clean off the bags, eat the placentas or chew the umbilical cords. I play catch, rub them down, check them over, weigh them and hold them (thumb or finger covering the umbilical area) for mother dog to lick. She generally will only desire to do this a few moments before she's occupied over the the next impending puppy birth.
Blood Stains
WD40 is the greatest pre-treatment when doing laundry. It even removes blood stains.
What you need to do as the owner of the dog having puppies
You will also need to be there for the entire delivery of the puppies and be available to monitor them closely for the first couple weeks and frequently thereafter until they are rehomed.
You will need to clean up after, bathe, groom, worm and vaccinate the puppies and their mother. Vet checks should also be done to make sure they are healthy.
This will not be a cheap nor an easy job to raise a litter of puppies.
Dog Vitals
It is important to know the normal ranges so that you can better understand if there is a problem when your dog is giving birth to her puppies.
- Normal Adult Dog Temperature: 101 - 102.5 F
- Dog's Normal Respiratory Rate: 10 - 30 breaths / minute
- Normal Canine Heart Rate: 70 - 160 beats / minute
Who gets to watch puppies being born?
For those who say "But I wanted my kids to experience the miracle of birth." -- Shame on you! I homeschooled our three children so I'm all about teaching our children through life's valuable experiences but as a dog breeder this really pushes my hot button when the reason for the breeding was so that the kids could watch the 'miracle of birth'. With so many things that can go wrong, you can also be teaching them about the tragedies in life so be prepared to explain them to a terrified and confused child, IF you can even understand yourself. I can't tell you how many times, even with a lifetime of experience in this I cried and said that I can't do this anymore because of the heartbreaks during a litter of puppies' birth. Also, I beg you to consider what lessons you are teaching your children if you breed a litter on purpose just so they can watch them being born. Breeding a litter of puppies is a huge responsibility and you need to do it for the right reasons, not for life lessons and not for money and certainly not to 'get a dog like the mom or dad' of the litter. I breed to contribute to my breed by making improvements with every generation as to conformation, temperament, trainability and hunting instincts.
Okay, we covered kids but what about other pets? Can't the daddy of the litter watch or the mama's best buddy of the house? NO... let me repeat that... NO!!!! Your dog will be under enough stress just having her litter of puppies, she doesn't need an audience. There is a very real chance of her attacking another pet. I don't care how much they love each other. When a mother animal is giving birth, all bets are off!! (remember this when inviting children to watch, too!)
Basic Puppy Whelping Instructions
I'm not going to dive into too much detail here. Know before reading that each litter's birth is different and there is no possible way I can cover every scenario. If you have questions, please leave a comment at the bottom of this page and I'll try to address it for you.
- 1Set up the area where your female dog will give birth two weeks in advance. Get her comfortable with the area; feed her there, spend time with her there, let her sleep there. Dog's gestation is 63 days but they can vary a week or more either way so be prepared in advance.
- 2Once you know your dog is in labor, be calm. Do not try to micromanage your dog and make her more nervous. Sit. Read a book. Observe her closely without making her feel like you are a hungry predator waiting to eat her young. A bubble will appear first. Don't panic and don't break it. Just wait. It can take awhile.
- 3When the puppy comes through the birth canal, wipe off his/her face, paying extra attention to cleaning out the mouth and off the nose so the puppy can breathe. If the puppy is still close to the dog's vulva being attached by a placenta that hasn't come out yet, DO NOT PULL. Wipe the face and hold the puppy up gently so the cord is not strained which can cause an umbilical hernia to the puppy. Try to get the dog to lay down if she's standing/walking around. Rub her teats to relax her and release the bodies natural oxytocin, which may help her labor to push out the placenta. Avoid the urge to pull it out. It can break and cause severe bleeding.
- 4Once the puppy is all the way out (sometimes without the placenta, don't worry), rub them down firmly but gently. This helps their circulation to get going so they don't get cold. Puppies do not regulate their own body heat the first two weeks of life. This is why the mother dog licks them so much. Throw any placentas away. Keep a count of them so you know each puppy born also had a placenta 'born'. Retained placentas can cause infection, fever and possibly death to your mother dog. It doesn't happen too often but it does occur. If you are concerned, a trip to the vet is required.
- 5If the placenta is still attached to the puppy, place two umbilical cord clamps on the cord. Don't go too close to the puppy's body. You need room for correction should the cord start bleeding and require you to tie it off later. You are not creating a belly button here. The cords dry up in a couple days and fall off at the belly regardless of how short/long they are. Conversely, you don't want them so long that they drag around picking up dirt and potential infections. Cut the umbilical cord in between the two clamps after a minute or so for the blood flow to cease. Keep the umbilical cord clamp on at the puppy side for 10-15 minutes or so.
- 6Hold puppy for mama dog to lick and clean being careful not to allow her to chew on the umbilical cord which can cause injury to the puppy. My brother, who raises newfoundlands, had a female who was so insistent on 'caring' for the umbilical cord areas that she pulled the intestines out in a couple puppies before he saw what she was doing. For this reason, you must not only monitor the birth but monitor closely the first couple weeks. We are with our puppies 24/7, taking shifts, until our puppies are at least two weeks old.
- 7Weigh each puppy at birth. Write this down. Place a puppy ID collar on the puppy at the time of weighing if you are planning to use them. This gives you a way to identify each puppy when you weigh them. It makes it easier to keep track of each puppy's progress and to allow a good record when trying to identify certain puppies in photographs later. I've also used it as a way to ID puppies on my website so potential puppy buyers know which puppy is which as I put regular updates on my website.
- 8Help the puppies to nurse if they aren't doing it on their own. Don't panic over this. Puppies can go quite a while without nursing at first and be fine but do try and help them. Wetting your finger and getting the teat wet will help them to get a good hold. You may need to open their mouth for them but be real gentle. Note which puppies are struggling and keep close tabs on them. All should be good by the second day. Puppies need to nurse every hour the first couple days. Nursing also helps the mother dog release oxytocin to help with her labor and with the contractions that are necessary for her uterus to shrink back down and heal after the litter has all been born.
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9Worm the mother dog the day the puppies are born. Stress brings out the round worms. Labor certainly falls into that category. Roundworms can also be transmitted to the puppies from nursing on mom. Worm her with the same puppy dewormer you will be giving your puppies since she is nursing. I only use pyrantel paomate products. You will need an accurate weight on your dog to worm her properly. If she is too large for your small puppy scale, weigh yourself on your bathroom scale alone and then while holding her and subtract the difference to get her weight.
*Puppies should be wormed at 2,4,6 and 8 weeks and again once per month until rehomed.
Good Places to Advertise Puppies for Sale (or free)
- Breeders.net
- My personal favorite for advertising puppies for sale. This site gets a lot of traffic and I've sold many puppies because of advertising them there. This is the only site I actually pay to use. (as of this writing, $26/yr) I don't even advertise in local newspapers because the cost is not worth the results. Breeders.net is fabulous and well worth the money. No, I don't get paid any commissions for recommending them.
- If you have a Facebook account, talk about your puppies. Share photos and videos and ask your friends to share them on their wall.
- Oodle.com
- Owned by Facebook, this website is basically the classifieds section of Facebook. Uniquely entwined with your friend's list and beyond to all of Facebook, it is a great place to score free advertising.
Get a Good Camera
You need a good camera for taking photos of the puppies to show potential buyers if you are utilizing the Internet to find homes for your puppies. A huge plus is if you can take short videos for uploading to Facebook and/or YouTube as well.
Canon PowerShot ELPH 300 HS 12.1 MP CMOS Digital Camera with Full 1080p HD Video (Red)
Amazon Price: $155.99 (as of 05/31/2012)
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I'd love to know if I have helped you or if you still have questions that I should consider covering on this page.
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Upon-Request
Feb 22, 2012 @ 9:51 am | delete
- I'm sure it'll be very helpful to many who may find themselves in the position of helping to deliver a litter. Congrats on the purple star.
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vallain Feb 11, 2012 @ 9:37 am | delete
- Congratulations on the new purple star! This page has really useful information and well laid out.
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emmalarkins
Jan 18, 2012 @ 2:16 pm | delete
- This information is presented in an excellent manner. I love that you're sharing your personal perspective. As much as I'd love to see puppies being born, I'm not sure I can handle the responsibility!
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Showpup
Jan 29, 2012 @ 4:34 pm | delete
- It is a lot of responsibility and still a joy to be a part of. Thank you for taking the time to read my lens.
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bloomingrose
Jan 17, 2012 @ 3:19 am | delete
- Interesting that I came upon this the same day that I have been working on my puppy mills lens. Nice to know that there really are ethical breeders.
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Showpup
Jan 29, 2012 @ 4:35 pm | delete
- Yes, we are out there. :) And FYI, I have personally helped shut down a couple puppy mills. Really boils my blood!
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imolaK
Nov 3, 2011 @ 1:55 am | delete
- This lens is very informative and hellpful. Blessed!
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Showpup
Jan 29, 2012 @ 4:36 pm | delete
- Thank you so much for your kind comment and your blessing!! XOX
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JziE Oct 24, 2011 @ 8:54 pm | delete
- this will be very helpful for those out there. waiting to be born
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Showpup
Jan 29, 2012 @ 4:36 pm | delete
- I sincerely hope so. Thank you for coming by to read my page.
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- Ah, Janet, you are always so thorough. You covered questions that I hadn't even thought of yet. Anyone assisting with the birth of a litter of puppies will thank their lucky stars if they find your helpful web page.
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Showpup
Oct 21, 2011 @ 6:52 pm | delete
- Thank you! I hope you are right in that this serves to help people.
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About this Lensmaster
by Showpup
Janet Ford is an author and freelance writer who lives in Michigan with her husband. Ford's books include 'Guide to Ethical Dog Breeding' and 'Love You... more »
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