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• Part 1 of 4: Preparing for childbirth
• Part 2 of 4: Monitoring your dog during and after delivery
• Part 3 of 4: Taking care of the new mother
• Part 4 of 4: Caring for the newborn puppies

A pregnant dog's instinct will help her cope with labor. The owner should be aware of how to help the dog to ensure that the mother dog and puppies are healthy and safe.

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Part 1 of 4: Preparing for childbirth

1. Take your dog to the vet for a checkup. Make an appointment with the vet so he can examine your pregnant dog. The vet will confirm pregnancy and see if there are any complications.
2. Make a whelping area for your dog. Offer your dog a casting spot at least a week before the due date. You want to give her the space she needs. You can do this by putting her in her bed or in a box with towels and blankets for extra comfort.
   • Choose a secluded spot, such as a separate room, so that she has peace and privacy.
3. Make sure there is enough food and water near the casting site. Make sure your dog has food and drink nearby and that she has easy access to it. This also allows her not to abandon her puppies when they eat and drink.
4. Feed your pregnant dog puppy food. The pregnant dog should eat a high quality puppy food that is high in protein and calcium. This will prepare her body for producing significant amounts of milk.
   • Your dog will continue to eat the puppy food until the puppies are no longer weaned.

Part 2 of 4: Monitoring your dog during and after delivery

1. Monitor your dog during labor. If your presence doesn't worry her, you can keep an eye on the dog during labor. You don't have to hang over her when you do this. Assume she won't be comfortable during contractions, just as women don't. This is part of the process.
   • In many cases, the puppies will be delivered in the middle of the night while you are sleeping. Try to get into the habit of checking on your dog as soon as you wake up - do this as soon as the due date approaches.
2. See if the mother starts cleaning her puppies right away. The mother should start cleaning her puppies right after delivery. Give her a minute or two to get the pups' amniotic sacs and start licking and washing them. If it takes longer for her to do so, you can step in and start removing the amniotic sac itself. Also dry the puppies thoroughly to initiate breathing.
   • If necessary, you can carefully cut the umbilical cord with clean scissors — do this about 1 inch from the puppy.
3. Make sure the puppies are breastfed. The puppies should start suckling within 1-3 hours of birth. Sometimes it is necessary to place the puppies in front of the nipple and gently squeeze some milk from the nipple - this is how the puppy will find out exactly what the intention is.
   • If the puppy does not breastfeed at all, or if your dog does not allow it, there may be something wrong with the puppy - for example, there may be an open palate. Open the puppy's mouth and examine the roof of the mouth. This should be a solid surface with no holes in the cavities. If you suspect something is wrong, see the vet.
   • You may need to bottle feed the puppy if he is unable to breastfeed but is otherwise healthy.
4. Count the puppies. When the babies are born you can count them so you know exactly how many there are. This will help you keep an eye on the puppies.
5. Do not remove the placentas right away. The mother dog may want to eat these - it won't hurt. You do not have to remove them immediately. If she doesn't eat them, you can put them in the trash.
   • In some cases, eating the placenta can cause the dog to vomit later.
   • Remember that every puppy has its own placenta.
6. Keep the whelping site warm. Puppies are not yet able to regulate their own body temperature very well. That's why you need to make sure they stay warm. For the first few days after delivery, make sure it is around 29º Celsius at the birthing site. You can then lower the temperature to between 23 and 27º Celsius.
   • Provide some extra warmth by placing a heat lamp in one of the corners of the throwing site. If a puppy gets cold, he will not move much. Check to make sure the whelping site is warm and the puppy stays close to its mother and the other puppies.
7. Take the mother and her puppies to the vet for a check-up. Make an appointment with the vet for a check-up when the puppies are born. The vet will make sure that the mother is making a good recovery and that the puppies are growing.
8. Keep other dogs away from the mother and the puppies. If the father dog also lives in your house, make sure that he cannot get to the mother dog and the puppies. Other dogs shouldn't bother the mother and her puppies either. There is a risk that the adults will fight dogs with each other - and possibly even that the puppies will be attacked. The bitch can become aggressive because she is protecting her puppies. This is not normal punishment for her.
   • Protective aggression towards humans can also occur. So keep children away from the mother and her puppies.
9. Do not clean the dog immediately after delivery. Unless she's really nasty, you should wait a few weeks before bathing her. Then wash her with an oatmeal shampoo specially formulated for dogs. Rinse her well to avoid leaving any residue in her coat that the puppies could come into contact with.

Part 3 of 4: Taking care of the new mother

1. Feed the mother dog puppy food. The mother dog should eat a high quality puppy food that is high in protein and calcium. This will enable her body to produce significant amounts of milk. Feed her puppy food until the puppies are weaned.
   • Make her eat as much as she wants. This can often be four times as much as when she was not pregnant. You cannot overfeed her during this time. It takes a lot of calories to make the milk for the puppies.
   • Be aware that for the first 24-48 hours after giving birth, she will probably not eat (almost) anything.
2. Don't give her calcium supplements. Do not add more calcium to the mother dog's diet - unless instructed to do so by your vet. Too much calcium can cause her to develop milk fever later on.
   • Milk fever is caused by a significant decrease in the amount of calcium in the blood. This usually occurs after two or three weeks of suckling. The dog's muscles will stiffen and the dog may shake. This can lead to seizures because the amount of calcium in the blood is too low.
   • If you are concerned about milk fever, contact the vet immediately.
3. Get the mother dog used to her schedule. During the first two to four weeks, the mother dog will be very busy taking care of her puppies. She probably won't want to be away from her puppies that long. It is important that she has access to the puppies so she can keep them warm, fed and clean. Take her for short walks, no longer than five to ten minutes.
4. Trim the coat of dogs with long hair. If the dog has long hair you can give her a "hygienic haircut" on her tail, hind legs and mammary glands. This will keep these areas clean once the babies are born.
   • You can have this procedure performed by a groomer or vet if you don't like it yourself, or if you don't have the equipment for it.
5. Check the lactating dog's mammary glands daily. Mammary gland inflammation (mastitis) can occur and can become serious very quickly. If you see the mammary glands turn very red (or purple), hard, warm, or painful, then something is wrong. In some cases, mastitis can become fatal to the nursing mother.
   • If you suspect mastitis, take the dog to the vet immediately. Even if you need to take her to a veterinary clinic immediately, you should. ,,
6. Expect to see vaginal discharge. It is normal to see vaginal discharge in the mother dog a few weeks after delivery (up to eight weeks after). This discharge may look brownish-red and be a bit stringy. Sometimes it can also smell a bit.
   • If you see yellow, green, or gray discharge or smell, take your dog to the vet. She may have an infection in the womb.

Part 4 of 4: Caring for the newborn puppies

1. Keep an eye on weaning puppies. Make sure the puppies wean every few hours for the first few weeks. They should eat at least every two to four hours. Sleeping puppies are healthy puppies; if they cry a lot they may not be getting enough nutrition. Keep an eye out for small, big tummies and a clean coat - this way you can be sure to look after it properly.
   • Try to weigh the puppies on a digital scale to make sure they gain weight every day. The weight of the puppies should double in the first week.
   • If one of the puppies appears to be thinner or less active than the other, take them to the vet right away. He may need additional nutrition or care.
2. Monitor for abnormalities in the puppies. After the first few days, if you see the rest of the puppies growing and one left behind, it could indicate inadequate nutrition or some other problem. Take the puppy to the vet immediately for a check-up. Newborn puppies, like newborn babies, can get sick and dry out quickly.
3. Keep the whelping area clean. As the puppies get older and more mobile, the enclosed space can become increasingly dirty. Clean the whelping site at least two or three times a day to keep the area hygienic.
4. Play with the puppies to socialize them. Puppies need healthy socialization to get used to their new world. It is also important to introduce the dog to people. Hold each puppy several times a day. Get the puppies used to being touched all over their body. This way you ensure that they do not think that is strange as they get older.
5. Wait until the puppies are at least eight weeks old before giving them away. If you are selling or giving away your puppies, wait at least eight weeks before handing them over to their new owners.
   • Puppies must be completely weaned and able to eat on their own before moving to their new home.
   • It is recommended that you deworm and vaccinate the puppies before disposing of them. Consult the vet and follow his / her recommendations.