Content

• Steps
• Part 1 of 2: How to handle your puppy?
• Part 2 of 2: How to Determine the Gender of a Puppy?
• Tips
• Warnings
• Similar articles

The sex of the puppy is quite obvious if you know a few of the anatomical features of the dogs. Treat your puppy gently and gently. If possible, wait until the puppy is 3-4 weeks old before trying to find out its gender. If at that time, while the mother dog has not yet had time to become attached to the puppy, take him in her arms too often, then the dog may simply refuse the puppy.

Steps

Part 1 of 2: How to handle your puppy?

1. 1 Lift the puppy gently. Newborns and small puppies are very weak. Handle them with care. Puppies can't see and hear well until they are a few weeks old, so picking them up or picking them up can make them feel nervous and naughty.
   • Never do not lift the puppy by the tail! When picking up the puppy, try to push your palms under the puppy's body as far as possible to provide him with a solid support.
   • In the first two weeks after birth, puppies should be picked up as little as possible. Nursing them too long and too often can make the mother dog get nervous and hurt the pups.
   • If possible, wait until the puppies are at least 3-4 weeks old before trying to determine their sex. By this time, they will have the necessary connection with their mother, and they themselves will have time to get stronger physically.
2. 2 Hold the puppy in two cupped palms. Lay the puppy back in the palm of your hand, paws up. Be sure to support your puppy's entire body with your palms so as not to overstrain his spine. Never squeeze a puppy!
   • It will be easier if you ask someone to hold the puppy while you examine it yourself.
   • You can also place the puppy on its back on a table covered with a warm towel to help the puppy stay warm.
3. 3 Inspect quickly. Newborn puppies cannot maintain the required body temperature for several weeks after birth and can easily become hypothermic. It is possible to pick up the puppy from the mother only if necessary and for a short time. You should pick up the puppy for a period of no longer than 5-10 minutes.
   • Place an electric blanket or hot water bottle wrapped in a towel in the puppy bed to keep them warm.
4. 4 Monitor the behavior of the puppies. If the puppies show any signs of anxiety, such as squealing or twirling too much, immediately place the puppy back to the mother. A dog mom can get nervous too if she's not used to picking up her puppies. If you notice that the dog is worried (for example, barking at you), put the puppy back to him.

Part 2 of 2: How to Determine the Gender of a Puppy?

1. 1 Examine the puppy's belly. Most likely, you will easily notice a navel or a small scar. The navel is usually located almost in the center of the abdomen, just below the ribcage. If the puppy was born just a few days ago, it may still have a piece of the umbilical cord. Once the umbilical cord dries up and falls off (this should happen within a few days), only a small scar will remain on the puppy's abdomen. The scar is slightly brighter than the surrounding skin, and the skin itself feels thicker to the touch.
2. 2 Examine the area under your belly button or scar. If the puppy is a boy, there will be another small prominent spot, like a bump on the skin, about 2.5 cm below the navel. This is the foreskin of the puppy's penis, in which a small hole in the center should be visible.
   • A thin downy fur can grow around the foreskin (or even on it).
   • Do not attempt to expose your puppy's penis or pull back the foreskin until he is at least 6 months old. The fact is that dogs have a so-called “penis bone” (baculum). You can damage the penis itself or the penis bone if you try to push the foreskin away from a small male puppy.
3. 3 Check if the puppy has testicles. Male puppies do have testicles, but you may not feel them until the puppy is 8 weeks old. If you can find the testicles, they will be located high between the puppy's hind legs.
   • Depending on the size of your puppy, testicles can vary in size within the size of a large bean. By 8 weeks of age, the testicles are usually hidden in a sac-like scrotum.
4. 4 Feel the puppy's belly gently. Unlike boys, girls' tummies are smoother to the touch (only the navel stands out). Girls have no foreskin.
5. 5 Examine the area under the tail. The puppy's anus is located just below the tail. If the puppy is a boy, then you will see only the anus, and if a girl, then you will also find slightly protruding folds of skin just below the anus - the vulva.
   • The vulva of a female puppy is small in size and similar in shape to a leaf that is vertically bisected by a crack. Usually the vulva is located right between the puppy's hind legs. Here, just like boys, a thin fluff can grow.
6. 6 Ignore the nipples. Just like humans and other mammals, dogs of both genders have nipples, so having them will not help you determine the sex of your puppy.
7. 7 Check with your veterinarian. All puppies receive their first vaccinations at about six months. If you still can't figure out what gender your puppy is, your veterinarian will help you figure it out during the next checkup.

Tips

• A good way to locate the foreskin is to run your finger along the puppy's belly. If two “buttons” are felt on the belly, one under the other, then the puppy is a boy. If there is only one such irregularity (navel), then the puppy is a girl.
• It will be easier for you to examine the puppy if someone else is holding him. In this case, make sure the puppy's entire body is in the palms of your hands.

Warnings

• A dog may abandon its puppy if it is handled too often in the first few weeks of life. Don't touch the puppies unless absolutely necessary.

Similar articles

• How to breed dogs
• How to determine the age of a dog by the teeth
• How to determine the gender of a kitten
• How to properly pick up a dachshund
• How to convince parents to get a dog
• How to care for a German shepherd
• How to please a dog
• How to train a guard dog
• How to care for a Labrador retriever