Health & Testing
Whelping Guide: What Ethical Breeders Do to Prepare for a Litter
Behind every puppy is a breeder who stayed up for three days. Here's what the whelping process actually looks like from a responsible in-home breeder's perspective.
July 30, 2024 · 8 min read
Pregnancy Confirmation and Prenatal Care
After a planned breeding, we confirm pregnancy via ultrasound at approximately 28–30 days. This confirms viable puppies and gives an approximate count. At day 45–50, X-rays provide an accurate puppy count (by skeletal count), which helps us know how many puppies to expect and when the labor is complete. Throughout pregnancy, the dam receives supplemental nutrition (increased quality protein, appropriate calcium), regular veterinary care, and maintained but gentle exercise.
The Whelping Box Setup
Our whelping box is set up in our bedroom — always. Not a garage, not a barn, not a spare room. Our bedroom. This ensures the dam feels safe, we can monitor the litter around the clock, and puppies are immediately surrounded by human sounds, smells, and presence from birth. Our whelping box includes: heating pad on low under half the box, pig rails (rails that prevent the dam from crushing puppies against the wall), clean absorbent bedding changed multiple times daily, and a webcam for continuous monitoring.
The Whelping Day: Hour by Hour
Signs of active labor: body temperature drops below 99°F (normal is 101–102°F), nesting behavior, restlessness, panting, and contractions. Puppies are delivered one at a time, anywhere from 10 minutes to 2 hours apart. Each puppy arrives in an amniotic sac that we break if the dam doesn't within 30–60 seconds. Each puppy is dried, stimulated if necessary, their airways cleared, cord tied and cut, and weight recorded. We observe each puppy nursing within 1–2 hours of birth to ensure colostrum intake.
The First 72 Hours
The critical period. We check the litter every 2–3 hours around the clock for the first 72 hours — sometimes more. We monitor that all puppies are nursing adequately, that the dam isn't laying on any puppies, that room temperature is maintained at 85–90°F (puppies cannot regulate their own body temperature), and that every puppy is gaining weight daily. A puppy that isn't gaining weight is a puppy we supplement with bottle feeding immediately.
Early Puppy Development Milestones
- Day 3: ENS protocol begins. Eyes are sealed, ears are sealed. The puppy's world is smell, warmth, and heartbeat.
- Day 10–14: Eyes begin to open. Ears open around day 21.
- Week 3: First wobbling attempts at walking. Beginning of socialization window.
- Week 4: Weaning begins. Puppies introduced to softened kibble.
- Week 6–7: Vet exam, first DHPP vaccine, deworming, weight check.
- Week 8: Temperament testing, final assessment. Ready to meet families (application holders).