ᐉ How can you tell if your dog is pregnant?

September 24, 2015 Julia Home page » Breeding

It seems that just recently a small funny puppy was brought into the house, and today it is already an adult, fully formed dog with its own character and physiological needs, completely ready for mating.

There is ongoing debate among dog owners about the need for mating for each animal. However, experts in the field of veterinary medicine authoritatively assert that not all pets should be allowed to participate in the mating process, but only completely healthy individuals suitable for breeding.

But if the dog has excellent appearance and health, and getting puppies is part of the plans of the owners of this dog, then they need to stock up on knowledge in advance related to the period after mating of their pet.

Physiology or signs “on the face”

How can you tell if your dog is pregnant at home? The owner will be able to make the right verdict if he notices several characteristic signs:

Nipples. Human anatomy is designed in such a way that when a new life is born, the female’s nipples visually change. For example, in women they become darker, and small folds appear on the skin. The dog exhibits similar symptoms. 2-3 weeks after fertilization, the nipples become bright pink. In addition, they swell and seem to begin to protrude from the stomach.
Some animals change their behavior: they become sleepy, lethargic and lazy.
Approximately 30 percent of female dogs experience changes in their eating habits. They stop eating the food they like so much.
A pregnant dog needs a supply of vitamins that it needs to fully bear the baby. In late spring, summer and early autumn, you can notice how she actively consumes greens.

If the dog is bearing puppies not for the first time, then the owner already understands how to find out if the dog is pregnant at home. As a rule, the state of individuals during all “interesting situations” is identical.

Maternal behavior
Preparing for childbirth
Behavior during childbirth
Early postpartum behavior
Behavior of a bitch during the period of mixed feeding of puppies
Late maternal behavior
Fatherly behavior
Attitude towards suckling puppies
Attitude towards puppies at the second stage of socialization
Parental behavior towards teenagers
Relationships with adult children
Peculiarities of maternal behavior when kept at home
False pupishness
Breeder-induced maternal behavior disorders
Selection for normal sociosexual behavior

Parental behavior

Maternal behavior

Preparing for childbirth

As true parental behavior, we will consider the maternal behavior of a bitch, whose activation is associated with the action of specific hormones. This occurs shortly before the onset of labor, and the interval can vary significantly depending on the breed and individual characteristics of the woman in labor. The first element of maternal behavior is the construction of a den for the offspring. If the bitches of a number of factory breeds practically do not care about preparing a place for future puppies, limiting themselves only to reflexively digging up their own bedding and various soft things in the breeder’s house, then the picture is different for dogs of folk breeds and pariahs. The simplest shelter option is a hard-to-reach shelter, be it a hole under a woodpile or a sewer duct. In traditional keeping, sled bitches make a shallow hole under the platform to which the team is tied (permafrost and water do not allow digging a deep hole). The females of the Central Asian Shepherd make thorough burrows in natural conditions. The entrance to the hole is usually located in the shade, next to some kind of shelter (stone, adobe wall, fold of relief). The dimensions of the hole with a nesting chamber, built in very hard soil, are amazing - an adult man can fit in it without any inconvenience. It is clear that it will not be possible to dig such a shelter, even with the endurance and strength of these dogs, in a couple of days.

Prenatal maternal behavior also includes self-protection. In some cases, experienced bitches suddenly change their behavior after mating, starting to avoid heavy physical exertion, getting wet, and hypothermia. Occasionally, first-born bitches behave the same way.

Behavior during childbirth

Full maternal behavior is formed during the birth of the first puppy. When eating amniotic membranes and licking water from the skin of a newborn, the dog receives a large amount of hormones, including oxytocin, which, on the one hand, stimulate the normal course of the birth process and cause increased milk secretion, and on the other hand, trigger a complex set of grooming reactions newborns. That grooming is an activated, self-reinforcing process is evident from the way a mother, especially an inexperienced one, treats her first puppy. At first, she licks the newborn as if reluctantly, touching him with short movements of her tongue at noticeable intervals. Gradually, her movements accelerate, she is clearly excited, licks the baby non-stop, turning him from side to side, and energetically bites the umbilical cord. Young first-born bitches often get so carried away that they prevent the newborn from attaching to the nipple and literally tear out the umbilical cord. With the advent of the second and subsequent puppies, the bitch calms down somewhat, distributing her attention, but her desire to lick the babies and massage them remains very strong.

We have not seen bitches that would help newborns get to the nipples; rather, the mother interferes with them, since she cleans the puppies every now and then.

Note that if a bitch with normal maternal behavior constantly “loses” one or more puppies, rolling away to the side or even burying them in the litter, then such cubs have some kind of congenital health problems. Under control, you can force a bitch to raise such a puppy, but it will be weak and sickly and, most likely, will not live long.

The birth of a single stillborn puppy has an extremely difficult effect on the psyche of a bitch (the expulsion of a dead fetus with a large number of living puppies usually leaves the bitch indifferent). Maternal behavior is fully included: after all, the bitch not only made a nest, gave birth to a puppy, she also licked it, now he should have found the nipple, but this does not happen. A similar failure of the program - the absence of an object of care, despite the fact that the mother sees the puppy, touches it, puts her in a state of severe nervous overstrain. Over and over again she tries to awaken the cub to life, licking it and nudging it with her nose. An attempt to take the corpse puts the bitch into a state of rage and extreme anxiety. Often the bitch does not leave the dead puppy for more than a day; she cannot be taken out even by force, so she screams and tries to get back. She loses interest in the corpse only with the appearance of the smell of decomposition, but even after that she looks for a puppy for a long time.

We see that dogs have an innate mechanism for turning on maternal behavior, which we talked about in connection with the problem of rejection of orphans by ungulates. However, the dog's behavior turns out to be much more complex and flexible. Many primiparous bitches do not recognize their cubs without hormonal stimulation, however, cases are no less frequent when bitches accept other people's puppies at very different ages, including very small ones. At the same time, lactation and corresponding grooming behavior appear both in bitches who have given birth multiple times, and in very young ones who have never mated. In these cases, the sight of the puppy and its touching the foster mother’s nipples are enough to trigger maternal behavior.

Early postpartum behavior

After giving birth, the desire to take care of the puppies prevails over everything: many bitches simply do not leave the nest in the first day. In the following days, they leave the puppies only for a few minutes - to quench their thirst, hunger, and natural needs. Caring for newborns takes a lot of a bitch's time. The bitch massages the belly and perianal area of the babies with her tongue, since in the first days after birth, the sphincters of the urethra and rectum can relax only under the influence of external stimulation and spontaneous urination and defecation do not occur. Licking the puppy's entire body is a good massage: the blood supply to the skin improves and dirt is removed from its surface. Due to the high content of lysozyme in a dog's saliva, licking protects the very delicate skin of a newborn from damage by pathogens.

In addition to licking, the mother warms the cubs with her own body - their own thermoregulation is imperfect. The constant presence of the mother next to the puppies ensures that they are fed at any time: in the first days of life they eat little by little, but often. As soon as the puppy wakes up, he immediately sucks on the nipple, having had his fill, he immediately falls asleep.

As puppies grow older, milk may become scarce. Under natural conditions, in this case, further selection of cubs by the mother occurs. She focuses on the strongest and most developed ones, licking them more often, allowing them to stay on her nipples for a long time. The weaker ones are pushed away by their brothers, and the mother stops paying attention to their squeaks and attempts to get to the nipples.

An excellent illustration of this fact is the message of biologist Y. Badridze, who for many years observed the behavior of wolves and wolf-dog hybrids. With the increase in the number of wolves, the number of hybrids with pronounced canine characteristics begins to decline sharply, and not only due to their direct destruction by a competing species. In hybrid litters, a split occurs: some of the puppies are closer in characteristics to wolf cubs, and some are closer to dogs. Wolf cubs develop faster, dog puppies lag behind. Mothers (both she-wolves and dogs) give preference to wolf cubs; dog puppies die of hunger. We observed similar patterns in female Central Asian and Caucasian shepherd dogs, when mothers clearly preferred large puppies to small ones, every now and then “losing” the small ones in the den. When examining the burrows of Central Asian bitches in places of traditional breeding, mummified corpses of puppies of various sizes were found in many of them, while the bitches leave the den with one or two puppies.

In addition to caring and feeding, the bitch protects her cubs from enemies, with other bitches being the most dangerous for them. Such infanticide in pariah dogs and folk breeds (cases are not uncommon in factory-bred dogs) is a manifestation of maternal aggression and serves as a mechanism for population regulation. Such killing has nothing to do with food needs; bitches do not eat other people’s cubs they kill. This act is clearly aimed at promoting the welfare of one's own puppies, even if the bitch does not currently have a litter. Infanticide is, among other things, a way of selecting mother bitches based on the adaptability of their behavior. If the bitch was unable to arrange a den in a secluded place, could not protect the puppies herself, if a male does not help her in caring for the cubs, then the chances of such a bitch reproducing her genotype in the offspring are small.

Behavior of a bitch during the period of mixed feeding of puppies

As the puppies grow, the mother continues to care for them, but her absences become more frequent and longer. At the same time, the bitch does not move far, she simply begins to avoid prolonged close contact with the already actively moving babies. They no longer need her warmth - if it’s cold, the puppies can warm themselves by huddling together. Frequent licking is also no longer necessary, since urination and defecation are already regulated by the puppy himself. The mother continues only to keep the nest clean by licking the puppies' excrement.

By about three weeks of age, there is a serious shortage of milk. The bitch begins to feed the puppies by regurgitating food for them or bringing prey in her teeth. At this time, she willingly accepts the help of a male father, and if there is one, then a “guy” in feeding the young and caring for them. In puppies of many breeds, especially aboriginal ones, the edges of the incisors emerge from the gums at this age. After several unsuccessful attempts to suck solid food, small predators learn to scrape meat with newly erupted teeth, tearing off fibers at a time. By a month, the surviving puppies (there are few of them in natural conditions) actively eat solid food, begin to get out of the den and play next to it.

The bitch continues to feed the puppies milk, but no longer lying down, but standing. Puppies are forced to balance on bent hind legs, holding the nipple with their front legs. It is clear that in such a position the fights that have become common when dividing meat turn out to be impossible. The duration of feeding is two to three minutes, during which the grown puppies manage to milk their mother dry. If the mother has normal nutrition, her lactation can last up to 1.5–2.5 or even more months (this is also due to the breed and individual characteristics).

Now the bitch rarely licks her cubs; it is more of a gesture of affection when the tongue touches the muzzle and ears than a hygienic procedure. She usually stops cleaning the den when the share of milk in the puppies’ diet sharply decreases—they develop “toilet” behavior. Now the family uses the lair less and less, hiding in it only from rain or heat, as well as when possible enemies appear.

Late maternal behavior

The mother begins to play with the cubs as soon as they can actively move, but with the onset of the second period of socialization, she plays with them more often and longer, diversifying the games.

In the game, puppies learn to control their body, hide and attack, fight, run away and catch. The specifics of play training may vary, but most breeds have combat training. Depending on the breed, the duration and complexity of training in fighting techniques may vary.

It seems that an experienced bitch is engaged in training quite consistently, showing puppies techniques that are easy for them to perform at this age, and in every possible way encouraging the practice of these techniques on each other and on herself. After a while, it’s the turn of another skill.

While the puppies are a little older than a month, the mother simply allows them to climb on herself, gnaw on their paws, folds of the skin, invites them to run after her, making sure to catch up. The mother teaches older puppies to knock over the enemy with a jerk from below by the front paw. As soon as the puppy correctly grasps the mother's leg, she immediately falls on her side, allowing him to fumble her. The trained puppy immediately tests the skill on his brothers and sisters, and for several days the whole family continually grabs each other by the paws and throws them to the ground. At the same time, the ability to protect the forelimbs during a fight is practiced.

After this cycle, the bitch teaches the puppies to cut corners and use obstacles when playing catch. It is interesting that this game, becoming more and more complex, goes through the dog’s entire childhood and youth. At the same time, the mother in a certain way “pits” all the puppies against one, which they unanimously pursue. The puppy can act as a “victim” for a few minutes, or maybe the whole day. It is likely that in this game the young animals learn not only the techniques of catching prey, but also have the opportunity to experience different social roles, being either the pursued or the persecutor.

We have already talked about the breed specificity of games, but it is not always associated with the main “profession” of the breed. The Central Asian Shepherd Dog learns how to knock down an enemy with a blow to the body, a grab for the throat and groin, which is undoubtedly necessary for a wolfhound to be able to do. On the other hand, among greyhounds, where one would expect extensive training in catching prey, the difficulty of playing catch is no different from other breeds.

The bitch begins early to teach the puppies the rules of “life in society”, showing that too noisy games are not welcome. A small puppy, when he teases everyone in a row, constantly pesters his mother, she can calm him down, forcing him to take a pose of submission. To do this, the bitch turns the puppy onto its back with its muzzle and pokes its nose into its stomach several times, as if fixing the position.

In the second period of socialization, when fights begin in the brood to establish the primary hierarchy, the bitch, and often the male, ensure that the puppies move on to ritualized interactions. The most active and energetic puppy, who often causes pain to others, is taught the concept of “other people's pain.” The puppy is constantly being bashed, tugged at by the skin, knocked down, making him cry out in pain, and only then is the potential tough dominant released. A puppy can be raised by almost the whole pack and for more than one day until it remembers that in response to a signal of pain from the enemy it should be released.

Fatherly behavior

As the puppies grow older, the father increasingly takes part in their upbringing, so it is now appropriate to analyze the parental behavior of the male dog. In essence, this complex is completely unrelated to maternal behavior. First of all, it does not require specific hormonal stimulation to turn it on. A male caring for offspring demonstrates a whole set of elements associated with the care of a high-ranking animal for a low-ranking one.

Attitude towards suckling puppies

The male usually does not have contact with very small puppies, since the bitch tends not to let anyone from the pack get close to the nest. When the level of intra-pack aggression is low, as is observed, for example, in greyhounds, the puppies are usually not hidden, but even there the males do not show interest in them until they begin to actively move. A recently matured male who has never seen newborn puppies can sniff them like any unfamiliar object.

The male guards the den together with the female or in her absence. Such protection turns out to be necessary in natural flocks, since, as we have already said, it is physically difficult for one mother to protect the brood from other bitches. Protecting the area around the den within the pack's territory strengthens the friendship between male and female, and outside the breeding season allows them to have a higher status together than apart.

The male helps the bitch get food for herself, until she goes far from the den, and for the puppies when they switch to mixed feeding.

Attitude towards puppies at the second stage of socialization

When the puppies begin to run, they approach with interest and joy any dog that appears near the den, unless the mother prohibits contact (this is done by making a very quiet snorting sound and pushing the most dull ones into the shelter with their noses). The puppies running up to the male dog surround him, spin around under his belly, trying to jump up and lick him on the face. If the puppies are quite annoying, the male dog will sometimes regurgitate some food. He can lie down and allow the kids to gnaw on their paws and tail, protecting only the genital area. When the puppies become completely unbearable, the male gets up and leaves, without trying to moderate their activity, as a bitch would do.

When analyzing these interactions, a clear connection is visible between the “parental” behavior of the male dog and the elements of courtship that he addresses to the bitch. Feeding by belching in response to licking the open mouth or corners of the mouth occurs not only during mating games, this reaction is typical for an adult male in relation to the bitch he has mated. Quite often he feeds the dominant bitches, even those who are not his partners, after a successful catch.

When the puppies enter the second period of socialization, the male is already actively communicating with them, teaching them, like the mother, fighting and hunting techniques, but especially diligently - correct social behavior.

The demonstrations of the threat that the male addresses to the puppies are interesting. In addition to the usual aggressive demonstrations (growling, grinning), emphasized images of intentions are quite common. The male exaggeratedly shows how he will severely punish the offending puppy. He seems to pout, sniffle exaggeratedly, and stomp his feet, chasing the puppy running away squealing.

There are also completely “exotic” demonstration options available only to large dogs. Thus, one of the Central Asian Shepherd dogs took the head of the “punished” person into his mouth and barked with all his might in both ears. The puppy released into the wild was clearly stunned by the “notation”, shook its head for a long time and behaved very quietly.

Parental behavior towards teenagers

When the puppies finally leave the den and begin to move around with their parents, they make sure that the cubs stay close, protect them from danger, and show them new types of food. Both mother and father pass on experience to their offspring, teaching by example, forcing the growing dog to do everything as they do. Given that social animals are characterized by imitation, learning by example is very effective. Adult dogs show young dogs what to avoid in the world around them and what they should not be afraid of.

The behavior of pariah dogs living in megacities with a very complex and dangerous environment for animals is very instructive in this regard. Parents show the puppies routes where they can collect food, leading the young from the back doors of the butcher shop to the dining room window, from there to the factory entrance, etc. In this case, the path usually runs away from busy roads. When the city actively catches stray animals, pariah dogs force young animals to flee at the sight of a suspiciously stopped car or a person heading in their direction.

It is interesting to watch how a teenager is taught to cross the street. If there is an underground passage, many flocks of sedentary pariahs use only it. If there is no crossing, the parents, approaching the edge of the sidewalk, stop the young man, pressing him between them. Then, poking them with their noses and grabbing them by the skin, they force them to turn their heads to the left and stand, waiting for a large interval between cars. Then there is a dash to the center line, and everything is repeated: stopping, turning your head to the right, waiting, crossing the second half of the street.

I had a chance to observe when, in such a situation, one puppy fell behind the family, ran around in the middle of the road and almost fell under the wheels. When he finally got to the side of the road, his parents knocked him down and stood over him for a long time, growling threateningly. There was a clear educational act.

Another observation. A group of four teenage puppies are barking and chasing a domestic dog, a large half-breed husky, through the snowdrifts, walking without an owner. The behavior of the puppies is clearly of a hunting nature. At a distance, on both sides of the hunting flock, two adult dogs are moving, apparently parents watching the actions of the children. As soon as the laikoid hides in a panic at the entrance, the adult dogs immediately take the young animals away. The scene is very close to the behavior of wolf families described in the literature when teaching young ones to hunt serious game.

Relationships with adult children

The older the puppies get, the less their parents care about them, but often the peculiar bonds of loyalty remain with fully grown children.

In natural flocks, children from the previous year can help raise younger cubs. There are often cases when the eldest daughter becomes an “aunt” for the younger ones, grooms them, educates them, and sometimes even begins to lactate after her mother (this has been observed quite often among greyhounds).

An experienced mother who has raised her puppies well retains a certain superiority over her adult sons; in any case, these males do not try to dominate her. Not only in a natural pack, but also in nursery keeping, some puppies spend almost the entire second period of socialization with their mother. Such males, having met their mother even after two or three years, unconditionally recognize her right of seniority and willingly play, often demonstrating purely puppyish elements of behavior.

Peculiarities of maternal behavior when kept at home

False pupishness

Quite often, maternal behavior begins to unfold against the background of false pregnancy, which develops under the influence of progesterone produced by the corpus luteum of the ovaries after estrus, which normally functions for at least 60 days, regardless of whether the bitch was bred or not. Under natural conditions, false pregnancy is practically impossible, since there the bitch’s estrus is either suppressed, or she mates even if a mating pair is not formed. Exceptions are extremely rare.

As the end of the “pregnancy” approaches, the bitch becomes restless, tries to make a den, pulls various soft things into their place, and rummages in the beds of the owners. With the beginning of lactation, the bitch collects objects and toys, especially squeaking ones, into the nest she has built, and lies with them at her side. She rearranges them, poking her nose, whining every now and then. If the toys, which she perceives as puppies, are removed, the bitch begins to rush around the house, whining and howling, trying at all costs to find and return the “cubs.” All changes in the bitch's behavior correspond to those that occur during the birth and feeding of puppies. With the cessation of lactation, manifestations of maternal behavior gradually cease.

Breeder-induced maternal behavior disorders

A fairly common mistake: separating newborns from their mother before she licks them, and returning after the fur is completely dry for fear that an inept bitch will crush the first ones when giving birth to subsequent puppies. The bitch often refuses to accept such puppies and does not want to feed or care for them.

Many breeders practice early weaning of puppies (at about 30 days of age), which has a bad effect on the psyche of the bitch. Puppies are weaned at the end of the first socialization period. It is at this moment that feeding and caring for the cubs no longer require as much effort from the bitch as it did recently; the mother begins to actively communicate with the cubs. Such social contacts are no less useful for her than for puppies - the bitch loses the remnants of immaturity and gains invaluable experience in management and control.

And just at this moment the puppies are being distributed. The bitch is not yet ready to be separated from them for a long time; normally, this can only happen in the second period of socialization. When giving away puppies early, it is advisable to alleviate the severity of the loss of cubs for the dog: it is better to not give them all away at once. Otherwise, the bitch needs to be busy.

Selection for normal sociosexual behavior

There are a number of traits for which there are no tests, but for which selection must be made if we want to breed dogs with normal behavior that meet the standards of their breeds.

Selection based on the severity of social behavior is very relevant. Unfortunately, this fundamental behavioral complex for a dog can only be assessed in kennels (and this is not always done there). It is simply impossible to compare dogs of private owners on this basis, since the living conditions of a dog in a family can distort initially completely normal behavior or, which is much less common, compensate for a number of violations.

However, we repeat, selection for this trait is necessary, and if the dog belongs to a breed that is characterized by high sociality, does not get along well with other dogs, and has no contact with people, it is better not to breed it. In such a situation, it is better to make a mistake than to show excessive humanism. The introduction of dogs with deviations in social behavior into the breeding core is fraught with the collapse of the entire complex of behavior characteristic of a given breed, and the appearance of animals with completely unpredictable behavior in general.

Males with sexual behavior disorders, especially those showing aggression towards bitches in heat, should be equally strictly culled. In this regard, the hobby for artificial insemination seems unsafe, since then such males can be replicated.

For a bitch, an equally important indicator is correct and complete maternal behavior.

Consequently, bitches with defective maternal behavior: refusing to feed puppies, showing aggression towards them, etc., should not be allowed to breed. If a female is not able to fulfill her main natural purpose - raising offspring, why replicate a clearly defective genotype? Let the exterior of such a bitch be as good as you like, but a bad mother cannot be a breeding stock!

In dogs, sexual behavior is inseparable from social behavior, which means that we again come to the variant of dogs with disorders of social behavior in general.

And lastly, for a number of breeds there is an unconditional ban on showing aggression towards humans. There should be no leniency in this matter. Removing the block, at least partially, may negate the efforts of many generations of breeders, since the task they accomplished - to eliminate manifestations of aggression in the breed as a whole - is in itself very difficult.

Table of contents

Psychological and physiological changes in later stages

It would seem that in the later stages the answer to the question of how to find out if a dog is pregnant becomes obvious. But still some people have problems. However, several characteristic features can be identified here:

Each female has a nesting effect. From the 3rd week after fertilization until the very birth, the pet will begin to behave strangely: sleep in a box or other container; carry rags and blankets into it. This suggests that the pet has begun to arrange a home for its future cubs.
The dog's uterus will noticeably increase in size in later stages. Accordingly, it will begin to compress the stomach and bladder. The dog will be satisfied with a small amount of food and will often go to the litter box.
In the third trimester, the dog's weight will increase significantly. It will become difficult for her to walk. She will spend most of her time sleeping.
If you put your hand on the animal's belly, you can feel slight movements. At a later date, the dots can be seen visually.
Gradually it will begin to “round up”. Because of this, her gait may also change.

As for psychological signs, there is no objective version. Each organism begins to react to a new state in different ways. The dog may become calm and affectionate, aggressive, lazy, or its mood may not change at all.

R-research

The study using an X-ray machine is carried out for a period of 56-58 days. This action is necessary to accurately determine the number of puppies and their location in the female’s uterus. Many owners believe that the examination is dangerous for the expectant mother and babies. However, doctors do not carry it out constantly; once is enough to find out the necessary information.

It is important to know the position of the puppies in order to eliminate the risk of various problems during birth.

Towards the end of pregnancy the belly is very noticeable

Myth No. 1. After mating, the dog begins to eat for two

How do you know if your dog is pregnant? The signs of this condition have varied over decades. During this time, several versions appeared, which were refuted in practice.

This is an absolutely false stereotype. A dog in the first stage of pregnancy does not need additional calories. And actively overfeeding your pet will only lead to the accumulation of fat mass. Vitamins play a big role for her at this stage, which she can easily find on her own.

Modern diagnostics

Finding out on your own whether a dog is pregnant after mating is quite difficult. It is recommended to contact your veterinarian if any changes appear. A set of diagnostic measures carried out by a specialist will allow you to find out the exact answer to this question.

The first thing he will do is conduct a palpation examination. At this stage, even he will not be able to make an accurate verdict, since there is a high probability that he will confuse the interesting situation with an intestinal disorder.
In the second trimester of pregnancy, he will be able to listen to the dog through a stethoscope. The presence of heartbeats in the uterine cavity is the surest sign of pregnancy.
After conception, a hormone is actively produced in humans - hCG, and in dogs - relaxin. Another type of diagnostic test is a blood test. It will reach the desired value only on the 28th day after conception.
Of course, the most accurate answer can only be given by the result of a diagnostic examination (ultrasound or x-ray). It will reveal whether there is a fetus in the uterus. It will grow to visible size on the 16th day after conception. For this procedure, you will have to cut the hair from the dog’s belly and give it a sedative that is safe for its condition.

It is recommended to choose a qualified veterinary clinic that has modern equipment.

Carrying out an ultrasound examination

3-4 weeks after mating, veterinarians recommend an ultrasound examination. Using this diagnostic, it is possible to accurately detect the presence of pregnancy, as well as determine the number of fetuses. An ultrasound examination will help clarify the position of the embryos, listen to their heartbeat, and also identify developmental pathologies.

The procedure itself is painless, lasts approximately 20 minutes and will not cause the dog much discomfort. If the dog has a thick coat, then the tummy should be shaved to improve contact with the sensor.

Important! To obtain a more accurate ultrasound result, it is recommended to ensure that the dog has a full bladder in the early stages before the examination. This will make diagnosis easier.

It is recommended to conduct such a study within 35 days. After this period, the fruits become larger in size, their images are difficult to see, they begin to overlap each other, which leads to some distorted results.

Another method to check for pregnancy is palpation. In this case, the doctor or owner carefully palpates the female’s abdomen. After 4 weeks it is already possible to feel the presence of embryos (fetal sacs become denser) and even count their number. Over time, future babies grow up and stretch out, so this diagnostic method becomes more difficult and inaccurate.

At some stages it is important to consult a doctor and undergo some examinations

Attention! It is better to entrust palpation to an experienced veterinarian. It is unacceptable to independently check the possibility of pregnancy at a short period of time.

The most interesting facts

How do you know if your dog is pregnant? There are many possible methods to detect the presence of small pets in her belly. But, there are several more important points that relate to this unusual situation:

The gestation period in dogs varies in days. The total duration is from 58 to 65 days. Most females give birth on the 63rd day from conception.
By one year, the bitch’s body has already fully matured. This means that, theoretically, he is ready to bear a new life.
Dogs, like many other animals, can only become pregnant when they are in heat - twice a year.
A non-standard method for finding out that a dog is pregnant: hang a ring tied on a string over it. If it begins to make circular movements, it means that the individual is expecting an addition soon.
A caring owner should wish the best for his pet, that is, so that her birth takes place without complications. To do this, she needs to be trained during pregnancy. Of course, this does not mean that you need to run with it and climb the horizontal bars. Walking will be enough.
There are also sexually transmitted diseases in dogs. Unfortunately, in most cases they lead to termination of pregnancy.

There are many versions of how to find out that a dog is pregnant. The most plausible is a diagnostic examination, which can be done in a qualified veterinary clinic; other methods are very questionable and have no scientific explanation.

False pregnancy in dogs

False pregnancy in dogs often occurs due to natural features. Under natural conditions, dogs live in packs. Because of this, heat often occurred in several individuals at once. As a result, hormonal changes coincided, and all females in the flock became capable of feeding offspring, even if they did not give birth to them.

A similar phenomenon cannot be ruled out in domestic animals. As a result, the pet's behavior becomes very similar to what it would be if she were pregnant. She strives to create her own nest, colostrum is released from the nipples. Often females begin to show increased love for soft toys - they take care of them and lick them. It is possible that physical signs may appear - nausea, apathy, increased drowsiness, swelling of the mammary glands, discharge from the nipples.

However, to determine the exact condition of the animal, it is recommended to contact a veterinary clinic and conduct the necessary examinations.

If the results reveal a false pregnancy in a female, measures must be taken to help the animal return to a normal lifestyle:

Reducing the amount of dairy products in your diet and drinking less will help reduce milk production.
Reduce the serving size, but not much.
Try to distract the animal from creating a nest and increase physical activity.
Remove from the female all objects that may remind her of motherhood.
Under no circumstances should you express milk, so as not to provoke an increase in its production. If necessary, the nipples are tightly bandaged with an elastic bandage, this will help prevent the development of mastitis.

X-ray allows you to find out the exact number of puppies and their location
. If the dog’s condition does not change, you need to contact a specialist so that he can select the appropriate medications. It is important to understand that false pregnancy is dangerous for a dog. The consequences of such a condition can be mental disorders, cancer formations in the uterus, mammary glands, appendages, and diseases of the genitourinary system.

First symptoms

The average length of pregnancy in dogs is about two months. However, the first signs begin to appear no earlier than the twenty-fifth day. As a rule, the animal experiences swelling of the mammary glands, and in some cases an enlarged abdomen is observed.

And if you are thinking about how to find out whether a dog is pregnant after mating or not, then remember that there are also indirect signs indicating the imminent appearance of offspring. Starting from the second or third week, the animal becomes lethargic. It can sleep for a long time and not respond to external stimuli.

When exactly can pregnancy be detected?

How to understand that a cat is pregnant: signs

Gestation of puppies in dogs lasts approximately 63-65 days, the maximum permissible period is 73 days, if more, then this is already a pathology.

In small dogs - Yorkies, Spitz, Chihuahuas, dachshunds - the duration of pregnancy is approximately 60 days. In animals of large breeds - Labradors, German shepherds, huskies - the gestation period can last up to 70 days. Moreover, large dogs have fewer puppies than small ones.

Pregnancy in large breed bitches in most cases proceeds without problems; the female independently limits her own movements and behaves carefully. Small dogs, such as Yorkshire terriers, are quite active and need to be closely monitored. In the fourth week, in such individuals you can notice swelling of the mammary glands and pinkening of the skin.

Pregnancy lasts longer in larger dogs

The first day is often considered the day of mating. However, within a couple of weeks after this, it is quite difficult to determine whether fertilization has actually occurred. As a rule, there are no significant symptoms. After this time, the first signs begin to appear that are worth paying attention to.

How can a veterinary clinic help?

If you don’t understand how to find out if a dog is pregnant, you can turn to professionals. More and more pet owners are turning to them for advice. Modern veterinary clinics use the latest equipment. It allows you to get reliable results.

For example, those who are interested in how to find out if a dog (Yorkie or any other dog) is pregnant may be advised to conduct a relaxin test. This test, which determines the amount of a specific hormone produced by the fetal placenta, can be taken at any veterinary clinic. However, it appears in the animal’s blood only on days 20-40. In addition, you can use so-called test strips. They can also be used at home. The disadvantage of this method is that it only shows the presence of embryos, without determining whether they are alive.

And for those who want to understand how to find out if a dog (terrier or representative of any other breed) is pregnant, we can suggest sending the pet for an ultrasound examination. This highly accurate method can be used from the fifteenth day. With its help, you can assess the activity of embryos, determine their number, size and location.

In addition, for all breeds, after five weeks from the moment of mating, X-ray examination can be used. This is also a fairly accurate and reliable method.

Care instructions

Having figured out how to find out if a dog is pregnant, you need to learn how to properly handle it during this period. A bitch carrying puppies needs special care, since the health of the future offspring depends on this.

Throughout the entire period, you need to monitor the dog’s well-being and its diet. In addition, it is recommended to provide the animal with the opportunity to move actively, without allowing it to jump or run on stairs.

It is also important to provide your pet with daily walks in the fresh air. Some experts recommend protecting a pregnant dog from contact with other animals, since there is always a risk of contracting some kind of infectious disease.

What to do

If the pregnancy of puppies is confirmed, the owner is recommended to do the following:

Refurbish the dog's area to make it more spacious and comfortable.
Give the animal more boiled eggs and dairy products.
Add vitamins to food.
In the later stages, provide the pet with complete rest, protecting her from children and other pets.
Avoid running and playing with other animals.

It is recommended to give your dog boiled eggs.

You cannot force a dog to eat, as this leads to dysbacteriosis.

Adviсe

In the early stages of gestation, it is necessary to give the pet calcium and magnesium . If the dog wants to go for a longer walk, you should not force him to take him home. She herself will let you know when spending time in the fresh air can be reduced.
Sitting or lying in the cold should not be allowed . It is not recommended to carry your pet in a car for a long time. She may get motion sickness, the consequences will be appropriate.
It is necessary to consult with a veterinarian in advance regarding methods of lowering elevated blood pressure.
You cannot take your pet under your belly . If you need to lift the dog, then one hand is placed under the butt, the second under the chest. You need to place the bitch on all 4 limbs and let go only when she maintains her balance.
During the second half of pregnancy, it is necessary to carefully monitor the intake of minerals and proteins into the dog’s body . At this time, puppies are developing very actively and are in dire need of nutrients. The useful elements supplied to them must completely replenish the costs of the bitch’s life and meet the requirements of the developing fruits.

You cannot carry a pregnant dog in a car for a long time.

Features of feeding

Those who have already understood how to find out if a dog is pregnant will probably be interested in how to change their diet in connection with the new situation. Let us immediately note that in the first month there is no need to greatly adjust the animal’s menu. But it is important that your pet’s nutrition is complete and well-balanced.

But starting from the second half of the term, it will have to be reviewed. This is especially true for those owners who gave their animals industrial food.

A pregnant bitch's menu should include as many natural products as possible. And in the process of developing a new diet, you need to take into account that your pet should not overeat. In addition, it is recommended to give her additional vitamins and mineral supplements. But it is better if they are prescribed by a veterinarian, since an excess of one or another substance can lead to unwanted problems.

Signs indicating that labor is approaching

Many inexperienced owners are afraid that they may miss this important point. To independently recognize the onset of whelping, you need to observe the behavior of the animal. One of the main signs of an approaching birth is the freezing of puppies. If you put your hand on the dog’s belly, but do not feel the babies moving, then in the near future they will be born.

Shortly before giving birth, the dog begins to show noticeable anxiety. This is especially true for first-time mothers. The animal may begin to tremble, whine or moan. He is experiencing increased breathing. Some dogs begin to rush around and tear up the bedding.

Many may refuse food, while others, on the contrary, eat a lot and enjoy going for walks. A few days before the upcoming birth, their loop softens and enlarges. In almost all animals, sagging of the back becomes noticeable. This is due to prolapse of the uterus. As a rule, on the eve of the birth of puppies, the dog’s body temperature drops significantly and heavy discharge appears.

Some people are convinced that there is no need to interfere with the natural process of childbirth, so as not to disturb the animal. However, in some cases, a woman in labor may need assistance. This is especially true for representatives of dwarf breeds. Their births are much more difficult than those of other relatives. The same applies to long-haired individuals, who cannot always gnaw the umbilical cord on their own. In such cases, the dog should be given immediate assistance. Otherwise, the process may take a long time, and there is a risk of losing the puppies.

Pregnancy milestones

If you have a calendar where you record the days and progress of your Labrador’s pregnancy, you can mark these important dates in it:

15 days from the moment of fertilization - the formation of the internal organs of future puppies begins (from this moment on, the bitch cannot be vaccinated or given anthelmintic);
26 days - introduce restrictions on the physical activity of the expectant mother so as not to injure the babies;
30 days - active formation of small skeletons requires the addition of calcium to the diet;
35 days - it is worth increasing the diet by about 10% of the usual (most likely, the bitch will develop an appetite);
44 days - the diet needs to be increased by another 5–10% of the standard norm, the number of feedings per day should reach five;
48 days - set up a place for your pet where she can “make a nest” for the litter, show it to her (it is important that she likes the bed and feels comfortable in it);
52 days - the amount of calcium in the diet should be reduced to a minimum;
58 days - you can notice the appearance of milk when there is pressure on the nipple;
59 days—Labrador can go into labor at any time: measure basal temperature using a rectal thermometer.

Basal temperature is measured at rest, preferably immediately after waking up. Most likely, this will not cause problems, because at a significant stage of pregnancy (right before giving birth) the Labrador bitch already needs almost constant rest and behaves passively. It is necessary to measure indicators in order to predict the time of labor: 24–48 hours before its onset, the temperature drops sharply to 36.5–36.8 °C. The drop in temperature only lasts a few hours, so take it often and record the results so you don't miss a beat and are ready to accept your puppies.

If within two days from the moment of observing a jump in rectal temperature there are no signs of incipient contractions, you should urgently call your veterinarian. Induction of labor or caesarean section may be required.