Dog Pregnancy Calendars: Preparing and Planning for Your Canine

When you are breeding dogs, it is important to have your facts straight. From registration numbers to their shot records, it is all important. But nothing, it seems, is more important to your peace of mind than knowing when to expect your next litter of puppies. A canine pregnancy calendar could be just what the vet ordered to keep everything together.

1) Acquire a small planner or date book, Wal-Mart carries these as well as several other discount stores. Note in your planner your females date of birth or approximate date if it is unknown. This will be important in planning your pet's pregnancy.

2) Dogs vary in their dates of estrus due to breed and size and sometimes even due to the presence of a male. Generally small breeds can come into heat as early as six months of age. Larger breeds will typically take longer about twelve to fourteen months. You can usually find breed specific books at your local library or at the corner bookstore. When all else fails you can Google it. Once you determine when your dam will first come in heat make sure to mark that date in red! You will want to be prepared to protect her from unwanted suitors. Males have been known to follow the scent of a female in heat for several miles. Now that you are aware of her approximate heat date start watching for signs and set up your breeder. Signs can include but are not limited to, bloody discharge, mood swings and possibly even change in appetite.

3) Personally, I always wait a few days to breed my female since in my experience she may not accept the male early in her estrus. If you can leave your female with the male for several days you will optimize your chances of success. I would mark the days she is with the male in blue. Aside from taking her to the vet to check for pregnancy and expected due date I always watch for signs of pregnancy then go back to the dates in blue to get my starting point.

4) Calculating the days of pregnancy is not unlike our own in that they are never exact. Without the costly expense of an ultrasound you will at best have an educated guess. And yes in larger metropolitan areas they do have this technology. A dog's pregnancy cycle will last between fifty-nine and sixty-four days. I would take the middle ground and go with sixty days as an estimated whelping date. So now you can go back to your days in blue again taking the middle ground and calculating from the mid-point in the breeding schedule, count up sixty days and you have a very good estimate on puppy day!

5) Noteworthy are the signs that accompany nearing birth. Your dam's stomach will be large and nearly rock hard she may get a bit lethargic and pant a lot. I have noticed in my females they will begin "nesting", that is staying away from others hiding in the closet or under your bed. If she goes missing several hours and this is uncharacteristic of her you may want to find her quick!