How to Whelp a Litter: A First-Time Breeder's Complete Guide

Bringing a litter into the world is one of the most rewarding — and demanding — experiences in dog breeding

Whelping (the process of a dog giving birth) is a natural process that most healthy females navigate without assistance. But as a breeder, your job is to be prepared for the moments when nature needs help — and to recognize the warning signs that require immediate veterinary intervention.

This guide walks you through everything from preparing your whelping area to handling complications.

Before the Birth: Preparation (Weeks 5-9)

Set Up Your Whelping Box

The whelping box should be:

• Large enough for the dam to lie fully stretched out, with room to move and nurse
• Low-sided at the front so the dam can step in and out easily
• High enough on three sides to keep newborns contained but allow you to reach in
• Fitted with pig rails (rails around the inside perimeter, 3-4 inches from the bottom and sides). These prevent the dam from accidentally crushing puppies against the wall.

Materials: whelping boxes can be built from plywood, purchased commercially, or made from a large plastic storage tub with a side cut out. Line the bottom with absorbent, washable bedding or puppy pads.

Set Up a Puppy Warming Area

Newborn puppies cannot regulate their body temperature. Have ready:

• A heating pad set to low, covered with a towel (never let puppies lie directly on the heating surface)
• A small box or secondary area where puppies can be placed while the dam delivers the next one

Assemble Your Whelping Kit

• Digital scale (for weighing puppies at birth and daily after)
• Clean towels — many of them
• Sterile scissors for cutting umbilical cords if needed
• Unwaxed dental floss for tying off cords
• Bulb syringe for clearing airways
• Iodine or chlorhexidine for umbilical stumps
• Rectal thermometer for monitoring dam's temperature
• Notebook and pen for recording birth times, weights, and sexes
• Your veterinarian's emergency number — and the nearest 24-hour emergency vet

Monitor Temperature in the Final Days

A dog's normal body temperature is 101-102.5°F. In the 12-24 hours before labor begins, the dam's temperature typically drops below 99°F. Take her temperature twice daily starting around day 58 of pregnancy. When you see the drop, labor is typically within 24 hours.

Schedule a Pre-Whelp Vet Visit

At 55-58 days of pregnancy, have your vet take an X-ray to count the puppies. This is the only reliable way to know how many puppies to expect — and knowing means you will recognize when the last puppy has been delivered.

Stage One of Labor: Early Labor

Stage one labor can last 6-12 hours and is often not obviously visible. Signs include:

• Restlessness, pacing, inability to settle
• Nesting behavior (shredding bedding, digging)
• Panting, trembling, or shivering
• Refusal to eat
• Vomiting (some dogs vomit during early labor — this is normal)

During stage one, leave the dam as calm and undisturbed as possible. Check on her quietly every 30-60 minutes. This is not the moment to invite friends over to watch.

Stage Two of Labor: Delivering Puppies

Active contractions begin in stage two. Each puppy should be born within 1-2 hours of active straining. The general timeline:

• 30-60 minutes of active straining with no puppy born = call your vet
• Puppies typically arrive every 15-60 minutes — longer gaps are possible between puppies as the dam rests between deliveries
• Each puppy is enclosed in a fluid-filled sac. The dam will break this sac and lick the puppy vigorously to stimulate breathing.
• Each puppy has an attached placenta. Count the placentas — you want one per puppy. A retained placenta can cause serious infection.

If the Dam Does Not Break the Sac

Break it yourself immediately with clean fingers. Clear the puppy's face first, then vigorously rub it with a clean towel to stimulate breathing. A puppy that is not breathing needs immediate attention.

Stimulating a Puppy That Is Not Breathing

1. Clear the airway with a bulb syringe
2. Rub vigorously with a towel, particularly the chest and back
3. Hold the puppy face-down and swing gently in a downward arc to clear fluid from the airway (support the head firmly)
4. If no response after 2-3 minutes of stimulation, the puppy is unlikely to survive

Cutting the Umbilical Cord

The dam will usually bite and eat the cord and placenta. If she does not, tie dental floss around the cord about an inch from the puppy's belly and cut on the far side of the tie with sterile scissors. Dab the stump with iodine or chlorhexidine.

Monitoring Puppies During Whelping

Place each delivered, dried, and nursing puppy in the heated secondary area while the dam delivers the next one. This protects them from being accidentally stepped on or pushed aside.

Weigh each puppy immediately after birth and record:

• Birth weight
• Sex
• Color/markings (for identification)
• Time of birth

Birth weight varies enormously by breed — from under 100g in toy breeds to over 500g in giant breeds. What matters most is that each puppy gains weight daily after birth (typically 5-10% of body weight per day in the first week).

Emergency Situations: When to Call the Vet Immediately

• Active straining for more than 30-60 minutes with no puppy delivered
• More than 4 hours between puppies with no contractions
• Green or black discharge before any puppies are born (this can indicate placental separation — normal after puppies arrive, but not before)
• Dam is exhausted and cannot continue pushing
• You know there are more puppies based on your X-ray count but labor has stopped
• Any puppy delivered not breathing and not responding to stimulation after 3+ minutes
• Dam is in obvious distress, collapse, or seizure

Do not wait and hope. A uterine inertia (when contractions stop) or an obstructed puppy can be fatal for both dam and litter if not treated quickly. Call your vet.

After Whelping: The First 24 Hours

Nursing

Puppies should nurse within the first hour of birth to receive colostrum — the first milk, rich in maternal antibodies. Colostrum provides critical passive immunity for the first weeks of life. A puppy who does not nurse within the first few hours needs to be assisted or supplemented.

Check Every Puppy

• All puppies should have a full belly and feel warm
• Puppies should sleep between nursing sessions and wriggle actively when handled
• A puppy that cries constantly, feels cold, or is limp needs immediate attention — fading puppy syndrome can kill within hours

Monitor the Dam

After whelping:

• The dam should have a dark green or reddish discharge for several days — this is normal
• She should be nursing and caring for her puppies
• Watch for signs of mastitis (hot, hard, painful mammary glands), metritis (foul-smelling discharge, fever), or eclampsia (trembling, muscle spasms — a calcium emergency requiring immediate vet care)

Keep Records Daily

Weigh every puppy at the same time every day for the first two weeks. A puppy that is not gaining weight or is losing weight is in trouble — intervention may be needed.

Summary

Whelping a litter successfully means preparation before, calm attentiveness during, and careful monitoring after. Know how many puppies to expect from an X-ray, have your whelping kit ready, keep your vet's number handy, and do not hesitate to call when something feels wrong. The vast majority of whelpings go smoothly — but the breeders who handle complications best are the ones who prepared for them.