Canine Gestation

What can you expect during canine gestation? Quite a lot, actually. Learn more about what goes on during each week of a dog's pregnancy, and get tips on caring for your pregnant dog.

What is Canine Gestation?

Canine gestation is just the scientific term for dog pregnancy. The gestation period begins from the day your dog mates and lasts until the puppies are delivered or "whelped". Gestation lasts from 58 to 67 days on average, or about eight to nine weeks depending on your dog's size (smaller dogs typically have a little shorter pregnancy), the size of the litter and how soon fertilization occurred after the breeding took place.

Sounds simple, doesn't it? However, what's going on inside your dog's reproductive system is anything but simple, and she needs a great deal of care to ensure not only her continued health, but the health and development of her growing pups.

Canine Gestation Calendar

The week-by-week canine gestation calendar below will help you understand how the puppies are developing, as well as the outward changes your dog is going through and how you can support her.

Nutrition

• If you're already feeding a balanced diet, there's no need for additional vitamin supplements.
• As your dog's needs increase, simply offer her more of her current diet.
• You can add a spoonful of cottage cheese to her evening meal to boost calcium intake in a natural way, but refrain from giving calcium pills. They are too potent and can do more harm than good during the pregnancy.

Activity Level

As you can tell from the canine gestation calendar, it's a good idea to limit any strenuous activity during the first two weeks of pregnancy to ensure implantation takes place. After this time, your dog can resume her normal activities within reason. Once her belly begins to show, it's a good idea to limit her exercise to gentle walks to keep her well toned.

Veterinary Care

An early pregnancy check up and good communication with your vet are generally all that is required to make sure the pregnancy develops as it should. Call your vet if your dog displays any behavior you deem completely unusual or if she displays signs of distress. Do not give vaccinations or worm your dog until after whelping, and only with your vet's supervision.

If you'd like to progress to the next stage, read Delivering Puppies.

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