Your fur baby is expecting fur babies?? Congratulations! What an exciting time for you both!!
But the realities of birth and raising puppies include risks as well.
Many dog owners fall into the trap of focusing only on the fun…. without considering what could go wrong. Don’t make that mistake!
Time to prepare, prepare, prepare.
If everything goes great- SPLENDID! Count your blessings! But if something does go awry, you’ll be so grateful for all the work you did upfront to be able to respond appropriately! You could save the life of a puppy, of your momma dog, or in the worst possible scenario (an unavoidable death)- you will save yourself the guilt because you’ll know that you did everything you could!
Supplies to Purchase
First thing’s first- what items do I need? You’ll want all of these handy WELL before the due date as a dog’s due date is just like a human’s due date- unpredictable.
I’ll share this one tip- if you can see the belly looking enlarged and feel movement of puppies, you’re very very close- typically within a week or days of birth.
Here’s what you’ll need:
- A Puppy Whelping Kit. Here’s a link to the best one on the market. This kit is vital because it comes with INFORMATION as well as stuff. This kit is designed to educate the dog owner, as well as prepare you and help you stay organized throughout the puppies’ first 12 weeks of life. You’ll have everything you need to respond to emergencies- cord clamps and scissors for cutting the umbilical cord, bulb syringe for helping a puppy breathe, sterile gloves, and bottles to feed the puppies if mom doesn’t or can’t do it herself. You wouldn’t know it, but collars for the puppies are very important as well- these help you identify each puppy to record important information about each one- such as weight gain. Knowing if each puppy is gaining weight can be an early indicator of a problem and save lives. But first you need to know exactly which pup is which through identifying collars. You’ll also learn 3 vital exercises to raise top notch pups. This kit has it all- and more.
- A sterile birthing area. I recommend a whelping box, large enough for mom to comfortably lay down with extra space for puppies. It’s best if the whelping box comes equipped with pig rails around the sides. When mom lays down to feed the pups, it’s a little tricky to keep track of all those babies. Sometimes, a pup gets laid on, stepped on, or stuck between mom’s back and the side of the whelping box. This can kill a puppy. Pig rails allow a pup to wiggle out from a dangerous place by giving space around all the edges of the box.
- A heat lamp and/or a heat pad. A whelping box needs to be very warm to keep puppies alive and healthy. Secondary heat sources (and third heat sources, and fourth heat sources) are vital- getting too cold is one of the leading causes of puppy deaths.
- A whelping mat or blankets. This is a double edge sword. Puppies need traction in order to nurse- hard floors like wood flooring, tile, or the bottom of a crate are not sufficient (plus- they’re usually cold). However, a blanket can bunch up and a puppy could suffocate. The best solution is a whelping mat- these are designed to stay flat without ruffles to keep puppies safe. Side note- mom has an instinct to dig (that’s how her wolf ancestors made safe dens for the puppies) so you’ll have to watch out that she doesn’t bunch up the whelping mat. Just keep putting it back, nice and flat, to keep puppies safe.
- Painter’s plastic. If you want to save your floors, put plastic underneath the whelping area to keep any pee or poop off of your flooring.
- Lots of cleaning supplies! You’ve got a lot of poop in your future! Be prepared with bleach and paper towels! Important note: bleach must be 100% dried before you put the puppies back in the whelping area. There are other safe, chemical free cleaners that can be used as well if you prefer.
- It can be helpful to have a small, safe place to keep the puppies while you are cleaning. A laundry basket lined with a blanket- for example- can hold the puppies comfortably while you clean the whelping area.
- Note that you’ll need extra laundry detergent for washing whelping mats or blankets. They should be switched out every 2 days maximum and more often if needed.
- Lots of hand soap and hand sanitizer. Remember that almost every litter of puppies gets some kind of parasites or worms. Remember that these are, in fact, communicable to humans. Wash your hands every time you interact with your puppies!
- That reminds me- you can purchase dewormer to give your puppies every 2 weeks, or more often if you see signs of worms. If you have any questions, follow your vet’s advice.
- Baby scale to weigh the puppies. This is extremely important- in the first 2-3 weeks, you should weight the pups every day. There should be weight gain every day, and if there is not it’s an early indicator of a problem. If you catch it quickly, you can get help from your vet. When the puppies are 3-12 weeks, they need to be weighed every week for the same reason. This whelping kit has charts to organize both daily and weekly weight gain.
- A thermometer and Vaseline/coconut oil for lubrication. You’ll use this when you take mom’s temperature to recognize the beginning of labor. Don’t worry if you don’t know how to do this- your whelping kit will teach you all about it!
- Puppy formula- best to have a jar on hand in case you need to feed a pup pronto. Newborns need to eat every 2-4 hours and can quickly decline if they cannot eat. You won’t have time to wait for an amazon shipment if a pup needs your help! You’ll use the formula for sure when you begin the weaning process.
- That reminds me, plan on LOTS of puppy food, they’ll be hungry!
- 5 hour energy. You would never have guessed, but a newborn who can’t seem to get the energy to nurse can be saved with a drop of 5 hour energy. Just put one tiny drop in the back of the puppy’s mouth. Do not put more than one drop- we don’t want to drown the pup.
- Things for when they’re older- plenty of toys to play with, a larger play pen, shampoo (puppies can have baths after 4 weeks old), and supplies for the puppies’ forever families when you transition the puppy to his forever home (most breeders put together a “Go Home Packet”- you can make copies of your puppies’ documents from your Whelping Kit and include those in your packet. You’ll impress your buyers with your professionalism!)
Click on the images below to shop!
Action Items
I’m so excited that you’ve got all the STUFF you need… but there is more!
It’s time to take action to get ready before labor begins. Trust me- once those pups arrive, things get a little crazy. Now is the time to get yourself ready.
- Consult with your veterinarian about an emergency plan. Know how to contact them after hours, on weekends, or at any odd time when you might need immediate medical help. The Whelping Kit has a form just for this– plus great suggestions about questions that you can ask your vet in advance. These questions are designed to help you learn about ways to keep your momma dog and puppies safe- with helpful information straight from your trusted vet. Sometimes the biggest problem is simply not knowing what questions to ask!
- Organize!! Remember that you’ll have a LOT of information to keep straight after the puppies are born. You’ll want to record what date/time each pup was born, which color of collar each pup is wearing, their birth weight, etc. Then, you’ll need daily records of each pup’s weight for the first 2-3 weeks and weekly records of weight after that. You’ll want to record when each pup receives dewormer or vaccinations. You’ll want to record when each puppy finds a forever home, if a deposit was received to hold the puppy and how much the deposit was, the family’s contact information, the date/time arranged to pick up the puppy, the total sale price of each puppy, and much more! The Whelping Kit has forms included for everything mentioned here- and more! It’s the simplest way to keep yourself organized and simplify your life as you raise a litter of puppies.
- Set up the puppy areas and disinfect everything! You’ll want a newborn puppy area, plus a larger area for when they get a little older. You might want an indoor area and an outdoor area. Puppy play pens or fencing can help achieve this! Be sure everything is disinfected, as puppies are susceptible to illness until they are fully vaccinated.
- Find a location nearby the whelping area to put your Emergency Supplies and Birthing Supplies (you can get both in this Whelping Kit). That way, you’ll have everything ready at a moment’s notice!
- Compile information about the parents (especially if you used a stud service). Families who are interested in a puppy will want to hear all about the parents. Compile a simple document with everything in one place- it’ll save you so much time because you can send it to any interested party instead of texting the same information over and over again. In your document, include things such as:
- parents’ breed,
- parents’ color (best to include pictures),
- temperament traits,
- the height and weight of both parents and the expected adult height/weight of the puppies,
- health testing (OFAs, PennHip, genetics testing and more) of the parents,
- parents’ lineage,
- parents’ registration (maybe don’t include registration numbers in case someone tries to steal your dog’s information, but you can include the registry name- such as AKC),
- championships or other titles of the parents or grandparents,
- parents’ successes in working- such as hunting dogs, therapy dogs, service dogs, cattle dogs, etc (this shows potential buyers that the puppies could have similar success),
- your location,
- your contact information,
- and any other outstanding information that you wish to share with your buyers.
- Get an ultrasound or an xray. An ultrasound can be done as early as 4 weeks after breeding. An xray is best within a few days of the puppies’ births. Why? Not just to confirm pregnancy! The most dangerous births are when 1) there are too few puppies in the litter (this allows them to grow abnormally large) or 2) when a puppy grows abnormally large for any other reason. An ultrasound can give you a general count of the puppies. If there are more than 4, I don’t worry too much, although something could still go wrong. An xray can do much more- it can give a more accurate count of the puppies as well as measure the puppies’ skulls compared to the mom’s pelvis.
- Learn where you can advertise the puppies and where you can’t. Have a plan in place to find homes. This can be trickier than it sounds. Facebook and Instagram are not good places to advertise puppies- it is technically against their policies. Similarly, Craigslist has strict rules. Many other online sales locations limit or prohibit sales of animals. Be careful- you can get into trouble advertising in the wrong place.
- Think of cute puppy names! This one is fun. You can name puppies individually or find a fun theme for the litter- like planets or cars or holiday themed. Don’t worry- the forever families can change the name later and the puppies will be so young that they won’t know the difference.
- Prepare contracts for your buyers to sign. Contracts keep you safe. What happens if a family wants to return their puppy and expects their money back? What happens if a puppy has a medical problem, and the family claims that you owe them for their puppy’s medical bills? Are you comfortable with the families breeding your pups or not? What if one of your puppies ends up in a puppy mill or in a shelter? Maybe a family will seek legal action against you as a seller? What policies will you have in place to handle those odd situations? A signed contract can keep you safe.
- 2 weeks before puppies are born, mom may need extra calories and a haircut. The extra calories should be healthy calories- not just more food. It is recommended to feed mom a Puppy food as this has higher quantities of protein and fat, very healthy for a dog. Let her eat up to 40% more than her usual diet. She will continue to need more food as she nurses the puppies. As for the haircut- you don’t need to shave her everywhere, but trimming the hair around her teats can help puppies nurse better. Some dogs will naturally loose some of the hair in this area as birth approaches, but it is something to keep in mind if it does not happen.
- 1 week before due date, start taking mom’s temperature! As explained in the Whelping Kit, this will help you pin point when the puppies will be born!
- Research!!! There is so much to say about this… I’ll create a whole section just for this topic.
Research to Complete
Responsible puppy owners know that there is always more to learn!
Right before your momma has puppies is a PERFECT time to learn!! There is so much to know about labor and birth…. but it doesn’t stop there!
There is so much to know about raising a newborn puppy!
This is your time- once the pups come, things are stressful and busy (and fun, but the point is that there isn’t much time left over for research. Better to do it now!)
Here are some helpful research topics and resources for you!!!
Dog Pregnancy- Everything You Need to Know to Care for Your Pet
Puppy Development: Raising Puppies to Be Their Best Selves
All Inclusive Guide to Raising A Litter of Quality Puppies
Unexpected Techniques to Socialize a Litter of Puppies
How to Take Stunning Puppy Pictures that Will Sell
What you Need to Know- Weaning A Litter of Puppies
Entire Litter of Puppies with Diarrhea? Secrets to Stop the Poop!
How to Increase the Success of a Therapy/Service Dog from Infancy
Is Your Whelping Area Dangerous for Puppies?
Avoiding Death of Puppies During the Newborn Phase
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