Labor in dogs comes in three stages, and most of the signs breeders watch for belong to the first: a drop in her temperature, then restlessness, nesting and refusing food.
This guide covers what each sign means, what a normal delivery looks like, and the exact points at which to call your vet.
The short version
- Watch her temperature: in most dogs it drops to about 98.8°F (98.1–100°F) 8–24 hours before whelping, sometimes after the behavior changes have started. Read it twice a day from about day 56 so you know her normal.
- Stage one lasts 12–24 hours: she is restless, nesting, panting or trembling and off her food, with no visible straining yet.
- Puppies come every 30–60 minutes: a calm rest of up to 2 hours between puppies can be normal; many whelpings finish in about 7–9 hours.
- Call your vet: after 30 minutes of strong straining with no puppy, 2 hours after a puppy with no next one, no puppy 24 hours after the drop, or green or black discharge before the first puppy. The full list is below.
- Don't rely on counting afterbirths: an X-ray after day 55 tells you how many puppies to expect; your vet confirms every one is out.
Labor comes in three stages
Stage one is preparation. The uterus contracts and the cervix opens, but there is no visible straining yet. It normally lasts 12 to 24 hours, and its signs are mostly behavior.
Stage two is delivery. She strains visibly and the puppies are born, usually 30 to 60 minutes apart. Merck puts a normal whelping at about 7 to 9 hours, but times vary a lot. VCA notes that slim-headed breeds such as Shelties, Collies and Dobermans can finish in two to three hours, while Bulldogs, Boston Terriers and Pekingese tend to have harder deliveries.
Stage three is the afterbirth. She goes back and forth between stages two and three until she is done, and a placenta may come with its puppy or later. Counting them cannot confirm she has finished: dams often eat them or pass several together.
| Stage | What you'll see | Call your vet if |
|---|---|---|
| Stage 1: preparation — normally 12–24 hours | Restless, nesting, panting or trembling, off her food, sometimes vomiting; clear, watery discharge; no visible straining | No puppy 24 hours after her temperature drop; stage one past 24 hours; green, black or foul discharge |
| Stage 2: delivery — often 7–9 hours in all | Visible straining; a puppy every 30–60 minutes; rests between puppies | 30 minutes of strong straining with no puppy; 2 hours after a puppy with no next one; 2 hours of weak straining with no first puppy; whole whelping past 24 hours |
| Stage 3: afterbirth — with each puppy, or several together | A placenta after a puppy or a few at once; she may eat them | She strains again or you think a puppy is still inside; foul, heavier or fresh red discharge afterwards |
Merck Veterinary Manual (Labor, Delivery and Postpartum Care; Dystocia); VCA Animal Hospitals. Times vary between dogs and breeds.
The temperature drop: about 98.8°F, 8–24 hours before puppies
In most dogs the rectal temperature drops to an average of 98.8°F (range 98.1–100°F) about 8 to 24 hours before whelping, as the progesterone that kept her pregnant falls.
A healthy dog's normal temperature can be anywhere from 99.5 to 102.5°F, so a single reading tells you little. The drop stands out only against her own normal. A dam who stops at 99.4°F is inside Merck's range but would be missed by a fixed “below 99°F” rule.
Take her temperature twice a day from about day 56, and write down each reading with the time. If no puppy has arrived 24 hours after the drop, call your vet.
Not every dog shows a clear drop: Merck says it happens in most dogs. If her readings stay level but the behavior below starts near her due date, treat it as stage one.
Stage one: restless, nesting, off her food
In stage one she may turn restless or reclusive, nest on and off, pant or tremble, refuse food and sometimes vomit.
Nesting looks like scratching or digging at her bedding in a corner or quiet room. Some dams want their owner close while they nest; others want to be left alone. VCA says these signs may last up to 24 hours.
In the last week she may already be looking for a safe place to whelp. Some dogs stop eating on the last day of pregnancy, but not all.
None of these confirms labor alone. Read them together with her temperature and where she is in her pregnancy.
Physical signs: a relaxed vulva, full glands, clear discharge
Near term the area around her vulva relaxes, her mammary glands fill, and her belly may change shape. Merck calls these signs subtle and not reliable on their own. Full glands, even milk, do not by themselves mean labor is close.
In stage one a clear, watery discharge is normal. Green, black or foul-smelling discharge before the first puppy is not: dark green or foul discharge can mean a placenta has separated, so call your vet now.
Visible straining means stage two has started. If strong straining goes on for 30 minutes with no puppy, call your vet.
Normal delivery: a puppy every 30–60 minutes
Usually a few contractions produce a puppy; 10 to 15 minutes of pushing is reasonable. Between puppies she may nest, nurse and groom the ones already born, and panting and trembling are common.
A calm rest of up to 2 hours with no straining can be normal. Puppies can come head-first or hind-first; both are normal. A true breech, with the hind legs pointing forward, may need help.
She licks and chews at each puppy to tear the sac open and start it breathing, and it can look rough; that is normal. If a puppy is born still in its sac and she doesn't open it straight away, open it yourself, clear the mouth and nose, and rub the puppy with a towel until it breathes. Our newborn care guide covers the first hours.
With a first-time mother, stay with her or check on her often. A nervous first-timer can hold labor back; quiet reassurance can help, and once the first puppy is out, labor usually goes on normally.
When to call your vet during labor
- Before the first puppy: no labor by day 66 from the first mating (see our whelping calculator guide); no puppy 24 hours after her temperature drop; stage one past 24 hours with no straining; 30 minutes of strong straining with no puppy; 2 hours of weak, on-and-off straining with no puppy; green or black discharge.
- Between puppies: 30 minutes of strong straining with no puppy; more than 2 hours after a puppy without the next one, whether she is resting or straining weakly; the whole whelping past 24 hours.
- At any point: a puppy stuck in the birth canal, a tail hanging from the vulva, or a lump just behind it while she strains; heavy bleeding; foul-smelling discharge; a fever of 103°F or more; a dam who is weak, collapsing or in obvious distress.
Sources for these limits: Merck's dystocia and labor chapters and VCA. For what is normal and what isn't once puppies are arriving, see what's normal vs not during whelping.
Dystocia, a difficult birth, affects about 5% of pregnancies overall, but it approaches 100% in some flat-faced and short-legged breeds. Merck names Bulldogs, Pugs, Boston Terriers and Chihuahuas. If you breed one of them, plan with your vet before the due date; read more about C-sections in dogs.
Most labors need no help. The list is here so you can act early, while there are still good options.
Get ready before the signs start
Have the whelping area set up and your supplies ready; the Whelping Supplies Checklist keeps them organized.
Book an X-ray after day 55: Merck calls it the best way to count the litter, so you know how many puppies to expect.
Keep a thermometer and a log ready for the twice-daily readings from about day 56, and have your vet's after-hours number where you can see it.
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A thermometer for the labor watch
Twice-daily readings from about day 56 are how you see the drop.
iProven dog & cat thermometer, flexible tip, 20-second read (DTK-117Y)
Flexible tip · 20-second readA dog thermometer with a flexible tip that reads in about 20 seconds, which matters when she won't hold still. Label it as hers and start the twice-daily readings at about day 56, so you know her normal before the drop.
Breeders who note weights, behavior and baseline temperatures through pregnancy spot changes sooner. That is one reason keeping breeding records from day one pays off.
After the last puppy
Once the last puppy is out, aftercare starts; don't wait on the afterbirths. Make sure every puppy nurses soon after birth: puppies need colostrum promptly to get their mother's antibodies.
VCA advises having the mother and puppies examined by your vet within 48 hours of birth. Then watch her for fever, a smelly or heavy discharge and swollen glands; our post-whelping complications guide covers what each one means. For the puppies, see how to care for newborn puppies.
BreedTools App · whelping
Twice a day, then every puppy.
Keep the whole watch in one place.
The app keeps her temperature log against her own normal, then logs each birth as it happens, so the time of her drop and of every puppy is on record for you and your vet.
A temperature watch that learns her normal
Log her readings morning and evening. After three normal readings it works out her baseline and flags a fall of about 1°F, confirmed by two low readings in a row.
A birth log with times
Record each puppy, the water breaking and the start of pushing as they happen, each with its time.
Works in the whelping room
Log a reading or a birth with no signal; it syncs when you're back online.
Labor and whelping FAQs
1How do I know when my dog is going into labor?
Read three things together: the calendar, her temperature and her behavior. In most dogs the rectal temperature drops to about 98.8°F (range 98.1–100°F) 8 to 24 hours before whelping. In stage one, which normally lasts 12 to 24 hours, she turns restless, nests, pants or trembles, often refuses food and may vomit, but does not yet strain visibly. No single sign is certain on its own.
2What temperature drop signals labor, and how do I track it?
In most dogs the temperature drops to an average of 98.8°F (range 98.1–100°F) 8 to 24 hours before whelping, as the progesterone that kept her pregnant falls. A healthy dog's normal rectal temperature can be anywhere from 99.5 to 102.5°F, so the drop only stands out against her own readings. Take her temperature twice a day from about day 56 and write each reading down with the time. If no puppy has arrived 24 hours after the drop, call your vet.
3How long does labor last, and how far apart should puppies come?
Stage one, when the cervix opens and there is no visible straining, normally lasts 12 to 24 hours. In stage two puppies usually come 30 to 60 minutes apart, and a normal whelping is often finished in about 7 to 9 hours, though times vary a lot between dogs and breeds. A calm rest of up to two hours between puppies can be normal if she is not straining. Call your vet if stage one runs past 24 hours with no straining, or if the whole whelping passes 24 hours.
4How long between puppies is too long?
Call your vet if the dam strains hard for more than 30 minutes without producing a puppy, or if two hours pass after a puppy without the next one, whether she is resting or straining weakly. A calm rest between puppies is normal up to that point, but strong straining that isn't producing a puppy is not normal past 30 minutes.
5What are the warning signs of a whelping emergency (dystocia)?
Call your vet immediately for any of these: strong straining for 30 minutes with no puppy; more than two hours after a puppy without the next one, whether she is resting or straining weakly; two hours of weak, on-and-off straining with no first puppy; no puppy 24 hours after her temperature drop; stage one past 24 hours with no straining, or the whole whelping past 24 hours; green or black discharge before the first puppy, or foul-smelling discharge at any point; heavy bleeding; a puppy stuck in the birth canal, a tail hanging from the vulva, or a lump just behind it while she strains; a fever of 103°F or more; or a dam who is weak, collapsing or in obvious distress. Dystocia is always time-sensitive.
6Is green or dark discharge normal during labor?
Once puppies are being born, some green-stained fluid with each birth is expected: VCA notes that fetal fluids are often colored green. Before the first puppy, dark green, black or foul-smelling discharge can mean a placenta has separated, and that puppy may be in trouble — call your vet now. Between puppies, if the discharge keeps coming and the next puppy does not arrive within the 30-minute and two-hour limits, call too.
7My dog is past her due date — when should I worry?
Gestation is about 63 days from ovulation, but a mating date can sit days away from ovulation, so a due date counted from mating is rough: Merck gives 58–72 days from the first breeding. Call your vet if she reaches day 66 from the first mating (65 from a confirmed ovulation, 66 from the LH surge) with no signs of labor, or if no puppy has arrived 24 hours after her temperature drop.
8Should I stay with my dog, and when do I step in?
Stay close and quiet, especially with a first-time mother. A nervous first-timer can hold labor back; calm reassurance can help, and once the first puppy is out, labor usually goes on normally. Let a normal labor run. Step in if a puppy is born still inside its sac and she doesn't open it straight away: open the sac, clear the mouth and nose, and rub the puppy with a towel until it breathes. Learn these steps before whelping day.
9Do I need to cut umbilical cords or count placentas?
The dam usually severs the cords herself. If she does not, tie the cord with clean thread about an inch from the belly and cut on the far side. Counting placentas is a poor check: most dams eat them, which is normal (a lot can cause loose stools), and several can pass together. What matters is that every puppy is out — your vet confirms that, and an X-ray count late in pregnancy tells you how many to expect. An afterbirth left behind usually passes within 24–48 hours; a smelly discharge, or one that gets heavier or turns to fresh red bleeding instead of tapering, is a vet call.
10Does every dog have a temperature drop before labor?
Not every one: Merck says the drop occurs in most dogs, not all. If her readings stay level but she turns restless, nests, pants and refuses food near her due date, treat it as stage one and watch for straining. Once she strains strongly, call your vet if no puppy comes within 30 minutes, whatever the thermometer says; the other call points below still apply.
Related Tools
References
- Merck Veterinary Manual. Whelping and Queening in Bitches and Queens. — In most dogs the rectal temperature drops to a mean of 98.8°F (range 98.1–100°F) 8–24 hours before whelping, as progesterone falls; relaxed perineum, mammary engorgement and a change in the belly are not sensitive or specific; 58–72 days from the first breeding.
- Merck Veterinary Manual. Labor, Delivery, and Postpartum Care in Bitches and Queens. — Stage one normally 12–24 hours, no visible straining; reclusive, restless, nesting, off food, sometimes vomiting, panting and trembling; clear, watery discharge; 30–60 minutes between puppies, delivery ideally done in about 7–9 hours; dystocia if stage two produces no puppy within 1–2 hours; stages two and three alternate; stage one past 24 hours is dystocia; confirm every puppy is out by ultrasound or X-ray.
- Merck Veterinary Manual. Dystocia in Small Animals. — Whelping not seen 24–36 hours after the temperature drop; over 30 minutes of clear contractions or over 2 hours with none between puppies; over 4 hours of active or weak labor with no puppy; whelping over 24 hours; profuse bleeding; dark green or foul discharge before whelping; nervous first-time dams; about 5% of pregnancies, approaching 100% in some breeds.
- Merck Veterinary Manual. Pregnancy Determination in Bitches and Queens. — X-ray after day 55 is the best way to count the litter.
- Merck Veterinary Manual. Management of the Neonate in Dogs and Cats. — Puppies need colostrum promptly after birth.
- Merck Veterinary Manual. Normal Rectal Temperature Ranges (table). — Dog: 99.5–102.5°F (37.5–39.2°C).
- VCA Animal Hospitals. Whelping in Dogs. — Nesting and appetite in the last days; 30 minutes of intense straining with no water or puppy; two hours without straining after a puppy; delivery times by breed; head-first and hind-first both normal; a tail or lump at the vulva; green fetal fluid; afterbirths eaten or passed together; opening the sac.
- VCA Animal Hospitals. Breeding for Dog Owners — Caring for Newborn Puppies. — Have the mother and puppies examined within 48 hours of birth.
This article is for educational purposes and does not replace care from a veterinarian who knows your dam. If labor stalls or you see any of the signs above, contact your vet immediately.