Most whelpings need no help. This guide sets out what normal looks like at each point of labor, and the exact points at which to call your vet.
Read it before the due date, and keep it open on your phone when she starts. When things move fast, you need the numbers, not paragraphs.
The short version
- 30 minutes of hard straining with no puppy is a call: before the first puppy or between puppies.
- Otherwise the limit is 2 hours: a calm rest between puppies can be normal, but no puppy 2 hours after the last one, or 2 hours after weak straining began, is a call.
- Hind-first is normal; a tail on its own is not: a tail hanging from the vulva, or a lump just behind it while she strains, is a call.
- Green fluid is expected once puppies come: before the first puppy, green or black discharge is a call.
- Don't count afterbirths to know she's finished: an X-ray after day 55 tells you how many puppies to expect; your vet confirms every one is out.
Call your vet now if you see any of these
- 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 you can see that isn't moving forward, a tail hanging from the vulva, or a lump just behind it while she strains; the sac showing at the vulva for 15 minutes with no puppy; heavy bleeding; foul-smelling discharge; a fever of 103°F or more; a dam who is weak, collapsing or in obvious distress, or who keeps injuring her puppies; a newborn that isn't breathing a minute or so after birth, once you've cleared its nose and mouth and rubbed it (call while you keep going).
Sources for these limits: Merck's labor and dystocia chapters, Cornell and VCA. Merck's two chapters differ on weak labor before the first puppy (1–2 hours in one, 4 in the other); this page uses the earlier call.
For the days before labor, from the temperature watch to the first signs of stage one, see signs a dog is going into labor.
Normal or not: sign by sign
A quick reference for whelping day. The last column means call your vet now.
| Sign | Normal | Call your vet now |
|---|---|---|
| Time between puppies | Usually 30–60 minutes; a calm rest of up to 2 hours can be normal | 2 hours after a puppy with no next one, resting or straining weakly |
| Straining | A few contractions bring a puppy; 10–15 minutes is reasonable | 30 minutes of strong straining with no puppy; 2 hours of weak straining with no first puppy; a puppy in view that isn't moving; the sac showing 15 minutes with no puppy |
| Discharge | Clear and watery before puppies; green-stained fluid once they come; dark red to black, odourless, afterwards | Green or black before the first puppy; heavy bleeding; a foul smell at any point |
| Temperature | Drops to about 98.8°F (98.1–100°F) 8–24 hours before whelping in most dogs | No puppy 24 hours after the drop; 103°F or more after whelping |
| Her behavior | Restless, nesting, panting or trembling, off her food; rests and nurses between puppies | Stage one past 24 hours with no straining; weak, collapsing, seizures or obvious distress |
| A newborn puppy | Whimpers or cries within a minute or so; tongue turns pink | Not breathing after you clear its nose and mouth and rub it — call while you keep going |
| Afterbirths | With each puppy or several together; she may eat them | She strains again after you think she's done; foul, heavier or fresh red discharge, or fever, in the days after |
| With her puppies | Cleans them and lets them nurse; may be busy with the next puppy | Won't let them nurse once she has finished; keeps injuring them |
Merck Veterinary Manual (Labor and Postpartum Care; Dystocia; Neonate); VCA Animal Hospitals; Cornell. Times vary between dogs.
The three stages and how long each takes
Stage one is preparation: the cervix opens, but there is no visible straining. It normally lasts 12 to 24 hours. She may turn restless or reclusive, nest, pant or tremble, refuse food and sometimes vomit, and a clear, watery discharge is normal.
In most dogs the rectal temperature drops to about 98.8°F (range 98.1–100°F) 8 to 24 hours before whelping. Her normal can be anywhere from 99.5 to 102.5°F, so the drop shows only against her own readings. If no puppy has come 24 hours after the drop, call your vet. Our guide to the signs of labor covers the twice-a-day temperature watch.
Stage two is delivery. She strains visibly, and puppies usually come 30 to 60 minutes apart; many whelpings finish in about 7 to 9 hours, though times vary a lot. A few contractions usually bring a puppy, and 10 to 15 minutes of pushing is reasonable.
A calm rest of up to 2 hours between puppies can be normal, and she may nurse and clean the puppies already born. Slim-headed breeds such as Shelties, Collies and Dobermans can finish in two to three hours. Bulldogs, Boston Terriers and Pekingese tend to have harder deliveries, sometimes a puppy or two quickly and then a rest.
Stage three is the afterbirth. She goes back and forth between stages two and three: a placenta may come with its puppy, or two or three puppies may come before several afterbirths pass together. Most dams eat them, which is normal, though a lot can cause loose stools; she doesn't need to eat them.
Don't count afterbirths to decide she has finished. An afterbirth left behind usually passes within 24–48 hours, and what matters is that every puppy is out.
Head-first, hind-first, or stuck
Puppies are usually born head-first with the front legs forward. Hind-first, with the tail and back legs coming first, is also typical in dogs and is not breech.
A true breech is different: the tail and bottom come first with the hind legs pointing forward. It is abnormal and may need your vet, though some deliver normally. Call your vet straight away if you see a tail hanging from the vulva, or a lump just behind it, while she strains.
If a puppy is partly out and not coming:
- Head-first: clear the membranes from its face so it can breathe.
- Hind-first: move quickly; it can't breathe until it is out.
- With clean hands and a clean cloth for grip, hold the shoulders, hips or legs, never the head, and ease it out with gentle traction. VCA advises pulling down towards her hind feet. Never pull hard or twist; Merck warns against forceful handling.
- If it doesn't come with gentle pressure, or she seems in pain, call your vet now.
A puppy you can see that isn't moving forward is a call now. If only the sac is showing, call if it has been there 15 minutes with no puppy.
When a newborn isn't breathing
A puppy that whimpers or cries within a minute or so of birth is fine. Her licking and chewing can look rough, but it is how she opens the sac and starts the puppy breathing.
If she doesn't open the sac straight away, or the puppy is quiet:
- Open the sac and wipe the nose and mouth.
- Rub the puppy briskly with a dry, warm towel along the back and chest, and keep it warm.
- If a limp puppy has a lot of fluid in its mouth, clear it gently with a soft bulb syringe, holding the head a little lower than the chest.
- Never swing a puppy: it can cause bleeding in the brain.
If it isn't breathing a minute or so after birth, call your vet now and keep clearing, rubbing and warming it while you talk. VCA advises keeping going for at least 10–15 minutes. Our newborn care guide covers the first hours, and the Puppy APGAR Calculator scores a newborn at 5 and 60 minutes.
Breeds that need a plan before labor
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.
Flat-faced breeds
In the largest breed-by-breed survey, over 80% of Boston Terrier, Bulldog and French Bulldog litters were delivered by C-section. The puppies' large heads meet a narrow birth canal.
Plan with your vet well before the due date: Cornell lists flat-faced breeds among the dogs to consider for an elective C-section. If she labors, the usual limits apply; don't wait past 30 minutes of strong straining. Read more about C-sections in dogs, and see our French Bulldog, English Bulldog, Boston Terrier and Pug guides.
Toy breeds
Small breeds often carry very small litters. A lone puppy can be too large to pass, or give too little signal for labor to start, and toy dams can be more anxious in labor. If she carries only one or two puppies and reaches her due date with no labor or temperature drop, call your vet.
Don't give her sugar, syrup or calcium by mouth during labor unless your vet tells you to. Slow labor has several causes; your vet checks her blood sugar and calcium and treats what the bloodwork shows.
Eclampsia (milk fever) is usually seen 2 to 3 weeks after whelping, most often in small dams nursing big litters, but it can also strike during labor. Panting, restlessness, trembling or stiffness in a nursing dam is an emergency; see post-whelping complications. Breed guides: Chihuahua, Yorkshire Terrier, Maltese, Pomeranian.
Giant breeds
A big litter can take longer, but the limits don't change: 2 hours after a puppy, 2 hours of weak labor with no first puppy, and 24 hours for the whole whelping. A very large litter stretches the uterus and makes weak labor more likely, not less.
A big dam can crush a puppy as she settles, so supervise her and use a whelping box with pig rails. The X-ray after day 55 matters most here: it is how you know the last puppy is out. Breed guides: Great Dane, Mastiff, Saint Bernard, Cane Corso.
While you wait for the vet
- Keep her calm. Keep the room quiet and dim. A nervous first-time dam can hold labor back, and calm reassurance can help.
- Keep the puppies warm. Put delivered puppies in a box with a towel-wrapped bottle of warm, not hot, water; the box should be about 85–90°F for the first few days. Put them back on her to nurse between births while you watch.
- Have the times ready. Tell your vet how many puppies the X-ray showed, how many are born, when the last one came, how long she has been straining, and any discharge you've seen.
- Bring the puppies. If you go in, take every puppy in the warm box: they need her to nurse and stay warm, and your vet will want to check them.
After the last puppy: the first 48 hours
Make sure every puppy nurses soon after birth. Puppies need colostrum promptly: their gut absorbs its antibodies for only about the first 24 hours, and that can start to tail off within 4–8 hours.
A dam busy straining for the next puppy may not care for the last one. Keep it warm in the box and put it back on her to nurse between births while you watch. If she won't let them nurse once she has finished, call your vet.
If she keeps straining after you think she has finished, call your vet: a puppy may still be inside, and only an ultrasound or X-ray confirms she is done. Have her and the puppies checked by your vet within 48 hours of birth.
Her discharge (lochia) is green-black to dark red, odourless and heavy for the first few days, and should be clearly less after 24–48 hours. Take her temperature twice a day for the first two weeks: 103°F or more is a same-day call. So is a foul smell, a discharge that gets heavier or turns to fresh red bleeding, or a dam who goes off her food. Our post-whelping complications guide covers mastitis, metritis and eclampsia.
Get ready before the due date
- Book an X-ray after day 55: Merck calls it the best way to count the litter, and it is how you'll know the last puppy is out.
- Put your vet's number and the nearest 24-hour emergency clinic's address where you can see them from the whelping box.
- Have your supplies ready a week before the due date (the Whelping Supplies Checklist keeps them organized), and set up the whelping box so she can get used to it.
- Line up a helper to warm puppies, write down times, and drive if you need to go in.
- Have tube-feeding supplies ready in case a puppy can't nurse, and read bottle and tube feeding puppies beforehand.
- Learn the stuck-puppy and newborn steps above before the day.
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One thing to have within reach
For clearing a newborn's mouth and nose, head lower than its chest.
MediChoice sterile ear-ulcer bulb syringe, 2 oz, individually packaged (Owens & Minor)
Airway clearingA sterile 2 oz bulb for the one time you need it: a limp newborn with a lot of fluid in its mouth, head held a little lower than its chest. Gentle suction only, not for every puppy. Keep two so one is always clean.
BreedTools App · whelping
When you call the vet,
have the times.
The app logs each puppy and the start of pushing as they happen, so you can tell your vet how many are out, when the last one came and how long she has been pushing.
A birth log with times
Record each puppy, the water breaking, the start of pushing and anything you or your vet did, each with its time.
A running count
See how many puppies are born so far at a glance, to set against the X-ray count.
Works in the whelping room
Log a birth with no signal; it syncs when you're back online.
Whelping normal vs emergency FAQs
1How long should I wait before calling the vet during whelping?
It depends on what she is doing. Strong, repeated straining with no puppy: call after 30 minutes, at any point in labor. After a puppy: call if the next one hasn't come within 2 hours, whether she is resting or straining weakly. Weak, on-and-off straining with no first puppy: call after 2 hours, and if the straining turns strong, the 30-minute limit applies instead. Before any straining: call if no puppy has come 24 hours after her temperature drop. Call at once for green or black discharge before the first puppy, heavy bleeding, or a puppy stuck in the birth canal. If you're unsure, call.
2Is it normal for a dog to take a break during whelping?
Yes. Many dams rest between puppies: they nurse and clean the ones already born, drink, or lie quietly. A calm rest with no straining can be normal for up to 2 hours. Call your vet if 2 hours pass after a puppy without the next one, whether she is resting or straining weakly, or if strong straining starts again and goes 30 minutes without a puppy.
3What color should the discharge be during whelping?
Before labor and in stage one, a clear, watery discharge is normal. Once puppies are coming, green-stained fluid with each birth is expected — VCA notes fetal fluids are often green. Before the first puppy, dark green, black or foul-smelling discharge can mean a placenta has separated: call your vet now. After whelping the discharge (lochia) is green-black to dark red, odourless and heavy for the first few days, clearly less after 24–48 hours, then red-brown and tapering until it stops at about 3–4 weeks. Call your vet for heavy bleeding at any point, or a discharge that smells foul, gets heavier, or hasn't clearly eased by 48 hours.
4How do I know if a puppy is stuck?
A puppy may be stuck if you can see part of it at the vulva and it doesn't come out as she strains, or if she strains hard for 30 minutes with no puppy. A visible puppy that isn't moving forward is a call to your vet now, and so is a tail hanging from the vulva or a lump just behind it while she strains. If only the sac (the bubble of membranes) is showing, call if it has been there for 15 minutes with no puppy. If a puppy is partly out, clear the membranes from its face if it is coming head-first, and move quickly if it is coming hind-first: it can't breathe until it is out. With clean hands and a clean cloth for grip, hold the shoulders, hips or legs, never the head, and ease it out with gentle traction; VCA advises pulling down towards her hind feet. Never pull hard or twist. If it doesn't come with gentle pressure, or she seems in pain, call your vet now.
5Should I count placentas during whelping?
Note them if you can, but don't rely on the count. Dams often eat afterbirths, several can pass together, and some pass unnoticed, so a mismatch proves little. What matters is that every puppy is out: an X-ray count late in pregnancy tells you how many to expect, and your vet can confirm none is left. An afterbirth left behind usually passes within 24–48 hours. Call your vet if she strains again, you think a puppy is still inside, or her discharge smells foul, gets heavier or turns to fresh red bleeding instead of tapering, or she runs a fever or goes off her food — tissue left behind can lead to metritis, a uterine infection.
6Is breech delivery dangerous in dogs?
A puppy coming hind-legs first is not breech. That posterior presentation is common in dogs and usually delivers normally. A true breech means the tail and bottom come first with the hind legs pointing forward; it is abnormal and may need your vet, though some deliver normally. Call your vet straight away if you see a tail hanging from the vulva or a lump just behind it while she strains. If a hind-first puppy is half out and not moving, act quickly: it can't breathe until it is out (see the stuck-puppy answer).
7What should I do if a newborn puppy isn't breathing?
Open the sac if it is still around the puppy and wipe its nose and mouth. Rub it briskly with a dry, warm towel along the back and chest, and keep it warm. If a limp puppy has a lot of fluid in its mouth, clear it gently with a soft bulb syringe, holding the head a little lower than the chest. Never swing a puppy: it can cause bleeding in the brain. A puppy that whimpers or cries within a minute or so is fine. If it isn't breathing by then, call your vet now and keep clearing, rubbing and warming it while you talk; VCA advises keeping going for at least 10–15 minutes. Your vet can tell you what else to try or see the puppy.
Related Tools
References
- Merck Veterinary Manual. Labor, Delivery, and Postpartum Care in Bitches and Queens. — Stage one normally 12–24 hours, no visible straining, 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; placentas eaten, unnoticed or passed within 24 hours, and the dam need not eat them; confirm every puppy is out by ultrasound or X-ray; lochia dark red to black, odourless and heavy for the first days.
- Merck Veterinary Manual. Dystocia in Small Animals. — 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; no whelping 24–36 hours after the temperature drop; whelping over 24 hours; profuse bleeding; dark green or foul discharge before whelping; normal head-first and hind-first presentations, breech with the hind legs forward; gentle traction only; large litters and nervous first-time dams; the vet's work-up includes blood glucose and calcium; about 5% of pregnancies, approaching 100% in some breeds.
- 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.
- Merck Veterinary Manual. Normal Rectal Temperature Ranges (table). — Dog: 99.5–102.5°F (37.5–39.2°C).
- 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. — Gentle suction with the head below the chest, brisk rubbing with a warm towel, never swing a neonate; colostrum promptly, antibody absorption ending by about 24 hours.
- Merck Veterinary Manual (dog owners). Disorders of Calcium Metabolism in Dogs. — Eclampsia usually 2–3 weeks after whelping, most often small dams with large litters; it can also occur during labor.
- VCA Animal Hospitals. Whelping in Dogs. — 30 minutes of intense straining; two hours without straining after a puppy; delivery times by breed; head-first and hind-first both normal, true breech, a tail or lump at the vulva; helping a visible puppy out; whimpering within a minute; clearing the airway, at least 10–15 minutes, no swinging; a warm box for puppies; green fetal fluid; afterbirths eaten or passed together.
- VCA Animal Hospitals. Breeding for Dog Owners — Caring for Newborn Puppies. — Have the mother and puppies examined within 48 hours of birth.
- Cornell University Riney Canine Health Center. Dystocia in Dogs: Understanding Difficult Births. — Membranes showing over 15 minutes, strong contractions over 20–30 minutes, weak contractions over 1–2 hours with no progress; small breeds and very small litters; elective C-section for high-risk dogs.
- Colorado State University Veterinary Teaching Hospital. Pregnancy and Whelping for Dogs. — Call if she reaches her due date with no labor or temperature drop, especially with only one or two puppies.
- Evans KM, Adams VJ. Proportion of litters of purebred dogs born by caesarean section. Journal of Small Animal Practice 2010;51:113–118. — Boston Terrier 92%, Bulldog 86%, French Bulldog 81%.
This article is for educational purposes and does not replace care from a veterinarian who knows your dam. If anything during whelping seems wrong, contact your vet: a difficult birth is a time-critical emergency.