How to Calculate Your Dog's Due Date

Whether by accident or carefully planned breeding, your female dog is now pregnant and you need to know when to expect her to whelp (give birth) to her litter of puppies.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Calendar

1. Gestation is determined by ovulation dates rather than the actual act of breeding. Ovulation happens 2 days after the LH hormones peak. Ovulation to whelping is normally 63 days.

2. From the date of breeding (use the first date if you have more than one) you should go ahead and mark her due date for 63 days later (9 wks).

3. The actual delivery may happen anywhere between 56 - 72 days after breeding but the extreme ends of those numbers isn't all that common. It's most likely to occur around day 63 but you need to be aware so you have the female settled in and your available 24/7 to watch over her and take care of her and the litter as they are born.

Tips & Warnings

• Write dates of breeding down on your calendar. Not only for figuring out the due date but if your registering your litter, you will need this date when it comes time to fill out your paperwork.

Resources

• Guide To Ethical Dog Breeding
• By the way, if you like writing as much as I do (especially dogs) and would like to learn how to get paid for it, click here.

[MIghtyDreamer]

on 3/7/2009 good tip for pregnant dog owners

[dapoochie]

on 5/22/2008 I have a lot of people ask me this. Now I'll send them here instead of going through the long winded answer myself. 5 stars!

[Walkaboutangel]

on 12/5/2007 Great reminder about needing the breeding date for registration...

Angel