How to Care for a Pregnant Dog - Preparing to Breed a Dog

Properly caring for a pregnant dog is essential to a successful breeding process. Thorough care throughout gestation, which can be from 55 to 72 days, as well as proper preparation for delivery are key. Before your dog delivers her pups, she needs a nice, clean, and quiet atmosphere, a proper diet and exercise routine, and proper veterinary care. In no time, you'll be all set up for delivering and raising brand new pups!

1. Ensure that your dog is a good breeding candidate. Many canine diseases can pass from a mother dog to her puppies. Have your veterinarian examine your dog before you breed her to minimize the risk of passing a genetic disease to the puppies. Heritable diseases can affect the bones, joints, heart, teeth, skin, blood cells, kidneys, liver, nervous system (brain and spinal cord), digestive tract, reproductive organs, and the immune system. Some common examples include hip dysplasia, allergies, cryptorchidism, and hernias. Certain breeds have an increased risk of heritable diseases.[1]
- Think about your dog’s (and the male dog’s) personality and behavior. Some scientific studies show that aggression can be genetic. You should breed friendly dogs that do not have aggressive tendencies.

2. Feed your dog a high-quality dog food that has passed the American Association of Feed Control Officials (AAFCO) feeding tests. Foods that have passed the AAFCO feeding tests will read, “Animal feeding tests using AAFCO procedures substantiate that _____ provides complete and balanced nutrition for ______ .”[2] Feeding your dog high-quality food prior to pregnancy can improve her and her puppies’ health.

3. Know the facts before breeding. Although puppies are very cute, they also require a lot of time, attention, and clean-up. Puppies typically stay with their mother for 8 weeks after birth, longer if you have trouble finding them a home. Raising multiple puppies will take a lot of your time and energy, not to mention it can be expensive.
- If your dog has trouble delivering her puppies, emergency veterinary treatment will be necessary. Cesarean sections (C-sections) can be very expensive, so be prepared to shell out some cash if there is an emergency.

4. Consider adopting a shelter dog instead of breeding. There is a dog overpopulation problem in the United States, meaning that there are more dogs than there are homes for them. According to the ASPCA, 1,200,000 dogs are euthanized in shelters each year.[3]
- For each puppy that your dog delivers, there could be one less home available for a shelter dog.