How Long Does It Take For A Dog To Have Puppies (And Why)?

Exact Answer: 58-68 Days

To have puppies, a dog must get pregnant during the heating period. The heat cycle lasts about 18 to 21 days in dogs. The period may vary sometimes due to certain factors like the breed of the dog etc. During the heating period, the female dogs get amenable to male dogs.

In the initial nine days, there is a high probability of getting them pregnant. After every six to eight months, the female dogs tend to go into the heating period and get pregnant. The last two weeks are vital for the dogs for egg fertilization. Dogs remain fertile even in their late age as well.

How Long Does It Take For a Dog To Have Puppies?

Morning sickness and tiredness are some of the most noticeable signs of pregnancy in dogs. Change in behaviour, discharge from the vaginal area, getting heavier from the last month, expansion in appetite.

These are some of the signs which indicate the pregnancy timeline of the dog. It is not easy to determine the pregnancy of the dog. Visit your nearby vet to get confirmation regarding the pregnancy. Hormone test, palpation, ultrasound and x-ray etc.

These are some of the methods which are used by the vets to determine the pregnancy. The labor period commences once the gestation duration gets over. In the initial stage, contraction begins.

The muscular walls of the uterus start expanding in terms of strength and frequency. Vomiting, laziness, change in behaviour, vaginal discharge etc. These are some of the symptoms which are seen when the contraction happens.

In the second stage, the dig delivers puppies. Every single day is important during the pregnancy timeline. As a comparison to humans, the pregnancy span of dogs is short and more difficult.

In the final stage, one can see the puppies moving inside the belly of the dog. Here is a brief of two main stages which are involved in giving birth to puppies.

Why Does It Take So Long For A Dog To Have Puppies ?

There are several stages involved in the dog’s pregnancy. Generally, there are three to fours steps which are involved in it. The first stage of the pregnancy is all about the formation of the egg.

The embryos start travelling to the uterine horns after seven days of being pregnant. After 15- 16 days, the embryos start entrenched in the uterine lining.

The fetus of the dog starts developing and forming shaping after the completion of 22 days journey. After the passage of 1 month, the heartbeats can detect with the help of an ultrasound and doctor. The second stage involves the full-fledged development of the puppies.

The pregnancy period of the dog lasts for 58-68 days. That is why in the second month, the puppy’s development goes very quickly. After 50 – 55 days, the doctor can identify how many puppies are going to be born.

During the second stage, the puppies complete their evolution period and get ready to come to the world. When it comes to the third stage, the puppies have grown and are ready to come out.

At this stage, the mother also gets ready to give birth to her little ones. During this period, the puppies have begun moving around.

The fourth stage is the last stage of the pregnancy period where the puppies come out to the world. It is also known as Labor Stage. Each puppy takes a minimum of 45 minutes to 2 hours to be born.

Conclusion

The breed of the dog determines the number of puppies a dog would have. Generally, a dog gives birth to 6-9 puppies. The number of puppies can increase or decrease depending upon the nature of the dog. Sometimes the big dogs have more than eight puppies.

Similarly, small ones sometimes have 1 or two puppies only. If the breed of the dog is extremely rare and good then it may have more than the usual count. The pregnancy process of dogs is also known as the gestation period. There are several ways through which one can know about the pregnancy of the dog.

Reference

1. https://europepmc.org/article/med/2621724
2. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S037843201730516X