My dog is having puppies outside in a cold hole. What do I do?

You can move everyone indoors and confine her and the litter to a small, warm room or you can insulate the dog house and protect it from the elements. I would hesitate to recommend placing a heat source for fear of fire or burns.

If you think Negra may be going into labor it would be best to try and coax her into a whelping box that is inside so you can safely monitor her. If she is already giving birth, keeping an eye on her and then trying to move her and the puppies to a safer location after is best. If she seems very ill or severely in distress, and doesn't produce any puppies, bringing her to a vet ASAP for care is best.

If she is able to get to them to sit with them and nurse them, they will be fine. I would bring her food there so she does not have to leave them and go far to eat though. Once they start moving and wandering out, I would make sure to interact with them as much as possible that way they are used to humans and not scared.

Your bitch may not act like the typical mother because she is way too young to have a litter, and her mothering instincts may not have kicked in yet. Have a box, lined with warm, soft twels ready. As each pup is born, the mom should cut the cord by "scissoring" it with her teeth. If she does not, tie dental floss about four inches from the pup, and at five inches from the pup. Scrape the section in between the ties with a butter knife (you can go back and forth) until the piece of cord is shredded (shredding instead of cutting "seals" the cord better)As soon aa the cord is cut (or before, if you have to do it yourself), clear the pup's airway with a baby bulb syringe--mouth first, then nose. Finally, rub the pup vigorously with a thick towel to get it mostly dry. Put it in the towel-lined box, Have a low-watt light clipped to one side of the box so the puppy can move into and out of the warm spot on the floor of the box. Watch to be sure a placenta is delivered for each puppy. Finally, between births you can give the pup or puppies to the mom to nurse, but remove them if another pup starts to come so she doesn't hurt them accidently. call the vet for breech (feet first) birth, retained placentas, excessive bleeding, or other concerns.

She may just want to go outside because it seems more comfortable, but I agree that's not ideal. If you do not have a whelping box set up for her inside I would make sure she has a comfy spot. She may prefer to be left alone - you could partially shut to door to a room so you can still supervise her and make sure everything is going okay. If she is actively pushing for more than 30 minutes or if she goes more than 4 hours between puppies I would recommend seeing a veterinarian to make sure everything is okay.

It's probably best to bring them inside, but it really depends on how warm their kennel is. If you can be sure that the kennel does not drop below 70 degrees F, then the pups should be fine. If you can't ensure this, then I would bring them inside to be safe. Below is a link to more helpful information about caring for newborns. https://vcahospitals.com/know-your-pet/breeding-for-dog-owners-caring-for-newborn-puppies I hope that helps and all is well with the pups.

Hi there and thanks for posting on Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Sounds like Liberty may be getting close to giving birth- I would encourage her now if possible. Dogs, when they are close to whelping, do seek out nesting areas on their own without assistance most times. She may have found underneath your deck a safe spot to give birth, but if it is cold out at all, I would try and keep her inside the house if possible. When taking her outside to potty, you may want to leash walk her out so she doesn't hide underneath the deck or other places that may be a less than ideal area for her. I hope this helps and good luck with the new pups!