How old does a female dog need to be to have her first puppies?

Hello, it is recommended that dogs are older than a year of age and have had at least one heat cycle before they are bred to have puppies. This to ensure the bitch has developed fully in growth and breeding capacity. I would recommend having a pre-breeding exam with your veterinarian to ensure she is a good candidate for breeding and to determine when the best time for her to be bred is. This will maximize her chances of becoming pregnant. After being bred, you should follow up with your veterinarian 3-4 weeks later to confirm pregnancy. Best of luck and hope this helps.

Hello and thank you for contacting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. I don't think it is possible to predict when she will go into labour. There are no rules for that, it does not matter how big the litter is. She well may go over 60 days this time. Good luck with her, hope she will go through the labour ok and have healthy, strong pupps.

A small breed dog will generally come into heat around 6 months old but can be as late is 12 months old. You don't want to breed females until they are two years of age. Make sure to think hard before you breed her. Small breed dogs are more likely to need C-sections. Please feel free to post any additional questions.

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! If Girttie's belly is huge and she is producing milk she is very likely pregnant. If he belly wasn't big and she was producing milk she could be experiencing a false pregnancy. I would count back to when she was in heat. Dogs are pregnant for about 63 days. They do have a temperature drop most of the time BUT not always. It usually drops below 99 a few hours to 1 day before the start of labor. Dogs can start to product milk up to a week to a few days before labor. It is hard to feel the puppies move. If you want to confirm the number of puppies make a Vet appointment to have an X-ray taken to count the skeletons. Since she is so small it is good to talk to your Vet in case you run in to complications where you may require their help with delivery or a C-section. My guess is that she is due very soon, less than 7 days. I hope this helps!

A dog's pregnancy lasts between 58-68 days, so it is possible she could go into labor anytime after that. I would start taking her temperature rectally twice a day. A dog's normal temperature is between 101-102.5F. Once it drops below 100F, she should give birth to her puppies within 24 hours. Should 24 hours pass after this temperature drop with no sign of puppies or she reaches 69 days of pregnancy without going into labor, she will need to see a vet immediately. Best of luck, I hope this helps!

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! On average during a dogs heat, they bleed for 10 days but it can be 2-4 weeks as well. Any bleeding past 4 weeks, or if Cherri is acting sick, is concerning and she should see a Vet for an infected uterus (pyometra). It sounds like Cherri bled for about 21 days? If she has stopped I am hoping she is now out of heat. You can do an ultrasound around 30 days from breeding to check for fetal heart beats or take an X-ray at day 50 to look for mineralized skeletons to confirm if she is pregnant. I hope this helps and have a great day!

It's impossible to calculate, some dogs will go into heat relatively soon after the end of the pregnancy (as soon as 2-3 months), in other cases it may take 6 months until the female goes into a new heat cycle.