Do I need to monitor my pregnant dog during labor? What if I sleep?

Hello, congratulations on your coming pups. You should check her once every hour or so. If she is going into labor, then you will see active abdominal contractions, and the puppies should be born within 2 hours. If 2 hours of contractions have passed, then contact your emergency veterinarian to discuss with them if you should bring her in to be evaluated. Otherwise, make sure she has a warm area that she can easily access to have her puppies. Once the puppies are born, you can help her clean the puppies and make sure they can all nurse. Hope this helps and best of luck.

Monitoring throughout the 8 week period until the puppies are weaned is recommended, yes, although it may be difficult while you are sleeping. Having the mom and pups in your room and setting an alarm to check on them a few times a night is reasonable. If you are able to get someone to watch them that's great. Otherwise minimize the amount of time they are left alone as much as possible, and try to get a dog sitter if you will be gone more than an hour. Breeding dogs is a lot of work, and it is important to keep track of the mom and pups' progress by checking on them frequently. Here is some more information on birthing puppies https://www.vin.com/veterinarypartner/default.aspx?pid=19239&id=4951546

I recommend an ultrasoun as soon as possible in order to determine if there are puppies present and if they are still alive, Normal labour and delivery is triggered in part by hormones secreted from the puppies and if there is only a single pup, or if the pups have died before delivery then this may not happed and a section may be required in order to remove them, Survival is very poor beyond 5 days overdue but the risk of infection and reduced fertlity in the future increases dramatically over time

It sounds like she might be showing signs of early labor, but it also could be normal behavior for the end of pregnancy. I would recommend seeing your veterinarian for an exam and an x-ray if you haven't already seen them recently - it is very helpful to take an x-ray to count puppies late in pregnancy. That way you know approximately how many puppies to expect. You should also start checking her rectal temperature with a well lubricated digital thermometer three times a day to establish a baseline (make sure it's at the same time every day) - usually a dog's baseline temperature will drop by one full degree prior to labor. If Luna's temperature drops but you don't see puppies within 24 hours you should see a veterinarian to make sure everything is okay.

I strongly recommend you have her assesssed by a vet as these signs are all very suggestive that labour should have begun and she may have a pup that is stuck and unable to deliver naturally. A physical exam and possibly ultrasound or xray may be required to assess the position of the pup and if she is in fact dilated and ready to deliver. I would not delay the appointment as there is an increased risk of infection and fetal distress once the passage is open and any mucus or fluid is passed

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.

Unfortunately it is difficult to say when exactly her delivery date is. Even with an ultrasound or X-ray, you cannot say for sure. If her belly looks big and rounded then I would say she is closer - probably expecting around the 1-2 weeks. Again, I cannot guarantee that because it all depends on how big the dad was as well. Just continue to give her lots of love and if you are okay with having the pups inside your house or in a safe area of your garage I would put some soft blankets or even a large plastic bin or kiddy pool with a lot of bedding in it now so she can get use to it. It isn’t guaranteed that she will choose to use that area but hopefully she will! Also, I would start transitioning (mix old food with new food for 7-10 days) her to puppy food as she will need the extra calories and nitrition while nursing her pups. I hope this helps.