My pregnant dog is in early labor. When do contractions start?

Thank you for submitting your question regarding Luna. You are correct that there are three stages of labor in a dog. There can be some overlap between them. Stage one is when the uterus begins to contract and cause the cervix to dilate. This can last 6 to 12 hours in the dog. At this point, you may notice Luna becoming restlessness, panting, pacing, or starting to next. Stage 2 refers to active delivery of the puppy. Stage three results in the delivery of the placenta. This means the dog will alternate between stage 2 and 3 as it delivers a pup and the placenta and then another pup. I hope this information helps!

Thank you for contacting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach with your question about Quinn. It sounds like she could be in the first stage of labor. That can last up to 18 hours, so keep monitoring her. If 18 hours pass and she has not progressed to the second stage of labor (contractions and giving birth), get her into a vet immediately. If you feel she is in a lot of pain, you can take her into a vet now to get checked out to be safe. I hope this helps!

Stage I labor lasts 6-12 hours on average, but some dogs will take a little over 24 hours in this stage of labor. I would consider Sophie's decrease in appetite, panting and bowel movements last night as the start of stage I labor.

Hello. This very well can be the first stages of labor, & this can last 24-36 hours. Once you start to see her having contractions ( can see her actually pushing ), she should start having puppies in the first 15-30 minutes after observing this. If she starts pushing & no puppies are delivered within an hour, you may need to have her evaluated by your veterinarian, but it sounds like she is progressing nicely for now. You may have puppies very soon! Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

Contractions look like they would in a person, tensing and hardening of the abdomen at regular intervals. It may look like she is trying to defecate (poop). This video may help: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ApxFE3ACD-g

She may have entered already in the second phase of the labor and it can take anything between 2-8 hours. If contractions stop I would recommend to contact your local veterinarian as medical/surgical intervention may be needed.

Poor Kimber! If she has been having obvious contractions for several hours with no signs of puppies, then this is a medical emergency. She should not be straining to push out a puppy for more than hour. This can be a sign she needs help giving birth, and she may need a c section to safely deliver her puppies. At this point in time, this is a medical emergency and leaving her without help can lead to the death of her puppies and possibly her. Please take her into an ER vet clinic; if there isn't one in your area, there will be a vet on call for emergencies. The information to reach that vet is found on a clinic's answering machine or website. Best of luck!