You can expect the puppies nine weeks from the day of breeding, although 58 days is as common as 63. During this time the female should receive normal care and exercise. If she is overweight, don't increase her food at first; excess weight at whelping time is not good. If she is on the thin side, build her up, giving her a morning meal. She should be getting pet tabs (vitamin) as a daily supplement. During the last weeks of gestation the puppies grow enormously, and the mother will have little room for food and less appetite. Divide her meals into smaller portions and feed her more often. If she loses her appetite, tempt her with meat, liver, chicken, etc.

As she grows heavier, eliminate violent exercise and jumping. Do not eliminate exercise entirely, as walking is beneficial to the female in whelp, and mild exercise will maintain her muscle tone in preparation for birth. Some females have a slight discharge during gestation and after giving birth. Clear to cloudy to brownish-red is normal. A dark green discharge indicates a problem and you should see your veterinarian immediately!

A week before your bitch is due to give birth prepare an area for her that is quiet and cozy. A child's pool from Walmart works well. Old towels make good bedding because, they can be laundered regularly. Allow the mother to sleep there overnight or to spend time in it during the day to become accustomed to it. Then she is less likely to try to have her pups under the front porch or in the middle of your bed. If you like to keep your house fairly cool in the summer time, close off the vent where the mother and pups will be to avoid drafts. You can also place a heat lamp above the pool to keep the air around it warm. Cold is the number one killer of young pups.

Now you should begin taking your bitch's temperature rectally twice a day around the same time and keeping a record. The normal temperature of a dog is 100.5 - 102.5.  When your bitch is close to giving birth, her temperature will drop below 100 . The onset of labor will begin with panting and restlessness.

During the birth, if necessary, be prepared to remove membranes covering the puppy's head if the mother fails to do this, for the puppies could smother otherwise. The mother should start licking the puppy as soon as it is out of the sac, thus drying and stimulating it, but if she does not perform this task you can do it with a rough towel, instead. The afterbirth should follow the birth of each puppy, attached to the puppy by the umbilical cord. Watch to make sure that each is expelled, for retaining this material can cause infection. The mother will probably eat the afterbirth after biting the cord. This will stimulate milk supply as well as labor for the-remaining puppies.

If a puppy does not start breathing, wrap it in a towel, hold him upside down with his head towards the ground, and shake him downward, being careful to support his head. Rub him briskly with a towel and remove any debris from his mouth and nose with a bulb syringe.

The puppies should follow each other at regular intervals. Deliveries can be as short a 5 minutes or as long as two hours apart. If the mother is in labor and showing visual signs of contractions, but has not passed a puppy or has gone longer than 2 hours in between puppies, she may be in trouble and you should see your veterinarian. It is a good idea to record the time when a puppy arrives if possible, so you can keep track of how long she is taking between intervals. A puppy, may be presented backwards; if the mother does not appear to be in trouble, do not interfere. But if enough of the puppy is outside the birth canal, use a rough towel and help her by pulling gently on the puppy. Pull only when she pushes.

When you think all the puppies have been whelped, have your veterinarian examine the mother to determine if all of the after births have been expelled. He will probably give her an injection to be certain that the uterus is clean and possibly an injection of penicillin to prevent infection. Be sure to keep water available to her at all times.

Eclampsia, or "milk fever", is caused by a lowered calcium content of the blood, due to the bitch's depleting her body's calcium reserves for the production of milk. If it occurs after whelping, the puppies and mother are in severe danger. Help most be given immediately. The female stiffens her legs, has pale gums, and is likely to have minor convulsions. Puppies must be taken from her and calcium and dextrose administered to her intravenously. However, this is a rare thing and the symptoms so obvious, that assuredly the owner's first thought is that something is wrong and that the veterinarian is needed at once. With proper nutrition during gestation and lactation, a lack of calcium is not to be expected. The best preventive medicine is to see that the female is parasite free, in good condition, and properly cared for from the day she is mated. It would also be a good idea to supplement her with pet-Cal (calcium) a week before she is due and until the time she is dry after weaning the puppies. Check her mammary glands daily to ensure they are not overly warm or have any hard lumpy spots. This could signal infection and you should see your veterinarian.

Puppies eyes begin to open at around 2 weeks of age. Teeth start to break in at around 3 ½ weeks. You can begin feeding them at this time. Weaning formula should consist of soaked in water dry puppy food, or a blended mixture of dry puppy food, cottage cheese, canned food, and water, As they get used to eating, gradually diminish the amount of moisture until they are eating food that is completely dry. By six weeks of age, the mother should be removed from the pups completely and put back an her normal diet with continued calcium until she is dry. Cottage cheese added to the mother's diet during nursing will aid in her milk production.