Hi my small breed bitch was bred about 4 weeks ago from her last mating I've re read the book of the bitch again and i'm not noticing the signs that should be apparent at this stage like the pinkier teats and morning sickness only thing I've noticed is her bit is still a bit swollen and hasn't returned to it's normal size before she come's in to season this is my 3rd an final attempt at getting her pregnant only thing I've noticed different is she'll not eat her food straight away in the morning as she usually does and doesn't eat it until much later in the day should she be looking bigger by now and by the way this would be her first litter any help appreciated thanks

Bitches like women are all differnt and some bitches dont show until much later on in the pregnancy, Id just treat her as if she was pregnant for now and wait for an ultra sound or wait it out as you will know in the next few weeks, one of our bitches didnt really look pregnant for a long time then one morning I got up and all the signs were there.

Good Luck

Hi sofie id go and get her scanned shes about right now to be done! and you should know for sure instead of anouther 4weeks plus wait :) which would kill me LOL

Being off the food, even to a slight extent, would be the most reliable sign for me. I wouldn't necessarily expect to see any changes at all in body before 5-6 weeks otherwise, especially not in a toy. In my latest litter, from a large bitch, she showed no signs at all. I took her to be scanned at 5 weeks and was actually sure she WASN'T pregnant. She had 9 pups.

Hi White lilly I know another 4 weeks plus would kill me too to find out I couldn't wait that long I'm going to a scanner in the next week or so I was just hoping for some signs now to look out for before then I'm just so impatient lol and just hoping she has indeed took this time around does anyone know if her teats and mamary glands should look different and how by now as I notice no difference at all in those areas just now I'm scared the scan is gong to be negative yet again she's no eaten so far today which is so not like her she usually gulps the lot once put down first thing in the morning another question do you know when I should hear the puppies heart beats if she was pregnant

ive heard puppies heart beats the last 10days i think, all bitches are so different some will change early on some very late i think they just love to keep us waiting LOL ....good sign tho if shes gone off her food! :) good luck xx

Hi,

she's just ate some of her food not all but hopefully she'll go back to the rest later on it's just weird for her as she usually scoffs the whole lot in 1 go when it's put down

My large toy breed girl showed virtually no signs either time, she developed a saggy tummy the 2nd time in particular, and I could hear heartbeats towards the end of the pregnancies, but that was about it, she never went off her food or looked fat.

My bitch is 5 weeks pregnant but she has shown subtle signs.  Her teats are slightly swollen and pinker than usual.  She, like yours, is still swollen on her lady bits.  But mine has never been sick or off her food in fact, quite the opposite.  She's very greedy of late and is also a bit grumpier.  She is also feeling the heat a bit more with the central heating and has had a couple of 'accidents' in the house.
It's only in the last week that we can see a noticable difference in her tummy and shape.  Oh, and she is way more cuddley

My small breeds often don't look pregnant until the last week!  If your girl is like this, you have a bit of a wait!  :-)

One of my girls finished her season well over 6 weeks ago, and her vulva is still very large and she was not mated.  I have to be honest that I often think that I am the only one on here that doesn't get into a state wanting to know!

I know that the folk with larger breeds will have far more need of wanting to know numbers, but, with the small breeds, knowing that we won't have 12 pups to rear, I just sit back and wait, and treat them as pregnant, until the due date arrives.

With smaller breeds thay can hide pups for so long.  One bitch didn't show until very, very late.  Several days before whelping I knew that I could feel one pup, so that was all I was expecting.  Then, one night, she was next to me on the sofa, and her tummy did one almighty roller coaster, as a pup came down from under the ribcage.  She whelped two pups the following morning.

Time will tell.  :-)

hi I have been posting comments a lot because I was unsure if my girl was pregnant or not she was showing signs but she showed all these signs before and it was a phantom.  However this time she will not eat I have had to put her on meat and chicken, she is on day 28 now.  Got her scanned today and she is definately pregnant only difference this time I can see is the appetite thing and her nipples are pink and fleshy.  She seems to be puttin on weight more rapidly but due to her breed vet says she can have litter up to 12!! I know what you are going through its a nightmare waiting.  Good luck xx

I think also that with toys you are going to be homing much later and probably have very few pups to find homes for. 

With larger breeds not only are you dealing with you won impatience, but that of expectant future puppy owners.

If your bred is also numerically small like mien I don't like keeping people on a list any longer than they need to be so they have a chance of getting onto another breeders list quickly.

With just 29 pups registered in the breed so far this year (an all time low, that was the usual number in a quarter when I first came into the breed)), many have faced disappointment already.

Understand where you are coming from Barbara.

It is far less of a worry with small breeds.  And, as I've been known to keep both pups in a litter, it isn't anywhere like the position of a breeder of larger dogs.

In fact, last year when I took my best girl for mating, and, knowing it would be her last litter, I didn't even tell anyone that I was expecting pups.  Kept both to carry on her lines. 

So yes, I fully understand that it is a totally different situation with the toys and their small litters.