Hi all, long time lurker, 1st time poster :-)

I wondered if anyone could offer any advice please? My working breed bitch is on day 60 of her pregnancy. After a week of consistent temp readings of around 37.8-38 c, she had a drop yesterday of 36.8 and then later 36.4 however today her temp has gone back up. 

She is naturally a 'panty' dog, so although heavy panting last night got me feeling optimistic, its not unusual for her to pant like that even when not in pup.  so I guess my question is, should her temp stay down or is there sometimes a rise after the drop? I am hesitant to keep sticking the thermometer up her bum, cant be pleasant lol
Today, she hasn't eaten her usual food but will take treats from me, she is quiet and has slept all day long, her stomach has dropped immensely and she just seems super subdued.  also a few times whilst walking, she has suddenly and for no reason, sat down quickly and looked at her vulva and licked, then carried on what she was doing. also her vulva is twitching, like pulsating. however there is no panting atm, no nesting behaviour etc....
do any of the signs she IS displaying, indicate 1 stage labour from anyones personal experience?  I know they will come when they come, but I just want to be certain everything I can do, I am doing.

thanks to anyone who managed to read the whole thing lol sorry I waffled, sleeping next to her whelping box for a few days has me exhausted lol

If you are using temping to determine whelping, you need to temp 4x a day.  Temps will often be higher in the AM and drop as day goes on.  You are looking for a large temperature drop that persists at least 8hrs - this will be 24-36hrs prior to whelping.  So - 2 consecutive readings with temp 99F or lower.  Some will go as low as 97F.

Lots of dogs pant at the end of pregnancy because they are hot and because physical exertion is difficult when carrying such a heavy load - it doesn't necessarily mean anything relating to labour, especially if they are a coated breed.

The temp needs to stay down if you are looking for whelping indicators.  If there is a rise, it isn't the whelping drop.

It sounds like you are close but not there yet.

Thanks so much for your reply, I feel more relaxed now to just let nature take its course :-)

Usually they don't eat,pant, dig and are reluctant to exercise. One of my bitches defies the rules though. She eats and wants to go for a run hours before. The only behaviour is she digs alot 12 hours before. Got the dates wrong for her once and luckily clever bitch came to me just before first pup was born.don't take temp-it distresses them.calculate days and lookup signs of whelping and u will know.

Mine are not at all distressed by having their temperature taken, it's just part of all the things I have got them accustomed to, from clipping their nails to checking their ears and teeth....