Hi we have a bitch who is day 61 and today she has been digging in garden.  She is eating and drinking well . Her teats are large and her belly is quite tight.
She is breathing heavily but does not appear distressed.
Have not noticed any discharge but she is licking her bits a lot .
A lot of gurgling in her tummy
Any opinions please

Sounds like the early stages of whelping. Don't leave her alone at anytime, whelping can be fast & also extremely slow, depends on the bitch.

Is this the first litter you have bred ?

Thanks for your thoughts, this is the second litter from her, she can be a madam at times.

Just to say go with her when she wants to be outside (especially at night!) because bitches have been known to whelp under sheds etc.etc.

My much missed Lexi, in two of her three litters, made it a habit to have at least one of her pups outside or on the way there or back from a wee.

HI SamandAli. I am new to this forum and I realise your post was placed just under a year ago but I would love to know how you got on........My wc bitch is day 59 and digging at the same hole in the garden every time she goes outside.....did your girl eventually give birth inside? I do hope that's what mine will do! Mine is also a little madam at times - wilful but very attached and I'm just hoping she'll want to have her pups in the warm with us....hope you still check in here after so long....thank you!

You might need to pop her on a lead when you take her out to toilet....

Thank you - yes, I have tried that but she stops dead and won't move and I want her to be able to wee or poo if she needs to. It's ok now I think as we've fenced off the inaccessible digging patches so she can only dig if she needs to where we can see her!.

My bitch is about to give birth. She's 2 days away. We have underfloor heating in the kitchen which is not on all the time but the room maintains heat extremely well throughout the day. Her breeder told me that was sufficient heat for the puppies and mum while they are nursing therefore there was no need for heat lamps or heat pads. I will be up with her throughout her birthing and I know the temperature of the room drops around the hours of 3 and 4am. I have hot water bottles on standby and can always boost the underfloor heating. But I would like to know what the optimum temperature is for a room with very young pups. I have a room thermometer. Could anyone advise please? Thanks in advance!

It depends a lot on the breed, amount of hair, size of dog etc etc. 

Typically though, a lot cooler than some books would have you believe.  Around 20C room temperature - it is then usually a few degrees warmer in the whelping box itself.  If you've ever sat in the box, especially if it has a lid or blanket over part of it, you'll be amazed how much warmer it is in the box...

The main issue or worry is drafts.  Try to ensure there are no gaps into the whelping box or doors/windows open in the kitchen (even if you get hot).  The pups' behaviour will tell you if you're getting the temperature right.  If it's too warm, they will be scattered around the box to cool themselves.  If it's too cool, they will pile up closely on each other.

It is always best to have a heat pad on hand if you need one, especially in winter though.  You might not need it, but best to have it in case you do.  I try to whelp summer litters, and I still have a heat pad at the ready.  A heat lamp is harder for the pups to escape if they are too warm, compared to a pad - so I prefer a pad.

We had a brood lamp so even if the surrounding room became chilly, it was always snug and warm in the box - and a heat lamp keeps the place dry too.   I had a thermometer on the pig rail so I had a monitor in the box.   I'd want it higher than 20C in the box.  If puppies find it too warm, they will crawl under the pig rail - and I'd know so lower the heat/switch the brood lamp off (more likely during the daytime).   We tended to avoid Winter litters.   Also for mum's comfort while in with the puppies most of the time (early days), we'd drape a sheet across the box so she wasn't lying immediately under the lamp.

You'll know if the puppies are chilly as they will snuggle together, or close with mum.   If they are too hot, they will scatter round the box.   If just right, they will nurse and fall off, lying where they land off the teat

I'd rather err on the warmer side because once morbidly chilled, they won't nurse and could eventually die.   There are different ideas about this, based on what works best for the individual litter/breed.