Hi

Could anyone tell me what the first signs of labour are or is it a case of different every time :rolleyes:
cheers

my bitch had 2 litters and both times were the same, she started panting and didnt stop for 3 days after birth. some lose appetite but mine didnt. also a bit of digging but the panting was the first sign (went on for 12 hours before first pup born)

Hi
Did you use a welping box or did you let her nest were she wanted to.

i've made her a welping box but at the moment she does not seem intrested in useing it

First signs I get are the bitch shivering that is usually the start, then she will start shredding the papers in the welping box, but I will say its quite difficult to get the bitch to stay in the welping box at this time, (well mine anyway) she wants to come out and in to be with me I let her do this as I know she is not ready to give birth at that particular time.

When the time comes she will be really panting heavily and digging to make a nest, mine will stay in her box as long as I am sitting outside it with her, I like being there anyway in case of any problems arising.

Just be carefull if you are letting her outside for the toilet, keep her on a lead, just in case she gives birth to the first pup outside, its been known for a bitch to do this, if its a first litter, she will think she needs the toilet, just like a woman LOL !!!   If you place your hand on her tummy you can actually feel the pups moving down and the contractons.

mark i wish you every good luck with the impending birth etc...do you not have an experienced breeder like the breeder of your bitch or a breed mentor who could help you with this scary 1st time. (actually im on  litters in double figures and theyre still scary!)

she wouldnt go in the whelping box untill she was pushing and i made her jump in, otherwise it would have been on my bed

Hi Mark

I would say to you that all bitches are different.  The classical signs of labour are as everyone has said panting and digging but not all bitches do this.  They are like women.  Not all women are the same during labour either.  The first thing to do is to start taking the bitches temperature two times per day about 7 days prior to her due date.  When the temperature levels out to under 37° and stays there, then you can be almost sure that within 24/48 hours she will start labour.  Many bitches then during the first stages when the cervix is slowly opening up start to pant.  They may also lose their appetite and probably will start to need to relieve themselves frequently.  This is basically to empty the stomach and the intestines before things start in ernest.  You may find that she starts to get a bit runny when relieving herself - but again this can be different from bitch to bitch. 

Like I said some bitches start to pant heavily and continuously and may start to dig as if making a nest.  But some may pant for five minutes and then not do it again for 4 or 5 hours.  What is almost certain is that they will start to try to hide from you.  Maybe in a cupboard.  Maybe under the bed.  Maybe under the covers of the bed.  Maybe they will just put their heads under the sofa with the body outside.  What I personally think from my experience is that they are looking for a dark space during the initial part of labour.  I know its very different but if you think that when you have a headache, then its much more relieving to stay in some dark room without any lights.  You will probably notice that she doesn't want you out of her sight and will follow you everywhere. 

I prepare a whelping box for the actual whelping but I don't confine my bitches to that area.  I always let them go where they want and when they want but keeping them under strict control to be sure that they don't dissapear into some room and start whelping on a sofa or on the bed etc.  Actually with my present litter I wasn't as careful as usually because someonecame to the door.  I was only away five minutes, came back , could find syria, and then found her on the bed with the first pup born.  But this was also an exception to the rule as she didnt' even act as if she was in labour apart from the temperature.  Like I say all bitches are different and they can also be different from litter to litter.  You can imagine the mess on the white bedspread !!!!!!!

Like I said there are many signs to watch out for at the first signs of labour.  Seeing even one of these signs should put you on alert and tell you not to let her out of your sight.  Good luck and keep us informed.

agree with all other posts , my hubby sent me to bed for a few hours as she didnt look quite ready he sat with her on the pump up bed next to the whelp box she gave birth to her first pup very quietly right next to him on the bed , I run down moved the pup into the whelp box and the next five were born in there.

Hello

Thanks very much for all your fantastic advice.

It's great to hear that there are so many of you out there helping me and advicing me.

Once again thanks

the best advice i can give is taking her rectal temperature twice daily a week before she is due.
Most bitches stay at around 37.5 C during pregnancy, 24-48 hours before labour starts it will go up to around 38.5 (38.8 in my case) then start gradually dropping to around 36.5 (36.3 in my case).
This is the only sign ALL bitches have that labour is just around the corner hun.
GOOD LUCK AGAIN , JO XX

Agree with everyone else, panting, digging, loss of appetite and my girl in particular will always have that look of pain in her eyes the day she is due, I always know immediately and can time the first pup within a few hours just by that look! Don't worry about the whelping area, first time bitches most likely will whelp the first pup somewhere else but once you put the pup in the whelping area the rest should then be born there, don't expect your bitch to know what to do, they very often don't, so guide her along and follow her around. :-)

Funny story.......... When I was gently coaxed :-D into carrying on my girls line, I did a whelping tour and was allowed to watch a few bitches give birth to learn first hand about any problems occuring etc.  I was with a particular breeder for my first experience and had been to see her bitch previously, she had been digging, panting quite heavily for 3 days then she had just stopped, was clam with no signs of whelping at all. I was really looking forward to seeing the first pup whelped, she was sat watching TV with us and all of a sudden we heard lots of licking she had just popped her first pup out on the sofa with no noise, fuss or bother and we had both missed it!

So you never know, bitches do not always follow the rules. :-D  Just be prepared for anything!

forgot to say once she gets a glazed look in her eyes was when she started pushing, which was one push then pup born

I mentioned in the other thread about my girl not having reading what signs to give me! She'd been digging a little bit in a corner of the lounge the previous evening, then had spent most of the day popping in and out of the dog door going to the toilet. I was on the phone to my friend at 4.30pm when I saw a slight contraction, so I got the heat pad warming up. At 5.20 my OH came home, and as we were standing in the utility room she had another contraction where a few drops of liquid fell to the floor. I told her to stand in the whelping box if she was going to do that as we'd prefer to save the carpets, and she did. Then on the next contraction a puppy just slid straight out, she made barely a faint whimper, that was all!! The other one was born at 7.35, and there were just the two puppies. Very convenient really as by 11pm with no more signs of any contractions or pain I was pretty sure she'd finished, as the vet had also said she could only feel two, so although I stayed right by the box with her, I was able to catch a nap of an hour or so at at time during the night. :-)