Signs of Labour in Dogs: Stages & When to Call a Vet
The temperature drop, the nesting, the straining. What each stage of dog labour looks like, how long it should take, and the signs that need a vet now.
Most dogs whelp without help. The job of the person watching is not to deliver puppies — it is to know what normal looks like, so that the moment something stops being normal, you notice early enough for it to matter.
When is she due?
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- • Temperature drops below 37.8°C (100°F) — labour within 12–24 hours.
- • Stage 1: restless, nesting, panting — 6–12 hours.
- • Stage 2: first puppy within 30–60 minutes of hard straining.
- • Then a puppy every 30–60 minutes; rests up to 2 hours can be normal.
- • Vet now if straining 30–60 min with no puppy, or 2+ hours between puppies.
The temperature drop
This is the one sign that gives you warning rather than confirmation. A pregnant dog's rectal temperature normally sits between 38 and 39°C (100.5–102.5°F). In the day before labour it falls below 37.8°C (100°F), sometimes as low as 36.7°C (98°F), and labour usually follows within 12 to 24 hours.
To catch it you have to be looking: take her temperature twice a day from about day 57 and write the numbers down. A single reading tells you nothing — it is the drop from her own normal that counts. Not every dog shows a clean drop, so a normal temperature does not rule labour out.
Set up before the drop, not after. A whelping box in a quiet, warm, dim corner, newspaper and clean towels, a notebook for times, and your vet's out-of-hours number written somewhere you can find it at 3am.
The three stages of labour
| Stage | How long | What you see |
|---|---|---|
| Stage 1 | 6–12 hours | Restlessness, nesting, panting, shivering, refusing food, sometimes vomiting. The cervix is opening — no visible contractions yet. |
| Stage 2 | 3–12 hours total | Visible straining. First puppy within 30–60 minutes of hard straining, then one every 30–60 minutes, with rest periods of up to 2 hours between. |
| Stage 3 | Alternates with stage 2 | A placenta passed after each puppy, usually within 15 minutes. Stages 2 and 3 repeat until the litter is delivered. |
Stage one: the long wait
She will pace, dig at bedding, pant, shiver, and follow you around or hide — first-time mothers often want company, experienced ones often want to be left alone. Most refuse food, and vomiting once or twice is common. There are no visible contractions yet; the cervix is opening quietly.
Six to twelve hours is typical. Longer than 24 hours of stage one with no progress to straining is worth a phone call.
Stage two: puppies
Straining becomes obvious — she will brace and push, usually lying on her side. A clear fluid-filled sac often appears first. From the start of hard straining, the first puppy should arrive within 30 to 60 minutes.
After that, puppies usually come every 30 to 60 minutes. Rests of up to two hours between puppies can be perfectly normal, especially in big litters — the thing that matters is whether she is straining during that gap. A calm, resting dog is fine. A dog pushing hard with nothing happening is not.
She should break each sac, clean the puppy and chew the cord herself. If she does not within a minute or so, open the sac yourself, wipe the puppy's face, and rub it firmly with a towel until it cries.
Stage three: placentas
A placenta follows each puppy, usually within 15 minutes. Count them — you should end up with one per puppy. A retained placenta can cause infection, so tell your vet if the numbers do not match. Eating one or two is normal behaviour; eating all of them often causes diarrhoea.
When to call the vet
Call immediately if:
- • She strains hard for 30–60 minutes with no puppy
- • More than 2 hours pass between puppies
- • Green or black discharge appears before the first puppy
- • A puppy is visibly stuck for more than 10 minutes
- • She reaches day 68 without labour starting
- • She collapses, is very weak, or has a fever
- • Heavy bright red bleeding
- • 24 hours of stage one with no straining
Some dogs are far more likely to need help: flat-faced breeds such as bulldogs, pugs and French bulldogs frequently need a caesarean, and so do dogs carrying a single large puppy. If your dog is in either group, talk to your vet before the due date rather than during labour.
After the last puppy
- Keep the room warm. Newborn puppies cannot regulate their own temperature for the first couple of weeks.
- Check every puppy is feeding within the first few hours — that first milk carries the antibodies.
- Weigh them daily for the first fortnight. Steady gains mean feeding is working.
- Expect discharge for a few weeks. Dark red to brown is normal; foul-smelling, green or heavy bleeding is not.
- Book a check-up for mother and litter within 24–48 hours.
Watch the mother, not just the puppies. Call a vet if she develops a fever, stops eating, seems painful, has a hot and swollen mammary gland, or becomes wobbly, twitchy or restless in the days after whelping — that last group can signal dangerously low blood calcium, which needs urgent treatment.
The bottom line
Take her temperature from day 57 and expect labour within a day of it dropping below 37.8°C. Allow 6 to 12 hours of restless stage one, then a puppy within an hour of hard straining and one every half hour to hour after that. Write down every puppy and placenta. And keep the two numbers that matter where you can see them: 30–60 minutes of straining with no puppy, or 2 hours between puppies, means the vet needs to hear from you. Check the due date first with our dog pregnancy calculator. 🐶
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the first signs of labour in dogs?
A drop in rectal temperature from the normal 38–39°C to below 37.8°C (100°F) is the earliest reliable sign, and labour usually starts within 12 to 24 hours of it. Alongside that you will see nesting, restlessness, panting, shivering, refusing food and often vomiting.
How long does dog labour last?
Stage one lasts 6 to 12 hours and looks like restlessness rather than contractions. Stage two is the actual delivery: once hard straining begins the first puppy should arrive within 30 to 60 minutes, and the rest usually follow every 30 to 60 minutes. The whole process typically takes 3 to 12 hours depending on litter size.
How long between puppies is normal?
Usually 30 to 60 minutes, and a resting gap of up to two hours between puppies can be normal if the mother is calm and not straining. Strong straining for more than 30 to 60 minutes with no puppy, or more than two hours between puppies, needs a vet straight away.
Is panting a sign of labour in dogs?
Yes, heavy panting is one of the classic signs of stage one labour, usually alongside pacing, nesting and shivering. On its own it means little — panting also happens with heat, stress and pain — but panting plus a temperature drop plus nesting is a strong signal that puppies are coming.
When should I call the vet during dog labour?
Call immediately if she strains hard for more than 30 to 60 minutes without producing a puppy, goes more than two hours between puppies, passes green or black discharge before the first puppy is born, has a puppy visibly stuck for more than 10 minutes, collapses, or reaches day 68 of pregnancy without labour starting.
Should I be in the room while my dog gives birth?
Stay close enough to watch and keep a written log of each puppy and placenta, but interfere as little as possible. Most dogs manage alone, and hovering makes nervous first-time mothers worse. Have your vet's out-of-hours number to hand before the day arrives.