After many years of breeding I’ve learned a few things to tell if our golden retrievers are pregnant. Since we have waitlists for our litters, we can be inundated with emails wanting to know if our females are pregnant. So the earlier we know the better. Waiting for an ultrasound (around 25-30 days) or an x-ray (45-50) days, or a hormonal test might be too long to wait. Plus those options cost money, and not everyone likes to spend money to see if their dog is pregnant.

Dogs have a short gestation. The average gestation for golden retrievers is 63 days. However, most of mine have been between 61-62 days. 9 weeks is fairly short compared to other animals. Just over 2 months is a lot less than the 9 months humans have to bare. Before you know it, puppies may be born. Below are some signs that could show that puppies are eminent.

Signs Your Dog Is Pregnant

• Lack of Appetite
• Mucus discharge
• Enlarged Teats
• Hormonal Mood Changes
• Weight Gain
• Puppy Kicking
• Nesting

Lack of Appetite

One of the earliest signs of pregnancy post breeding is your girl not wanting to eat. Their lack of appetite is similar to morning sickness in humans. In some cases vomiting will occur. This lack of appetite can last for up to a month. If excessive vomiting occurs, contact a vet before they get too sick.

Mucus Discharge

Around a month a mucus discharge may develop in their vaginal area. This should go away. If it gets overly foul ordered, last a long time, and your girl is lethargic, consult a vet to rule out pyometra. Pyometra is a rare vaginal infection that occurs after their heat cycle.

Swollen Teats

Often around a month, maybe even sooner, their teats will begin to swell. If your girl has never had puppies, this will be one of the easiest signs to spot. Eventually some teats can be expressed to produce clear liquid. Near their time to whelp they will start producing colostrum.

Hormonal Mood Changes

Your girl may become hormonal and act entirely different. I’ve often seen them be extremely grumpy and temperamental. Some of my girls get a short fuse and just want to be left alone. Others just become clingy and don’t want to leave our side. Each girl is different, but the change of behavior is the telltale sign.

Weight Gain

After the first month they will begin to start gaining weight. Their appetite will increase, eventually surpassing their appetite prior to pregnancy. By the end of pregnancy they should be eating around 50% more than they average diet. Around 40 days they will begin to show with an enlarged tummy. I’ve seen many girls show very little and have large litters, and others show a lot, and only have 1 pup. Weight gain sometimes is something people miss if they never knew their dog mated.

Puppy Kicking

If you’ve missed many most of the sign previously mentioned, around the 5th week of pregnancy you might be able to feel the puppies move around inside their mum’s tummy. Generally it is more evident around 7 weeks of gestation. The first time you feel a kick is a joyous moment, and something you will never forget.

Nesting

Towards the end of their pregnancy your girl may begin to dig holes in the corners of their yard, under plants, and any hiding spots they can find. They will exhibit their nesting behavior where they plan to have their pups. This is the point you need to start showing them your planned area for whelping. That way they are comfortable with it ahead of time.

 

Feel free to offer any more signs that you think I should add to this list. We hope this helps.