We breed our females by marking on the calendar first tie and count 62-63 days to give us an idea of when our puppies will be born.

Progesterone testing can be done if needed to ensure pregnancy. By marking down the dates of mating we can give ourselves an idea of what date to expect puppies to be born.

Ultrasounds can be done at around 28 days from mating if there is concern for the female or the puppies. Ultrasound will give us an approximate puppy count although not as accurate as an x-ray. X-rays are done 7 to 10 days prior to the birthing process, x-rays give a pretty accurate number of pups to be expected which is important for us to know to make sure we have enough medication for Mom and babies. They also let us know if there is any need for medical intervention like a C-section.

We can tell by monitoring the expectant females temperature of how close she is to whelping. A normal adult dog temperature is 101.3 a 2 degree temperature drop means pups will be arriving in approximately 24 hours or so.

Expectant moms will generally stop eating and some moms will start throwing up; this gives us the final opportunity to make sure we have all things ready.

The whelping box will be warmed and ready, scissors to cut umbilicals if needed, dental floss to tie the umbilicals if there is a problem, a bulb syringe to clear the nose and mouth of fluid, towels to dry the puppies, we use dopram for any puppies that have a hard time starting to breathe and an iodine tincture to sterilize umbilical.

The first stage of labor can last up to 12 hours this is the time that the cervix is effacing and dilating. We give Mom calsorb in between puppies to keep her labor moving along, calsorb is a calcium supplement easily and quickly depleted during labor and contractions. Some fatalities can be due to lack of calcium.

We also keep lactated ringers, puppy formula we use a couple of different brands, Miracle nipples, tube feeding supplies and only use as needed. We order plasma which is a colostrum supplement and only use as needed. When Mom has finished the whelping process we give her what is called a clean out shot this is oxytocin.

We place a colored collar on each puppy as it is born which will remain until the day it goes to its new home. By recording the color of the collar, the time of the birth, the weight and the sex of the puppy it helps us identify each individual pup easily and quickly.

Making sure puppies are thriving, gaining weight, staying warm and being fed adequately is important to the survival the first couple of weeks. Puppies cannot maintain their own temperature until they are two weeks old.

At German Shepherd Haus we take weekly photos of every puppy from time of birth till the day they go home. This helps buyers see their babies grow. Video chatting is always fun and encourage people to come visit if they are close enough to do so.

All puppies are fully wormed at 2, 4, 6 and 8 weeks, they are vetted by a licensed veterinarian provided with a personal vet record, microchip and given their first shots.

Thank you so much for visiting German Shepherd Haus.

Sincerely,