Dog Gestation Period: How Long Is a Dog Pregnant?

How long is a dog pregnant?

A dog carries her puppy for an average of 63 days, or about 2 months. Counting from the breeding date, whelping is normal anywhere from day 58 to day 68.

Key checkpoints across the 63-day dog gestation, measured in days from breeding:

Estimate your dog's whelping date

Enter the breeding date for an estimated whelping date at 63 days.

Open the full Dog gestation calculator

Dog gestation stages, month by month

Signs a dog is pregnant

• Nipples enlarging and turning pink from around day 21
• Reduced appetite or mild nausea in weeks three and four
• Ultrasound confirmation from about day 25
• Clear, odourless vaginal discharge in mid pregnancy

Signs of approaching whelping

• Visible abdominal enlargement and weight gain from week five
• Nesting behaviour, restlessness and a temperature drop in the final 24 hours
• Contact your vet if labour stalls, if the animal strains without progress, or if there is abnormal discharge before whelping begins.

What affects dog gestation length

• Counted from ovulation, canine gestation is remarkably consistent at 63 days plus or minus one. Counted from mating it can appear to range from 58 to 68 days.
• A bitch's eggs are ovulated immature and need two to three days to become fertilisable, and sperm can survive up to a week in the reproductive tract.
• A drop in rectal temperature below about 37.2 °C usually means whelping will start within 24 hours.
• Litter size affects timing: very large litters often arrive a day or two early, singleton litters may go slightly over.

Dog gestation chart

Every fifth breeding date across the year with the matching whelping date, calculated at 63 days. Find the row closest to the date the dog was served; because normal gestation spans 58 to 68 days, plan for a window of a few days either side. Filter by month, or print the chart for the barn wall or breeding record: navigation, buttons and adverts are hidden on paper.

Dog gestation length by breed

Sources for dog gestation figures

Figures on this page are drawn from Society for Theriogenology canine reproduction guidance and peer-reviewed canine gestation studies, and checked against the references below. Averages describe healthy animals under normal management; individual animals vary, and nothing here replaces advice from your vet.

• The Kennel Club (UK) — breeding and whelping guidance
• Merck Veterinary Manual — reproduction and pregnancy chapters by species