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If you’ve been following us for a while then you’re probably wondering when will Raven have puppies and how long are golden Retrievers pregnant?
Many moons ago, when I volunteered rescuing litters of puppies from the local animal shelter I didn’t worry about how long dogs were pregnant. The animal rescue took care of whelping and a lot of other logistics. I just took care of the puppies for 8-12 weeks.
However, now that we are breeder keepers for our golden Retriever, Raven, our litters are planned and we know approximately when she will have her puppies.
How long Are Dog’s Pregnant?
That brings us to our question of the day:
How long Are golden Retrievers Pregnant?
Question: how long are golden Retrievers Pregnant?
Answer: 63 Days (plus or minus a few days)
So far we’ve had two golden Retriever litters at our house. The first litter was right smack on the nose! exactly 63 days after Raven’s breeding she whelped her first litter of puppies.
Her second litter wasn’t quite as precise. Raven’s puppies arrived a day early. So the answer for Raven’s second litter was 62 days.
Now we’re looking forward to Raven’s third litter. So, what do you think the answer is this time? how long are golden Retrievers pregnant?
Raven’s due date (that is 63 days from her breeding) is may 3rd, 2019!
We’re less than 2 weeks out and her stomach is really starting to pooch. I’m going to guess she will be a little early again.
I can even feel the puppies moving if I put my hand on her belly!
QUICK TIP: If you’re planning for a litter make sure you have everything set up and ready to go well in advance. We recently reviewed our whelping checklist and plan on ordering a few extra supplies as well as getting our whelping box and puppy room setup.
Dog pregnancy Signs
Here are some of the signs that your dog might be pregnant:
Early In The Pregnancy
Morning sickness – Nope, nothing to report…thank goodness Raven doesn’t get morning sickness.
Less physical activity – nothing noticeable with Raven.
Hungry, hungry, hungry! – Ummm…she’s always hungry so no change in her appetite.
More affection please – One word: golden Retriever. Sorry, but she really can’t be more affectionate than she already is.
Behavior changes – nothing noticeable here with Raven.
Vaginal discharge – She keeps pretty tidy in her nether regions, but in hindsight, I do recall her licking herself more frequently than normal.
Bigger Nipples – this time around I started noticing an increase in the size of her nipples around halfway through. maybe after about 5 weeks?
Early in the pregnancy we really don’t notice much change in Raven. Not until towards the end of the second trimester have we noticed signs that Raven is pregnant.
After The first Month
Putting on the pounds – Yes, but we don’t have a pet scale to accurately measure her weight.
More pee-pee! – I never really noticed an increase in pee-pee breaks.
Belly starts to pooch – Yep! This is probably one of the first things I notice that confirms pregnancy.
Decreased appetite – She’s a Golden…she’s always hungry, hungry hippos!
I mention this again below. since we’re on our third pregnancy one of the clear signs I’ve noticed is the fur along Raven’s abdomen begins to flare out when she’s pregnant. Every breed and dog will be different. This is something I’ve noticed with Raven.
QUICK TIP: We slowly start feeding Raven a little more of her regular dog food. We feed her wellness Core Grain free dog Food. By the time she gives birth, we also start adding a powdered probiotic to her meals which we noticed has helped her with digestion when taking care of her litter.
The Last few Days before Birth
We noticed all of these bullet points the last few days before birth.
Visible puppy movement in the abdomen – A few days ago, around 2 weeks out I started feeling puppies moving around in Raven’s belly!
She’s not so hungry anymore – Ummm…she’s always hungry ?
Body temperature drop – 24 hrs before labor – We start checking her temperature the week leading up to her due date. This gives us a rough idea of when she will begin labor.
Antsy, restless, pacing, panting, digging, nesting… – Yes, yes, yes! We (both Raven and I) usually have a few restless nights before the puppies arrive.
Check out the AKC website for more information about dog pregnancy and gestation periods.
When Did I know My dog Was Pregnant?
Our golden Retriever was pregnant for 63 days (plus or minus a day or two)
After she had her first puppy? just Kidding…
Raven was bred on March 1st, 2019. So, I assumed she was pregnant as of that date and 63 days later we’d see puppies.
The real question is when did Raven show clear signs that she was pregnant.
Pregnancy #1 – during her first pregnancy I wasn’t totally confident she was pregnant until the last week. I checked her every day and it wasn’t until the finnull