You’ve watched the nesting.
You’ve watched the panting.
You’ve probably watched her walk around the room approximately 400 times.
...And after reading our guide to how to tell if your girl is in labour, you’re now fairly confident... This is actually happening.
Which usually leads immediately to the next question: “Right. What do I do NOW?”
Because there can be quite a stretch between recognising those first signs of labour and actually meeting puppy number one. So let’s talk about that bit. Not delivering puppies. Not cords, placentas or what happens between puppies, as we’ll cover the actual birth separately. This is about Stage One labour and what you should be doing while you wait for that first puppy.
Stage One is essentially your girl’s body getting everything ready for delivery.
Her uterus is beginning to contract and her cervix is dilating, but importantly, you generally won’t see obvious abdominal straining yet.
Instead, what you see from the outside can look much less dramatic. She might:
This stage commonly lasts for several hours and can continue for around 12 to 24 hours. Which explains why breeders spend so much of it thinking: “Surely something should be happening by now?”....
Something IS happening. You just can’t see most of it yet.
This is where I want you to resist the urge to become the world's most enthusiastic labour assistant. Your job at this stage is mostly to observe, prepare and keep things calm. If she’s settled somewhere safe and suitable, let her settle.
And start paying attention to how things are progressing.
You don't need to document every breath she takes, but having a rough idea of when behaviours started changing can be really useful.
You're reading this in preparation for your girl giving birth, which is great. But having the right kit is just as important as having the right information. And you need to be ready, in advance!
Not when you can see the first puppy. Now. This is your opportunity to check your whelping kit while you've still got some thinking capacity left.
Having the right whelping kit matters more than having a box full of random things you hope you might need. Make sure you've got the essentials ready for mum and puppies, because once active labour starts, you don't want to discover the one thing you need is still sitting in an online basket.
If you still need to get organised, start with the Canine Nutrition Coach Whelping Bundle that brings together the supplements that you need for the whelping period, so you have what you need to give her during labour, before it begins.
Then, you need to think about:
Make sure all things you're likely to need are clean, accessible and actually in the room. Not upstairs. Not “somewhere in that cupboard! And definitely not still in the Amazon box in the hallway!
Your whelping area should be ready, your important numbers should be easy to find and you should know what your plan is if you need veterinary help. Because if something does change, you don't want to be searching for a phone number while also watching a bitch in labour.
You can keep monitoring the information you've been using, but once you've established that labour appears to be underway, don't become fixated on repeatedly taking her temperature.
A temperature drop is useful as part of recognising that whelping is approaching. It isn't something you need to chase throughout labour looking for another magic number.
The same applies to all those early signs.
At this point, progression becomes more useful than repeatedly checking whether the original signs are still there.
This happens more often than you'd think. You’ve got some of the signs, her due date is close... but nothing feels particularly convincing. If timing really matters, this is one of the situations where we may discuss reverse progesterone testing with you.
Progesterone falls sharply around the time a bitch reaches term, so testing can give us another piece of information alongside her dates, behaviour and other signs.
It isn't about replacing observation with one magic blood result.
It's about building a clearer picture when you need one.
If you're approaching your girl's due date and you're unsure whether testing would be useful, message us and we'll talk through whether it's appropriate for your situation.
Panting can be part of Stage One labour.
So can pacing, nesting, trembling and generally behaving as though she has absolutely no idea what she wants to do with herself.
This is why understanding Stage One beforehand is so useful.
If nobody has explained what this period can look like, several hours of panting and unsettled behaviour can feel like something is going terribly wrong.
Knowing what can be normal doesn't mean ignoring your instincts or dismissing concerning changes.
It means you're less likely to panic simply because labour doesn't look how you imagined it would.
This is the change you're waiting for.
During Stage One, uterine contractions are happening internally without the obvious abdominal pushing you'd associate with delivering a puppy. As she moves into Stage Two, you'll start to see visible abdominal contractions and active straining....
Things have now changed. We’re no longer simply watching a bitch preparing to give birth. We're moving towards puppy number one.
And that's where your next set of questions will begin.
Please don't wait for a problem before deciding what you'll do if one occurs!
Before whelping starts, you should know:
If your girl seems significantly unwell, distressed or weak, you see concerning discharge or bleeding, she is actively straining without producing a puppy, or you're simply concerned that something isn't right, contact your vet promptly.
Calcium is one of those things we'd rather you have in your whelping kit before you need it.
We don't recommend routinely supplementing calcium during pregnancy. But, that certainly doesn't mean you should wait until she is in labour to get it ordered - as you'll already be too late! Once your girl has progressed into active labour and is pushing her pups out, that's when calcium support becomes relevant. Calcium has an important role in normal muscle contraction, including uterine contractions.
We recommend
Canine Nutrition Coach's Whelp Wise Calcium, as it's natural (not full of nasties, like alot of others!) and can be given really easily, either in capsules or the powder mixed into liquids or food - giving you loads of flexibility (which is exactly what you need, when you don't know if your girl will be eating, or not!). This recommended Calcium can be bought individually or as part of their Whelping Bundle.
Please, please, please don't say we didn't warn you - and leave it too late to get it ordered!
My blog can help you understand what 'normal labour' is usually like. But I can't see the girl sat in front of you!
I can explain Stage One to you now and it probably all sounds perfectly manageable.
It's rather different when it's 2am. You've had no sleep. She's panting. She keeps changing beds... You can't remember whether she last went outside 20 minutes ago or two hours ago.
...And every noise she makes causes you to sit bolt upright.
That’s exactly why I offer private, 1:1 Puppy Natal Classes. We'll spend half a day together, in the comfort of your own home, before her due date to help you understand what to expect before you're trying to make decisions in the middle of it, help you prepare for labour, whelping and those inevitable moments where you find yourself thinking: “Is this normal?”. The cost is ~£250 (depending on location) and includes your girl's puppy progress scan too!
So you've got some babies due soon and want to find out more about how I can help, just pop us a message.
Once you can see those proper abdominal contractions and active straining, you're entering the next stage. And that deserves its own guide - which we'll share with you soon. Because now we need to talk about what actually happens when puppies are born:
We'll cover all of that separately in our guide to what actually happens during the birth.
For now, if she's in Stage One, your job isn't to hurry her.
Keep things calm. Keep watching her. Be prepared. And know where you're getting help if you need it.
If you're reading this because your girl's due date is approaching but you're not actually sure how to even spot if she's in labour, start with Part One: How Will I Know When My Girl Is in Labour?
Our Puppy Natal Classes start from £250 and are designed to help you understand what to expect through labour and whelping before you're experiencing it for real.
If your litter is approaching, get in touch and we'll talk through the support available to you.
📞 Whatsapp or Call us on 07725 139183
Our desire is to work within a world
where our expertise makes a difference.
