What should I expect/prepare for if my dog becomes pregnant?

(04-02-2013, 07:18 PM)trishgl Wrote: Thank you both for the advice and tips. I am worried though about separating her from her pups after a couple of months. Obviously I can't keep all the pups so I am thinking of giving a couple away. My worry is won't it affect my dog emotionally or psychologically? It seems cruel to let her have pups and then take them from her. I am probably humanizing my pet too much as my neighbor tells me but I do worry. Any thoughts?

Yes, you are humanizing them a little too much. Dogs don't exactly work as a family. They do so in packs. This is why mother dogs do not discriminate babies of different mothers or species. If you do plan to give the puppies away, let them stay with their mom for at least 8 weeks as this is where pack socialization is taught by their mom. Also, this is when they learn of bite inhibition and other dog signals.

I do hope you'll have your dog spayed after this pregnancy. Finding homes for the first pups might not be a chore yet but it will become difficult eventually- especially since dogs experience going in heat two to three times a year. And no owner wants to lose their dog to the evil C. Spaying reduces their proneness to breast cancer by 50%.