The Negative Effects That Can Influence A Pregnant Dog

Puppy-mills or registered individual breeders who keep pregnant female dogs in cramped or upsetting environments risk causing her to whelp offspring with significantly reduced brain capacities. Studies showed that pregnant females deliberately disturbed by sounds and other sudden stimuli, and made "nervous" during pregnancy, whelped puppies with significantly decreased brain cell densities. The surviving puppies developed into what was described as "extremely nervous." This is the latest canine research that was have found on the subject of emotional distress during pregnancy and its effects on offspring.

A pregnant dog should enjoy the opportunity to move about and engage in normal canine and/or human social relationships. Close confinement, social isolation, or excessive noise or activity can induce stress that may result in puppies with physiologic or behavioral abnormalities.

In addition to the freedom to engage in normal social conditions, the female dog also needs the opportunity to retire to a quiet, undisturbed area as whelping approaches. A partially enclosed whelping box about 1 1/2  times as wide as the female dog's length should be placed in a room always accessible to her. If this is done during the first 3-4 weeks of pregnancy, it largely eliminates the risk of the her selecting an inappropriate area, such as a closet, for the whelp.

To increase the appeal of the whelping box, a den-like atmosphere can be provided by overturning a large cardboard carton on the box, with an entry cut large enough to allow her access without having to crouch to enter. This temporary setup is easily removed for cleaning, and discarded after birth of the puppies. Some breed Physiology and Behaviorists believe that placing the female's water bowl in the whelping room and feeding her there help curtail the prewhelping "searching" behavior displayed by some female dogs.

Many successful breeders report that the floor of the whelping box is best lined by carpet, such as a remnant obtained from a carpet store. However, it is important to ensure that the carpet and its backing contain no toxic chemicals. The carpet floor of the whelping box is comfortable and gives the puppies early experience with one of the materials they will encounter in their new homes.