When a dog is about to give birth, she will become restless, repeatedly change position, pant heavily, and paw at her bedding. Labor may lastup to 24 hours and is typically divided into three stages:
1) Stage one: During this stage, the dog's cervix begins to dilate and she may experience contractions. She may appear uncomfortable and restless, and may lick herfor several hours, sometimes even up to a day. During the first stage of labor, the dog's cervix will begin to dilate, and she may start to have mild contractions. As the contractions become stronger, the dog will enter the second stage of labor, where she will begin to push.
With continued contractions and pushing, the puppy should begin to emerge with its water sac intact. If the sac does not break on its own, the mother will usually break it with her teeth. Once the puppy is born, the mother will clean it by licking it to remove the birth sac and stimulate its breathing. The placenta will follow shortly afterward.
The process will repeat itself with each puppy being delivered one by one after the previous one has been cleaned by the mother. The mother dog will continue to lick and care for her puppies and stimulate them to nurse. The entire birthing process can last several hours to a day or more.