Should I take my pregnant dog for walks?
In the early stages of a dogs pregnancy, the dog should behave as normal. The main changes will be the fact she is no longer be in heat. This means the symptoms of a female dog in heat will disappear and they will appear to be more content and even-natured. They will return to their regular exercise schedule which will depend on various factors. This includes their breed, health and personality.
You will need to walk a dog as per usual at the beginning of their pregnancy. However, as the gestation progresses, their energy levels will lessen. This means they will not want to exercise and be as active as before. Importantly, their energy needs dont lessen. In fact, they increase.
After the 4th week, you will need to give your dog more food so they can cope with the needs of the fetuses. They will exercise less to expend less energy, in turn providing more energy for the young.
If a dog is often sedentary, they may be at risk of obesity. For this reason, we need to be careful. We need to offer the pregnant dog walks to ensure they still get out. The dog should let us know when they are tired, but we shouldnt push them. While walking is encouraged, we should not promote strenuous exercise late in the pregnancy.
Knowing when to stop exercising your dog is important. While every dog is an individual, most dogs will be able to play with other dogs and run off-leash up to 8 weeks of pregnancy. Its exercise time will slowly reduce as the end of these 8 weeks approaches. Dont push them and be observant if there are any symptoms of pregnancy complications.
After this 8 week period, you will notice the dog becomes more fatigued, moves slower and they become heavier. For this reason, you need to stop actively exercising them. You will also progressively reduce the length and time of their walks.
After two months of pregnancy, we recommend you take your dog for 4 to 5 walks a day. While this sounds like a lot, the walks should only be short periods of 5 to 10 minutes. You will need to keep an eye on their rhythm, their tiredness levels and any other signs. Never force them to go on a walk. This series of short, but regular walks will help keep the dog healthy and avoid problems during their pregnancy.
How to Tell if Your Dog is Pregnant
A dog pregnancy isn’t always planned, and due to their relatively short gestation periods (about 56-70 days), some pet owners might not even know their dog is pregnant until they’re about to give birth! If you notice any of these signs of pregnancy in your unspayed dog, its time to take her to the vet:
Most of these signs of dog pregnancy can also be signs of illness, so even if you don’t think your dog is pregnant, it’s important to have any marked change in activity level, appetite, behavior, or appearance checked out by your vet.
Feeding and nutrition during your dog’s pregnancy
If you’re wondering what to feed a pregnant dog, you’re not alone – most dog owners ask this question! It’s important to know that basic adult-formula dog food wont provide the extra nutrients they need during pregnancy, so you’ll need to make some diet changes to help your pet get what they needs from their food.
Slowly switch your dog back to a high-quality puppy formula just before mating, introducing her slowly over a period of 7-10 days to avoid upsetting their stomach. Your dog should stay on this new formula until after they have given given birth, and the puppies have been weaned.
What you should feed your dog will also depend on the body condition and any medical problems that they may currently have or has had in the past, so make sure you check with your vet before changing the food.
For more details on what to feed a pregnant dog, visit feeding during pregnancy.
When caring for a pregnant dog, regular walks will help keep up their strength, so your dog is primed and ready for the arrival of the little ones! Avoid any intensive training, showing, or even obedience schooling though during pregnancy as this can be stressful, and bumps or knocks to the body from boisterous dogs could hurt the unborn puppies.
Walking is a great way to help expectant mums keep fit, which will make her much more capable of handling labour and birth. Try to keep walks shorter but more regular during her pregnancy, as mum will most likely become a bit uncomfortable and tired as her pregnancy goes on. Aim for three to five short walks a day.
Can I walk my pregnant dog?
During your dog’s pregnancy you need to take extra special care of your dog. However, that doesn’t mean you can’t walk them at all. They will still require exercise to keep their health (and that of their puppies) at optimum levels. But it needs to be the right type of exercise at the right frequency, whilst not overlooking their wellbeing.
Can you walk a pregnant dog? It is ok to walk a pregnant dog. In the early stages of pregnancy, you can walk your dog as normal. Near the end of the first half of the pregnancy (4 to 6 weeks), limit any strenuous activity. For the latter half of pregnancy, limit their exercise to shorter, gentler walks to overexert them.
When I was a teenager, our family dog became pregnant. I remember by parents being very overwhelmed and stressed because at that time, there wasn’t a lot of reliable information available, aside from talking to your vet of course.
Back in the day I had to visit the local library to find out whether it was ok to walk a pregnant dog, if they can jump around, and whether or not there were any exercises they can do. The biggest concern was whether walking a pregnant dog can induce labor.
What I learned about walking our pregnant dog really worked at the time. What follows is that advice, mixed with some more up to date guidance that has come to the fore over the last decade.