Our new dog from a rescue shelter is pregnant – she came to us that way and although we don’t want puppies and won’t be keeping any, we now have to prepare for the big day and subsequent weeks of puppy-cuteness.
I’ve had dogs my whole life but never had any give birth – it will be a new experience for me and a learning experience for the BooziKids.
She seems determined to nest on the carpet in the family room vs. the box we built for her in an uncarpeted part of the house. Expecting a big mess in a week or so!
Real quickly, a couple of important points about puppies.
They need to stay with Mom for a minimum of 8 weeks, possibly more (for some breeds 12 weeks is recommended), to learn doggy social skillz.
They need to experience many new things while they are still puppies in order to grow up well-socialized in human society and without fears. Although I can’t claim personal experience with using it, some folks recommend the Rule of Sevens of socializing pups. I’ve even seen it argued that some vets say the risk of death a not-fully-inoculated puppy faces from parvo by being taken out to new places is enough lower than the risk of death from being euthanized for behavioral issues, fear, and nervousness as an adult that one should take them out for some experiences (obviously not to contact with large numbers of other dogs) even before inoculations are finished. But I am not a vet and take no position on that.
I have seen nervous, poorly socialized adult dogs though, and it’s worth avoiding.