How Long Is A Dog Pregnant?

Pregnancy in dogs typically lasts about 63 days or two months. This is much shorter than the average human pregnancy, which can last anywhere from 38 to 42 weeks! If you are new to breeding, it’s important that you know how long a dog goes into heat for and then how long its gestation period will be. It may surprise you to learn that every female dog has an estrus cycle! The length of this varies greatly depending on age, breed type, size and even nutrition levels. On average though most bitches go through their first estrus at around six months old but some breeds have been documented as early as three months old while others never experience one until they reach sexual maturity between 18-36 months of age.

If your dog goes into heat early it is important that you do not breed the animal until its second estrus. The first time a female dog ovulates she can become pregnant but her eggs may be immature and unable to fertilize, resulting in an empty uterus or what’s known as “a silent heat” (this condition will require veterinary intervention).

It would be wise to wait until the second estrus. This way neither of these problems will arise and both eggs and sperm are ready for conception!

When deciding when is the best time to get pregnant with your own pet, there are several factors that will affect gestation length including age at which she was bred (if at all), size of her litter (one or multiple) as well as nutrition levels during pregnancy. The older an animal gets before breeding for the first time, generally speaking their litters tend to be healthier because they have higher nutritional stores than younger mothers who may still be growing themselves. On average though smaller breeds tend to carry their pups longer than larger ones so if you have a breed that tends to be on the smaller side, you may want to choose an earlier date.

Here's a video from @DoctorLindsay with even more great info!