[newmommy]

here is some info you might find usefull
"Begin taking her temperature rectally twice a day.
The normal dog temperature is about 100.3F - 101.3F.
It will normally drop to about 98. degrees F 8 - 24 hours before the onset of labour and she will refuse to eat or drink anything.
"
'The day her temperature drops, she will refuse food and drink.
This is normal.
Her instinct is telling her that she needs to 'fast' before the big event.

It would be good to put a plain buckle collar on her - you may need it later on.
Remove your rings if they have raised settings and make sure your nails are trimmed short, cleaned and filed smooth.

In the first stage, she will rest a lot and occasionally go out to urinate and defecate.
As the time passes, she will get more restless and begin paying a lot of attention to her vulva - cleaning it frequently.
You will be able to feel the contractions if you lay your palm on her side.
They will first occur about every 10 minutes and will last about 30 seconds.
They are not hurting her, but she will need to go out more often to pass her urine and her bowel movements will get quite loose.


The Delivery
She will progress into the second stage - where you can actually see the contractions.
They occur about every 8 - 10 minutes. These are not the "pushing" contractions, but she may begin panting.

At this point, you should move her to the whelping box that has the old sheets, papers and towels ready for her to make her 'nest'.
She will pant and be obviously apprehensive.
She may begin tearing up the bedding and paper, getting up and lying down frequently.
She will want comfort from you and will be obviously reassured by your presence.

The contractions will become longer in duration and get closer to-gether.
When she is almost at the next stage, the contractions will be occurring about every minute and lasting almost the whole minute.

The 3rd stage - the actual whelping stage - is immediately preceded by her tail lifting with each contraction.
She may cry with pain and will be obviously worried and apprehensive.
She will have one contraction after the other.

You must reassure her that all is well and that you are there to comfort her.
Just before the delivery, the first puppy can be felt as a hard bulge in the space between the rectal opening and the vagina.
You'll then have a squirt of water - it may be blood-streaked or green-tinged but is most often quite clear - come out of the vagina.
This is a lubricating fluid that precedes the pup which will then be expelled.

The pup may emerge slowly, with each contraction or it may 'shoot' out quickly.

Very often the first puppy is a "breech" presentation and is often a large sized one which makes the first delivery difficult for her.

If it is a prolonged delivery it would be helpful for you to grasp the part of the exposed body to keep it from going back up into the bitch, until the birthing is complete. "