I hope that you got to Debbie Jensens site. But my best advice to you is get some dollars on hand to pay for what can and very may well go wrong - or be prepared to lose your pups and your dam.


Yorkies should not be allowed to chew the cord themselves. You need to do it for them.


I wish you your gal and those future pups much luck

I pray the best for your little girl as she becomes a mother. Good Luck!

Birth is a natural occurrence. Most dogs know exactly what to do when the time comes. Unless your dog is extremely small, most likely all you will need to do is sit back and make sure she is not in any distress. Yorkies are a small breed and they do not have all of the same difficulties some dogs with huge heads like bulldogs have during labor. Its best to give her space. If she is not cleaning the pups and properly severing the cords then you may need to step in or if there is a pup stuck halfway in. I have a lot of experience in whelping much larger dogs where you have to worry about the mom accidentally squishing the pups with their enormous weight but that is not as much of an issue with small breeds like yorkies. Just read up on emergency scenarios, know the signs of distress and know when to call the vet or make that trip but most likely tour dog will be fine. We treat out dogs like babies the the fact is they are animals with instincts that usually kick in when needed.

True, birthing is a natural occurrence, but consider, why over the centuries humans have migrated in a very large majority to birthing in hospitals or birthing facilities SAFETY! Yorkies are domesticated - they are not wild animals any more. They don't forage for food or learn defensive skills to,protect themselves any more.

I think all of the things that many here are trying to tell the OP is about that safety factor that we have built into our and our Yorkie baby's lives.

We all wish the OP and her baby the very best!

True, you must always prepare for the worst but for the most part dogs do not need to spend a few days in the maternity ward to give birth. Too much human interference can be catalyst for the mother to reject her pups or in extreme cases, eat them. I have heard of that happening many times when mother dogs become nervous because they don't feel safe. Also, a lot of mother dogs will straight up BITE YOU if you try to help with their newborns, no matter how sweet they have been towards you their whole lives. I learned that the hard way. its best to have your emergency numbers on hand, towels, antiseptic, gloves, surgical scissors etc. on hand and be ready to go.


The vet office is a stressful place for most dogs and then having them have to leave home give birth there with all the unfamiliar smells, and sounds, and other animals barking and coming in and out seems like it would be way too stressful for a dog, let alone a new mom. I think that option should be saved as an extreme emergency scenario.

This is not true. Yorkies are known to need help. Also if to many placentas are eaten it will cause diarrah. Sometimes the dogs are to small to even have the puppies and need a csection. Small dogs are a lot different then big dogs.

Some dogs of every breed need help, especially for the first birth, however, follow the dog's lead and know the signs of distress, otherwise its best to back off. just be prepared to take the dog to the animal hospital in an emergency and be sure to have an after hours back-up plan with an emergency 24hrs animal clinic if feasible(be warned, they are sometimes more expensive then your regular vet)


As far as the eating of the placentas goes, Dogs don't always deliver a placenta directly after every birth, sometimes thy deliver several all at once after the birth or two or three in globs sporadically so you may not be able to catch them in time. The dog may also bite you if you try to take them way. or the most part, the worse that will happen is diarrhea for a day or so after but in all honesty, Many females will develop loose tools before birth and keep them for a while after from cleaning up after the pups.


Good mothers generally clean up after the pups and keep the whelping area as clean as possible for about 3 weeks. Early on, pups have to be physically stimulated to do #'s 1&2, the mom will lick their tummies and nether regions to do that and eat what comes out.


***Also, hopefully you can catch the birth, from my experience, dogs tend to give birth in he wee hours for some reason. Its important that the moms temp is monitored regularly toward the end of the gestation, look for a temp drop to I think below 100 degrees, "nesting" (piling up clothes, hiding in closets, etc) an sometimes he will whine and be a bit clingy immediately before birth. The vulva will often swell ad there may b a discharge.****

Never heard from the breeders on here talk about the mother dogs biting them........ A person should not just sit back because the dog shoukd not be left to take care of the umbilical cords. It's also important to get weights of the pups.

Yes that can happen - mothers nipping their owners. Especially first time Moms and first time breeders.


The risk goes up if the breeder is too tense and nervous, and your dam is also highly strung.


All the Yorkie breeders I know do assist the dam with the whelping including cutting the cord.


For large dog breeders we usually have a whelping box with guard rails around the inside to help Mama not sit on pups - and then there is us too, who usually watch n assist to move a vulnerable pup out of the way of Mama.

Perhaps they have been lucky or did not choose to share that. Are you a breeder with experience? Do you have anything to add other then second-hand info. maybe you should just link this person to the "experts" that you know of and let them help her. I am trying to HELP the OP prepare herself for what MIGHT happen. I do not know her dog or it's temperament/training. She does not claim to be a "reputable breeder" with experience and she seems anxious and afraid. I never said she should leave the dog truly alone just watch her and see if she is doing what needs to be done, if not, then she should prepare herself to step in. She can weigh the pups after the mom finishes whelping. It is important to make sure that the weights are going up and not down.

Definitely, these pups are coming and this poor person does not need to be scared, this is the time to prepare and be calm, relaxed, and passing that energy on to the new momma. Most of my experience is with Rotties over a hundred pounds, the whelping box is a must and until the pups can really squirm and move away they need consistent monitoring to make sure they are not in a position to get squished and to make sure that all the pups are getting a fair share and supplementing the struggling pups if need be. That advice is good for all breeds though.


She just needs to be ready to assist and guide not transform into an emergency O.B.G.Y.N. if momma will let her clip and tie off the cords then she can do that with sterilized utensils of course, but if the mom objects to it and is actually doing it herself adequately, there is no need to force the issue. Sometimes you have to wait for that first bathroom/water/food break to take care of business and tidy up. Its all about keeping the pups safe and the momma happy and healthy.

And I think you are wrong. She needs to be hands on and cut umbilical cords and such.

There is a much higher risk of hernias if the breeder just let's the dog take care of it. Breeding is very serious so there is reason to be scared even more so when you don't know what your doing.

Hernias typically happen when the mom chews the cord too close to the belly and pulls too hard or sometimes they just happen naturally whether you cut the cord or not, there is a chance that the opening just will not close properly. If all goes well and the dog allows her to step in and clip the cord/tie it off, then there is no harm in doing so as long as she uses sterile supplies. I had a pup who had a naturally occurring hernia, it closed up on its own before the 4 month mark where we would have had to have surgery.


If she is unsure how to do it there are several options available, books, she can consult with an experienced breeder, or vet, and if all else fails, YouTube has amazing videos of births and great step by step tutorials on how to handle a lot of the problems that might arise safely.