How to Move Newborn Pups From Outside to Inside

Dogs usually give birth indoors, where their puppies can be safe and warm. In the event that your dog whelps outside, you will have to move the litter inside to give the pups a temperature-controlled environment. According to PetEducation.com, newborn puppies cannot regulate their own temperature, so keeping them warm is critically important for their survival. Move the puppies inside as soon as you can, and maintain a temperature of between 90 and 95 degrees around their box or crate for their first week of life.

Things You'll Need

  • Box
  • Newspapers
  • 1 or 2 hot water bottles
  • Towels
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Instructions

    • 1

      Line a cardboard or plastic box with newspapers. Newborn pups can suffocate in blankets or sheets, and newspapers are the safest alternative, according to Sherry Woodard of Best Friends Animal Society. Use a box large enough to hold all the puppies comfortably.

    • 2

      Wrap a hot water bottle in a towel, and place it against one wall of the box. If you have a large litter and one heat source will not be enough to warm the whole box, put a second wrapped bottle against the opposite wall. Use a thick towel or wrap the bottles in several layers, so the heat sources cannot burn the puppies.

    • 3

      Transfer each puppy from the nest to the box. Talk calmly to the mother dog to soothe her while you move her pups. Carry the box indoors, walking as smoothly as you can.

    • 4

      Talk to a veterinarian about whether it is safe to leave puppies of this breed with their mother. If so, the puppies can get the temperature control they need from their mother's body heat. If not, set up a nest for them indoors, with heat lamps or hot water bottles just outside the nest to keep the puppies warm.