How to Take Care of a Pregnant Pug

Pugs are called "a lot of dog in a small space," according to the American Kennel Club. These dense little dogs have big personalities and outgoing dispositions. It's no surprise that people form lifelong dedications to the breed. If you've decided to breed your pug to get more bundles of joy, there are a couple of very important guidelines you'll need to follow to make the pregnancy and delivery as easy as possible.

Things You'll Need

  • Dog food
  • Whelping box
  • Blankets
  • Scissors
  • Iodine/Hydrogen peroxide

Instructions

    • 1

      Prepare your timeline. A pug's gestation is 58 to 65 days. It's important to keep an eye on the calendar so you know when to start watching the dog for signs of labor.

    • 2

      Switch your pug to a highly nutritious dog food immediately. This is important for the health of your pug and her developing babies. Increase the amount you feed her, as she is now eating for her entire litter.

    • 3

      Monitor the development of the babies by taking the dog to your vet for a checkup and following the vet's instructions on watching for development.

    • 4

      Prepare a birthing spot for your pug in advance. She should have a whelping box--a cardboard box big enough for her and the babies--in which to give birth. Put blankets in the box for her; as her delivery draws near, she'll arrange them to her liking.

    • 5

      Prepare the supplies you'll need: clean cloths, scissors and iodine or hydrogen peroxide for cleaning the babies. You'll need to have these at hand when labor starts.

    • 6

      Monitor your pug for impending delivery when she draws near the end of her gestation. She will become restless and clingy before she begins labor and will being "nesting" in her whelping box.

    • 7

      Recognize labor: obvious movements in the pug's abdomen and a habit of walking around while looking at her tail. Put your pug in her isolated birthing area at this point. Her water will break, and the first amniotic sac should appear under her tail within an hour. Once each pup is born, the pug should free them from the sac, bite off the umbilical cord and clean the baby. Be prepared to take over these responsibilities if she does not.