To determine if your dog is pregnant, you can pay attention to physical changes

Starting from 2-3 weeks after pregnancy, the nipples will become pinker, more swollen and more prominent than usual. The dog's body shape usually doesn't change until the 4th to 5th week. The waist will become thicker and the belly will gradually protrude.
In the last three weeks of a dog’s pregnancy, that is, between the 6th and 9th weeks, the dog’s belly will become round and bulging. Breasts also become swollen due to mammary gland development. At this time, the dog is ready to nurse.
During the last three weeks of a dog’s pregnancy, you can see wriggling movements on both sides of the dog’s abdomen. This is the result of the activity of the dog baby in the womb. If you place your palm gently on it, you may feel fetal movement.
Don’t be disappointed if you feel nothing. Because the puppies are all deep in the mother dog’s abdomen, and they are all wrapped in water bladders. So it’s basically impossible to actually touch the puppy.

To determine whether a dog is pregnant, you can pay attention to behavioral changes

The changes we are talking about do not mean very big changes. Every dog ​​reacts differently to pregnancy. Some may become quieter and tire easily. Most behavioral abnormalities in dogs do not appear until the last three weeks of pregnancy, and there are usually no changes before this time. In the last three weeks of pregnancy, your dog's belly protrudes and it becomes harder to move around, so he will sleep more than usual. In the final stages of pregnancy, your dog's uterus becomes larger and larger, taking up a large portion of the abdominal cavity. Therefore, it is impossible to eat a large amount at one time, and the appetite will be affected accordingly. In other words it might be eating less, but more often.
When delivery is approaching, in order to make a warm, comfortable and safe nest for the baby, the dog may drag something like a blanket or cloth into a hidden corner. Therefore, you should pay attention to the dog's nest-making behavior. 2-3 days or even 2-3 weeks before birth are the possible times for dogs to make a nest.

It is best to check and diagnose a dog’s pregnancy

1. The veterinarian can feel the dog’s uterus and fetus inside by direct touch. This is usually done by gently stroking the dog's belly with your hand. The best diagnostic time for this touch method is the 28th to 35th day after pregnancy. Before this, the fetus is still too small to be easily noticed. After that, it is easy to be confused with food in the intestines and the like.
2. From the sixth week of pregnancy, veterinarians can use a stethoscope to monitor the heartbeat of the baby dog. But it's far more difficult than listening to the heartbeat of a baby in your belly. Because the dog has thick fur and its belly is round, it is not easy for the stethoscope to completely stick to it.
3. Blood test can be said to be the most accurate diagnostic method. The purpose of the blood test is to see if your dog’s blood contains a pregnancy hormone called relaxin.
4. Ultrasound. A skilled sonographer can detect a baby in a dog's belly starting on the 16th day of pregnancy.