This is about an incident in October 2021 that I wrote about at the time but never published here.
I’ve been walking Clara every day in my neighborhood now since April [2021]. Now, recall that as a feral puppy she was introduced to the presence of humans other than me very gradually. We met with my trainer frequently at an outdoor mall where we could control distance well. Clara was a tough case. It was a slow process, but she got to where she could walk through crowds of people happily, as long as no one tried to interact with her, and I could either prevent that or move away.
One-year-old Clara at the outskirts of the mall(2012)
At the mall, Clara was exposed to way more varieties of humans than many “normal” dogs see in their lifetimes. She has remained blasé about assistive equipment, hats, sunglasses, things being carried, big families, toddlers, children, kids riding on their dads’ shoulders, big hair, flowing garments, uniforms, people on ladders and roofs, people doing construction work, bicycles and scooters, people moving fast—all that. Which is great.
On our walks in the neighborhood, she has retained that indifference to a very wide range of humans. They predict a treat from me if she wants it, but otherwise can be ignored. Recently we walked by a man who was practicing with his fly fishing rod in his front yard! That was fine.
Social distancing is great, since she is good with strange people, even if they look at her, as close as about eight feet. So I can even stop to chat with someone if I need to.
Today, though, she finally saw someone she didn’t like.
There was a small, old man dressed all in black jogging clothes. He walked unsteadily. He was smack in the middle of the street, and he was obviously (to me) looking at his front yard from different angles. So he was neither “walking with purpose,” a behavior Clara recognizes, or “standing around,” either alone or with a group, which is another familiar behavior. Or jogging, or sitting, or working in his yard. He was stopping and starting (unsteadily) and peering. We were between one and two houses away when Clara saw him. I already was paying close attention to both him and her since it would be hard to get by him at a comfortable distance.
“Grrrrr,” said Clara. This dog who virtually never growls.
I initiated an immediate U-turn and we went a different way. Yes, I likely negatively reinforced the growl. This vanishingly rare response from her was so much better than any escalating behaviors would have been.
I thought it was interesting that this would be the one person in months she would be bothered by, and maybe the only person she has ever growled at as an adult. And at that distance!
It took us a while to find someone whose looks and behavior fell outside Clara’s very wide knowledge of what “normal humans” in the mid-southern U.S. do, but we found him! I wish I could have taken a picture.
Clara on a walk in May 2024
Back to 2024. I walked with Clara virtually every day from April 2021 until her last evening on earth in late September 2024. She never growled at a human again.
Her walk became the favorite part of her day. None of that would have happened without the excellent training she had as a youngster. But she took that firm foundation and grew into an amazing dog. I’m so proud of her. And I think fondly about the moment when a human finally stepped so far out of bounds. It took a lot to get that response out of her!
What’s the weirdest thing your dog has encountered, whether or not they reacted to it?
First in A Series on Goodnewsforpets.com: AI in Veterinary Medicine
Editor’s Note: Jonathan Lustgarten, MS, PhD, VMD, CSPO, is the Director of AI and Machine Learning for Mars Veterinary Health and a past president of the Association for Veterinary Informatics. He lectures frequently at veterinary meetings and is a leading expert in the use of AI in veterinary medicine. Goodnewsforpets.com Editor and Publisher Lea-Ann Germinder sat down with him at VMX 2025 to discuss AI’s impact, challenges, and future in veterinary medicine. With a focus on responsible AI implementation, Dr. Lustgarten provides insights into where the technology is headed and what veterinarians should consider as AI tools continue to evolve to improve pet healthcare and veterinary medicine.
Dr. Lustgarten, AI has been a major topic in veterinary medicine. What do you think is the biggest challenge in properly implementing AI?
The biggest challenge isn’t necessarily just the technology—it’s the operational aspect of integrating AI correctly. Veterinarians are already juggling a lot, and while AI can make tasks faster in theory, it often requires an upfront investment of time and effort. There’s also a misconception that AI always improves efficiency, but when generative AI misses the mark, it can take longer to correct errors than if a veterinarian had done it manually.
For example, voice-to-text applications are gaining popularity, but they still pose accuracy issues. The real test of efficiency isn’t just whether AI saves time, but whether it produces accurate, reliable results consistently. AI also needs to be transparent so veterinarians can understand how AI produced the output.
Is generative AI the only AI used in the veterinary clinic or are there other types of AI used?
Generative AI tools such as ChatGPT is not the only tool in the veterinary clinic, but it often overshadows other forms of AI. There’s a lot of valuable AI technology in the veterinary clinic that isn’t generative that is used in diagnostics for example.
Non-generative AI, that is AI that is used to predict discrete states or things, has the distinct advantage of easily identifying (and correcting) if it is wrong. You know if it predicts the pet will get renal disease, and it does not, that the AI was incorrect. Generative AI is more nuanced as you can have an output that is close but may not capture the full story or complexity of what was said or done. Is this then a “good” or “correct” output is much harder to evaluate and improve on except by the tincture of time.
Where do you see AI making the biggest impact right now in veterinary medicine?
Right now, we’re seeing the most progress in administrative AI—things like appointment scheduling, answering basic pet health questions, and prescription management. These areas benefit from automation because they’re routine and structured. However, when it comes to direct medical decision-making, we’re further away from AI playing a dominant role. One of the biggest barriers is that veterinary medicine lacks the volume of structured data that human medicine has and the money to make the data structured when it is not, making AI training more challenging.
AI hallucinations, or incorrect outputs, have been a big concern. How do they affect veterinary applications?
This is a critical issue. AI systems sometimes fabricate information with great confidence, which can be dangerous in a medical setting. We’ve seen cases where AI systems in human medicine made up patient histories, and that kind of risk extends to veterinary AI. If veterinarians don’t double-check AI-generated content, errors could easily make their way into medical records, potentially leading to incorrect treatments. That’s why education and responsible AI practices are so important.
What about data privacy? How secure are these AI systems for veterinary practices?
Security is a big concern, especially when it comes to how AI companies handle data. Many AI providers claim to be HIPAA-compliant, but that mainly refers to access control, not necessarily to how they use the data internally. Some agreements allow AI companies to use uploaded data to improve their models. Veterinarians need to be aware of what they’re agreeing to when they use these systems and avoid entering personally identifiable information (PII) into free AI platforms.
What advice would you give veterinarians looking to evaluate AI tools for their practice?
First, always test AI tools yourself before committing to them. Don’t just rely on a demo video—request a trial period and use the AI on complex cases, not just simple ones. If an AI company cannot provide examples of mistakes their system has made and how they corrected them, that’s a red flag. Every AI system will make errors, and transparency about those errors is key.
AI regulation in veterinary medicine is still evolving. How does this compare to human medicine?
Human medicine has far more established frameworks for AI oversight, with professionals trained in biomedical informatics and regulatory pathways for AI-powered medical devices. Veterinary medicine doesn’t yet have equivalent structures, so we’re seeing a lot of AI tools being introduced without formal vetting. That can lead to problems down the line, as regulations will eventually catch up. My concern is that if AI adoption happens too quickly without proper oversight, we could see significant failures that impact patient care, and it can detract from or stop future development, which is akin to what happened to machine learning in human medicine in the early ‘00s.
Given the rapid changes in AI, where do you think we’ll be in veterinary medicine in five to ten years?
I believe we’ll see a shift toward AI as an assistive technology rather than a replacement for human expertise. Think of AI in cars—people trust lane-keeping assist, but they don’t want to give up control completely. The same will be true in veterinary medicine. AI will be an invaluable assistant, helping veterinarians recall medical histories, organize data, and improve workflow, but it won’t replace human decision-making.
We must ask your view on the debate on when we will see artificial general intelligence (AGI)?
In terms of artificial general intelligence (AGI), I’m skeptical that we’ll see anything close to human-like intelligence soon. AI excels at pattern recognition, but true intelligence requires reasoning, emotion, and creativity—things that are incredibly difficult to program. What we will see is highly specialized AI that’s exceptionally good at specific tasks but not an all-knowing system that can replace veterinarians. I do think we will have to differentiate between AI intelligence and human intelligence. I believe those two will divide as the technology progresses.
Finally, what should veterinarians do now to prepare for AI’s role in their profession?
Stay informed and engage with AI thoughtfully. Veterinarians should educate themselves on AI’s capabilities and limitations, advocate for responsible AI policies, and demand transparency from AI providers. As AI becomes more prevalent, it will be crucial to balance innovation with ethical considerations to ensure these technologies truly benefit both veterinarians and their patients.
Thank you, Dr. Lustgarten, for your expert insights on AI in veterinary medicine. Stay tuned for more interviews with leading experts on AI and veterinary medicine to improve pet healthcare!
Disclosure: Lea-Ann Germinder conducted this interview in person with Dr. Lustgarten. AI tools were used to record, transcribe, and edit, with Lea-Ann Germinder performing the final oversight and Dr. Lustgarten reviewing for accuracy.
This post may contain affiliate links. We may earn money or products from the companies mentioned in this post.
Canine Parvovirus: It’s the virus that wreaks havoc on a puppy’s gastrointestinal system and a diagnosis every dog owner fears hearing!
What are the chances that a dog with parvo will survive?
Learning that your pup has canine parvovirus is beyond scary—it’s terrifying! When faced with this diagnosis the first question you’d want to ask is, “How do I know if my puppy will survive parvo?”
Disclaimer: We are not veterinarians. If you think your puppy is sick you should consult your veterinarian immediately.
Unfortunately, canine parvovirus in puppies is very common and often fatal. When not diagnosed or treated in time, parvo’s mortality rate is as high as 91%!
Immediate diagnosis and treatment are paramount and will significantly increase your puppy’s chance of surviving parvo.
With aggressive treatment and proper care, your puppy has a good chance of making a full recovery and reaching a ripe old age.
In this article, I will tell you everything you need to know about canine parvovirus. Keep on reading to learn if a puppy can survive parvo, signs that your pup is recovering, and much more.
What Is Parvovirus?
While most dog owners have heard of parvo, only those who’ve cared for an infected puppy truly understand how devastating this virus is.
Parvo has a high mortality rate and is one of the most infectious viruses that affect dogs.
The scary thing is, parvo can survive in the soil for years, and you can pick it up outside and transfer it to your puppy without knowing it!
Your puppy can also contract parvo through direct contact with an infected dog, so be extra vigilant if you are raising sibling puppies.
Another possible scenario of catching parvo is by indirect contact with a contaminated object.
So, every time your puppy goes outside and sniffs or licks doggy poop, there is a chance of exposure if the poop is contaminated.
Furthermore, your puppy can get parvo if they play with an infected dog or puppy, or touch a food bowl, leash, collar, or harness used by an infected dog.
Canine parvovirus is classified as a gastrointestinal disease since it causes the most damage to the stomach and small intestines. This virus destroys cells in the small intestines, which diminishes nutrient absorption.
The most common symptoms of parvovirus are:
Loss of appetite
Fever
Vomiting
Bloody diarrhea
Abdominal pain
Lethargy
If your puppy is experiencing any of these symptoms, don’t waste a second—take them to the veterinarian straight away!
How Do I Know If My Puppy Will Survive Parvo
Most puppies die from parvo within 48 to 72 hours following the onset of the first symptoms. Immediate reaction and treatment are crucial and will significantly improve your puppy’s chance of surviving parvo.
Our third guide dog puppy, Dublin did not catch parvo but one of his siblings did. They got him treatment right away. Unfortunately, Dublin’s sibling succumbed to canine parvovirus. 🙁
What Are The Chances Of My Puppy Surviving Parvo?
The chances of a puppy surviving parvo greatly depend on how soon after initial symptoms your puppy has been diagnosed and treated.
Up to 91% of untreated puppies will die within two to three days after exhibiting the first symptoms of parvo.
Please, don’t try to wait out the virus, thinking your puppy will get better on its own! Parvo is deadly and dangerous because it acts quickly, so you need to be quicker than the virus.
The good news is, with quick reaction and proper veterinary treatment your puppy has a 68–92% survival chance. Furthermore, most puppies that survive the first three to four days make a full recovery.
Quick reaction and veterinary intervention significantly increase your puppy’s chance of getting over parvo. However, your puppy’s chance of surviving parvo also depends on:
1. Time Of Treatment
As mentioned, the time your puppy starts treatment is essential for their survival.
Bear in mind, your puppy will have the best shot at full recovery if they begin treatment in the first 24 to 72 hours of first experiencing symptoms.
If your puppy hasn’t received its complete series of vaccinations and is showing symptoms of parvo, take them to the veterinarian right away.
A young puppy’s immune system isn’t strong enough to fight such a strong infection.
Delaying treatment is never a good idea with parvo. If you ignore the symptoms, thinking your pup will get better, their condition will rapidly deteriorate till the point of no return.
Unfortunately, it’s not uncommon for new owners to mistake vomiting and diarrhea with a tummy ache and blame it on something their puppy ate.
In these cases, the proper diagnosis and treatment are delayed, which can affect the puppy’s chances of survival.
Still, it’s always better to take your puppy to the vet late than never! While a delayed reaction doesn’t automatically mean that your puppy won’t survive, you should be prepared for every possible outcome.
2. Type Of Treatment
Although canine parvovirus is very common, there is still no specific medication designed to kill the virus in infected puppies and dogs.
The treatment for parvo is designed to relieve the puppy’s symptoms, thus giving their immune system a chance to fight off the disease.
Treatment should be started as soon as your puppy is diagnosed, and it primarily consists of intensive care.
Your puppy should receive IV fluids with electrolytes to combat dehydration, medication to combat vomiting and diarrhea, and antibiotics to prevent secondary bacterial infection.
The initial treatment for parvo is aggressive and typically lasts three to four days. With the right type of treatment, you should start noticing signs your puppy is getting over parvo.
Mainly, your puppy’s stool won’t have any blood in it and should start firming up.
Using the wrong type of treatment can jeopardize a puppy’s chance of surviving parvo. Thus, it is very important that you discuss treatment options with your veterinarian.
Depending on the severity of your puppy’s condition and its symptoms, your veterinarian may suggest keeping the puppy hospitalized for the initial treatment.
This is always a good option if you aren’t able to provide at-home care or have other dogs at home.
3. Underlying Health Problems
Underlying health conditions are often overlooked in puppies since most are born completely healthy.
However, puppies from pet stores and puppy mills are often born sick and may have more than one undiagnosed health problem.
Unfortunately, puppies with underlying health issues have lower chances of surviving parvo.
The puppy’s immune system is already stretched too thin and isn’t equipped to fight on two fronts. In these cases, a puppy’s health will rapidly deteriorate and its body will start to shut down.
4. Severity Of The Symptoms
Figuring out the chances of your puppy surviving parvo often comes down to the severity of their symptoms.
If your puppy is no longer vomiting and shows some signs of appetite, these are clear signs that they are responding well to the treatment.
However, if two or three days have passed and your puppy is continuing to throw up and still has bloody diarrhea, know that things aren’t looking good.
This is the time to talk with your veterinarian and discuss the course of treatment.
If your puppy isn’t responding well to the initial treatment plan, your veterinarian may suggest a blood plasma transfusion.
This is generally only done in severe cases, and it’s a good indicator that your puppy isn’t doing well.
Even if your veterinarian does everything right, there is still a chance that your puppy won’t survive parvo.
The near-death signs of parvo include severe lethargy, continuous bloody diarrhea, anorexia, and bloody vomiting.
You may not want to admit it to yourself, but this is the point of no return. So consider doing a humane thing by putting your puppy to sleep.
While saying goodbye to your puppy will be extremely hard, take comfort in knowing they are no longer in pain and that you did everything you could to help.
What Are The Signs Your Puppy Is Getting Over Parvo?
How Do I Know If My Puppy Will Survive Parvo?
Parvo is a terrible disease, but with a fast reaction and aggressive treatment, your puppy can be on the road to recovery just in a few days. There are several signs that can let you know your puppy is getting over parvo.
Seeing these signs in your puppy means they are reacting well to the treatment and that their body is fighting the infection. The most common signs your puppy is getting over parvo include:
1. Your Puppy Stops Vomiting
The canine parvovirus causes small intestines to bleed, thus affecting the entire gastrointestinal system.
As a result, a sick puppy will start to vomit, which can lead to dehydration. A dehydrated puppy will try to drink water to stay hydrated, but will automatically vomit any solid food or water that is consumed.
The vomiting can become so bad that at some point you may find blood in your puppy’s vomit or foamy yellow bile.
Bearing this in mind, one of the first signs that your puppy is recovering from parvo is the lack of persistent vomiting. Furthermore, you will notice that your pup is no longer drooling or foaming at the mouth.
2. Puppy Stops Pooping Bloody Diarrhea
Persistent bloody diarrhea is one of the telltale signs of parvo. Besides the blood, your puppy’s stool will have a distinctive strong odor.
So when you notice that your puppy’s poop is firming up and that there are no traces of blood in it, that’s a clear sign that your pup is getting better.
As your pup continues to recover from parvo, its stool will regain its normal color and consistency.
A firmer and blood-free stool is a good indicator that there is no bleeding in your pup’s intestines and that they are recovering.
3. Your Puppy Starts Eating Normally
With the onset of the first symptoms of parvo, puppies tend to lose their appetite. As a result, your puppy will lose weight rapidly, but its belly might appear bloated.
As your puppy starts to recover, they will regain their natural appetite and start eating as before catching parvo. When you notice that your puppy is willing to eat, know this is a sure sign that they are healing.
At this point, your pup will be able to hold down any food and water it consumes, and will slowly start to regain the lost weight.
Bear in mind, puppies recovering from parvo will need to eat easily digestible, bland food that won’t irritate their stomachs.
Your veterinarian will suggest an appropriate dietary plan and you should follow their instructions to the letter.
4. Increased Activity
Weakness and lethargy are usually the first signs of parvo. As the infection progresses, you may notice that your puppy doesn’t respond to your calls.
Furthermore, depending on the severity of their symptoms, your puppy may not have the energy to move or eat.
Puppies battling parvo will also experience fever, anemia, and even sepsis, which can drain their energy levels even more.
Another sign your puppy is getting over parvo is when they start standing up and moving around without your help. As your puppy gets better, they will have more energy and show interest in toys and playing.
FAQs About A Puppy Surviving Parvo
How Long Does It Take A Puppy To Get Over Parvo?
Most puppies that survive the first three to four days of parvo will make a full recovery. However, the recovery period varies from one puppy to another and depends on the severity of the symptoms and other factors.
It generally takes puppies one week to recover from parvo, but they are still contagious up to 10 days after clinical recovery.
Puppies who’ve survived parvo should be quarantined until they stop carrying the virus in their bodies.
After that point, you should talk with your veterinarian and have your puppy vaccinated before allowing them to interact with other dogs.
What Are The Chances That A Dog With Parvo Will Survive?
Canine parvovirus is a highly contagious and potentially deadly disease if left untreated.
Adult and older dogs who contract parvo have better chances of survival than puppies. The survival rate of dogs treated by a veterinarian is 68–92%.
Dogs and puppies that are diagnosed and treated within 24 to 72 hours following the first symptoms have the best survival rate and in most cases make a full recovery.
Starting treatment as soon as possible is your dog’s best chance of surviving parvo and leading a normal life.
What Are The Stages Of Parvo?
Most dogs that have been exposed to parvovirus will have a three- to five-day incubation period.
During the first stage, most puppies show signs of lethargy and slowing down. Secondary signs of infection include loss of appetite and weight loss followed by vomiting and diarrhea.
As the parvovirus starts to spread in your dog’s body, their symptoms may get much worse, resulting in dehydration.
At this stage, your puppy should already take appropriate treatment including IV fluids that will help keep them hydrated.
If left untreated, the initial stages of parvo will quickly progress, resulting in severe dehydration caused by persistent vomiting and diarrhea.
Additionally, secondary infection can occur as the result of a weakened immune system, which leads to sepsis and death.
What Can I Do To Help My Puppy With Parvo?
The best thing you can do to help your puppy recover from parvo is to take them to a veterinarian as soon as you notice the first symptoms.
Your veterinarian will begin treating your puppy right away with fluid therapy, anti-nausea medication, and antibiotics.
While your puppy is being treated, you will have to try to feed them with a bland and highly digestible diet.
Most puppies won’t have the energy to eat, so you should try bottle-feeding your puppy to help them get valuable nutrients.
Can A Puppy Get Parvo After Their First Shot?
Puppies are vaccinated against parvo when they are approximately six, eight, and 12 weeks old.
Until your puppy receives their full series of parvo vaccines, it can still get infected after coming into contact with a sick dog or contaminated object.
So even if your puppy got their first parvo shot, they can still catch the virus if exposed to it.
Therefore, it’s very important that you keep your puppy away from other dogs and practice good hygiene until they are fully vaccinated.
Additionally, your puppy will need to receive a booster shot a year later, and every three years after that.
Conclusion
Parvo has a high mortality rate, but most puppies make a full recovery thanks to an early diagnosis and aggressive treatment.
But even if you and your veterinarian do everything right, there is a chance that your puppy won’t recover from parvo.
Faced with all these terrible facts, you are probably wondering, how do I know if my puppy will survive parvo?
Puppies treated within the first 72 hours have a 68–92% survival rate
Puppies that survive the first three to four days make a full recovery
Aggressive treatment gives the best results
While canine parvovirus is a common disease in puppies, there is still no cure for this condition.
The best and the only way you can prevent your puppy from catching this deadly virus is vaccination. So don’t wait–take your puppy for a shot today!
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BEST DOG CHEW We Like:Beef Collagen Sticks – All of our pups love to bite, nip, and chew. We love using Collagen Sticks to help divert these unwanted behaviors.
This post is about the tricky concept of the combination of negative and positive reinforcement.
I’ve always wondered about behaviors having more than one consequence. I’ve recently learned more about the possibility, and I’ve found a good example of it with Lewis.
So-called “synthesized reinforcement” occurs when more than one reinforcer is a consequence of the same behavior. This occurrence has been recognized since at least as far back as 1969 (Osborne), but has only been named and systematically studied in the last 10 years. Synthesized reinforcement is noted in functional assessments and used in functional analyses.
Synthesized Reinforcement and Escape to an Appetitive
Lewis’ first harness
Sometimes escape is just about getting away. From the scary monster, the hot stove—you need to move out of proximity now. But sometimes a function of escape is to get to something better. This topic is discussed plenty with humans. Reinforcement in combination like this is called synthesized reinforcement.
Some scientists suggest that synthesized reinforcement is common, that looking for only one contingency in a functional assessment or functional analysis is artificial. Synthesized reinforcement can comprise aversive plus appetitive consequences, multiple aversives, or multiple appetitives. For example, multiple appetitives could be the cause of the extra joy your dog gets when you play with him with the toy, rather than when he plays with the toy by himself. Human examples abound. Think of the many, many ways that entering a stadium for a game is reinforced for a sports fan.
Back to the curious combination of R- plus R+. The classic (if dated) example is waiting until there is a commercial during something you’re watching before getting up to get a snack. You get away from the tedious commercial (escape) and you get access to food (appetitive). Most of us dislike commercials, but we rarely walk away from the screen to do nothing for 30 seconds.
Another example is doing extra work to get some time off from a class. Class isn’t so bad, but hey, a friend will take you waterskiing that day if you get the time off!
Synthesized reinforcement is also the reason it is kind to provide another source of an appetitive when you are performing aversive husbandry activities. This is a lot kinder than just saying, “Hey, my dog can leave if he wants to.” If there is nothing else to do in the room and you control the only source of food, simply leaving is not such a great thing!
So here is my real-life example.
Lewis’ second harness. He’s worried in the photo.
Setting the Scene (the Antecedents)
I walk my dogs individually every single day except in the case of illness or very bad weather. I have always gone in order of seniority, so young Lewis goes last.
In the cooler months, we walk in the late afternoon. While I’m walking with Lewis, my partner fixes the dogs’ suppers. Lewis knows the routine: when he gets home from his walk, his supper will be waiting. Have I mentioned that he is excitable?
In contrast, in the hot months, I walk the dogs much later. It’s near dusk and long after they have eaten their suppers.
The Action: Harness Removal
Lewis is excited to get his harness off (the teal one in the photo below) when his supper is waiting. But the tracking unit on his GPS collar is bulky. That means the harness can catch on the collar if he moves while I’m manipulating the straps. So I set a contingency on harness removal: I don’t remove the harness until he stays still.
A harness we used for a time after Lewis gained some weight.
Our system is that first I unsnap the two buckles. Then he needs to be particularly still while I maneuver the harness over the transmitter on the collar. After I’ve done that, I give his release cue. Lightning fast, he jerks his head all the way out of the harness and dashes to get his supper.
Usually I give my dogs a treat after I put on or take off their harnesses. Having someone fiddle with straps and snaps around your body is not the most fun thing. But in this situation, Lewis is completely uninterested in that one treat; his supper is waiting for him.
I’ve described a whole chain of behaviors and consequences. Lewis’ behaviors include being still, pulling his head out of the harness while backing up, and running toward his supper. I am going to simplify the scenario somewhat. Let’s focus on his “self-removal” of the harness, the escape behavior.
A. Harness is in an uncomfortable position (around his neck, half-on, half-off) B. Lewis wriggles out of harness C. Harness is off (no longer uncomfortable; free to move away)
This is a negative reinforcement scenario. But during part of the year, there is another big consequence available that’s tied to escaping the harness: a whole bowl of food. What effects might that have on Lewis’ harness behavior? I had a great way to find out.
Evidence of Positive Reinforcement
The immediate function of Lewis whipping his head around is to escape the harness. He wouldn’t whip his head on the way to getting his supper otherwise. But in the summer, Lewis’ behavior changes. When I switch to walking the dogs after supper instead of before, his meal is no longer awaiting him after his walk, and he knows that. When his supper isn’t waiting, he does not whip his head out of the harness. He “helps” me get the harness off, but with a mild twist or wiggle, often after a delay. The behavior has changed from “Let me out of here!” to “Meh, I guess I could pull my head back a little bit to help get this harness off.”
So the positive reinforcer (supper) appears to have a large role to play! When it is not present, Lewis does only the minimum to help me remove the harness. The topography of the behavior is different and there is no discretionary effort.
Could I Do Anything Differently with the Harness Removal?
My tentative conclusion is that there is always an element of negative reinforcement with the act of harness removal, at least with the harnesses I use. If I waive the contingency of the dog being still before getting out of the harness, there is still the automatic negative reinforcement of the behavior of wiggling out. And even standing absolutely still could be an escape behavior if they’ve figured out that’s the most efficient way for the harness to come off.
But I recently realized the obvious: Instead of removing his harness when he enters, I can unsnap his leash and leave the harness on. No wrangling! I can wait until after Lewis has eaten his supper and experienced anything else interesting that is going on in the house before I remove his harness.
When I remove the harness after the excitement, there is still an element of automatic negative reinforcement, but there is much less frustration for him. And he accepts my offering of kibble.
Lewis in his “big boy” Hurtta harness. To remove it, I have to unsnap two buckles, then pull it over his head.
The Big Picture
The idea of synthesized reinforcement is a fascinating one, but it’s also annoying. It can dislodge a lot of assumptions. It ruins our hopes, once again, that we live in a neat and binary world. That if we just follow the right formulae, that if we are careful with our functional assessments, we can teach our dogs successful pet behaviors without any presence of aversives. That we can reduce every situation to one contingency, so we know which ones to use and which ones to avoid. That doesn’t always happen for me.
Synthesized reinforcement also doesn’t fit perfectly if we think in terms of contingency tables (“quadrants”), which I still do. Modern behavior analysts categorize behavior more and more by function. Usually there are four to six possible functions identified, depending on your source. You will find behavioral functions listed most often as social, escape, tangible, and sensory (Cooper et al., 2014, p. 511). Lewis’ harness behavior would be described as escape to a tangible (some systems would further specify an edible). The synthesized reinforcement example I listed above, playing with your dog with a toy, adds social reinforcement to access to a tangible.
But I live in the dog training world, and we are still wrestling with contingency tables. If you think I am on my way to promoting R-, you haven’t read much of my stuff. Escape to a tangible is super common in the human world. But in training and other dealings with dogs, what I have seen is that escape contingencies (R-) are mostly implemented by humans in unpleasant ways for dogs. And even what seems to us to be a minor aversive consequence can have fallout. I’ll stick mostly with the contingency way of discussing things for now, while learning more about functional categories.
Living with our dogs, it is very, very hard to avoid R- completely. I accept that R- is present sometimes even though I don’t want it to be. I am committed to being transparent about that. When I required Lewis to be still while I pulled his harness over his head, I was using an R- contingency for safety. But I figured out how to recast that situation by removing his harness after he ate instead of before. Observing tiny aversive moments allows me to practice my analysis, burrow deeply, and pursue my goal of making my dogs’ lives better.
References and Resources
Note: Most of these resources involve the use of ABA with children, either deaf or autistic. Some people may prefer not to check them out. See my statement about ABAon my training philosophy page.
Cooper, J. O., Heron, T. E., & Heward, W. L. (2014). Applied behavior analysis, second edition. Pearson.
Ghaemmaghami, M., Hanley, G. P., Jin, S. C., & Vanselow, N. R. (2016). Affirming control by multiple reinforcers via progressive treatment analysis. Behavioral Interventions, 31(1), 70-86.
Holehan, K. M., Dozier, C. L., Diaz de Villegas, S. C., Jess, R. L., Goddard, K. S., & Foley, E. A. (2020). A comparison of isolated and synthesized contingencies in functional analyses. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 53(3), 1559-1578.
Smith, S. W., Arroyo Antúnez, B. E., DeBartelo, J., Sullivan, W. E., Roane, H. S., & Craig, A. R. (2024). Synthesized alternative reinforcement and resurgence. Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior, 122(2), 195-206.
Osborne, J. G. (1969). Free‐time as a reinforcer in the management of classroom behavior. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 2(2), 113-118.
Your dog is in heat and you notice the stud next door eyeing her up. They are left alone for a few hours and chances are they mated. So how can you tell if your dog is pregnant? There is no missed period, and no mood swings. There is not even a home pregnancy test that dogs can take. Not only do they not make them, but a dog will go through the same hormonal changes whether she is pregnant or not so there is no HCG produced in a dog’s body. So a blood test is out also.
How to tell if a dog is pregnant:
There are signs you can look out for. If your dog’s stomach looks swollen or she looks like she had sudden weight gain and her nipple area seems swollen these are all signs that your dog could be pregnant. The most definitive way of knowing is by going to your vet. Your vet will do an ultrasound to determine if your dog is pregnant.
How long is a dog pregnant:
So what can you expect now that your dog is expecting? For starters it is a quick pregnancy. A dog is only pregnant for anywhere from 60-63 days. Sounds like a dream come true.
Your dog usually will not need any extra nutrients throughout most of her pregnancy. In fact you might find that your dog will lose some of her appetite and vomit a few times in the beginning of her pregnancy. It is just like our morning sickness only it lasts a week or so and it usually comes about 2 to 3 weeks into your dog’s pregnancy.
Take a look at some of our other entries, like this one: Time For Puppy Preschool Part 5: Preparing For Dog Graduation. There you will find some guidance into advanced dog training exercises, keeping your dog motivated, dealing with separation anxiety, and more.
Do Pregnant Dogs Need To Be Fed A Different Diet?
During the last 3 to 4 weeks of pregnancy you might want to increase her food slowly so that by the time she delivers she will be eating only about 25-30% more than she was beforehand. That really is not a lot. Make sure you add this in slowly and try not to overdo it. You do not want your dog gaining too much weight.
A lot of well meaning pet owners start increasing their soon-to-be-a-mommy’s food intake right from the start because they are under the assumption that they need the extra calories to grow their puppies. This is not true at least not for the beginning and middle of the pregnancy. It is only in the last few weeks. The reason why you are going to wait until the end of the pregnancy to increase her food intake is because that is when the puppies really begin to grow. Your dog will need more nutrients and energy to grow these pups. Some vets will recommend you switch her over to a growth/puppy food because it will provide the nutrients for her growing family. Other vets will suggest you put her on a nursing/lactation diet.
It is up to you on how you want to feed her. You may want to feed her two small meals throughout the day. It might be hard to feed her in one feeding because her puppies may be taking up a lot of room and she might not be able to eat it all at once. You might even want to break the rule of not leaving food in your dog’s bowl all day for these last few weeks. It might be beneficial to your dog if you do this, but make sure you are watching what she eats.
Dogs can develop toxemia or eclampsia late in their pregnancy if they do not eat enough or have a poor diet. Again some doctors will give your dog vitamins during pregnancy and others will not. Do not add any vitamins or minerals on your own to your dog’s diet. It can be deadly to both the mom and the pups. Especially calcium which can increase the chance of eclampsia and even a milk fever after birth.
Milk fever is when the mother does not have the ability to move calcium into their milk without taking it from themselves.
Are you more of a cat person? Perhaps this entry is more for you: Owning A Domestic Cat 101: Cat Food And The Health Of Your Feline. Here you will get the basics of cat feeding, figuring out if your cat is overweight, what to expect from a healthy cat, spaying, neuterization, parasites, and more.
Things To Be Cautious About
A pregnant dog can still exercise, in fact it is recommended to keep her on a light exercise program. This will not only keep her muscles tone but it will also help with the weight gain. Just as with humans, obesity in pregnancy can cause some serious complications.
Right before your dog is about to deliver, she will probably stop eating for a day or two. This is one of your first signs that delivery is immediate. You might want to keep some food out for her though, just in case she wants to nibble here and there to keep her strength up.
Once she has given birth and all is well you are going to see a remarkable increase in her appetite. She is nursing after all and lactation brings upon more demands on her body. Expect her nutritional needs to multiple by 3 or 4 times. This does not happen at all once. Expect to see an increase the 20 to 30 days following the birth as the puppies grow and nurse more.
By the time the puppies are a month old, your dog should be eating at least four times of what she did before she was pregnant. Keep an eye on her, if she seems to be getting too thin you can supplement the food more with some flavored canned food. Once 6 to 8 weeks have passed since delivery you should start weaning the pups and getting the mom back to normal.
Is your dog’s barking becoming a problem? Sometimes our dogs’ incessant barking might become a real trouble for our own mental stability as for our neighbors tranquility. It is for the best if we find out why our dog is constantly barking, and learn how to control it.
Getting Back To Normal
To wean puppies you have to help the milk supply dry up. Withhold food and give her half of the water she normally drinks for one day. The next day, give her only a quarter of what she was eating before she got pregnant and half her water. From then on, give her all the water she wants and slowly over the next five days increase her food until she is eating what she was before her pregnancy. By the time she is back on her pre pregnancy food, her milk supply will have dried up and the puppies will have been weaned.
So for a short while she will be fed more than normal, there is no reason to start going crazy with the feeding of your dog when she is pregnant. Keep her on the same schedule until the last month or so of her pregnancy. If you are unsure of when conception took place, your vet should be able to make an estimated guess for you and you can use that as a guideline. Even before your dog gets pregnant you should make sure she is eating a balanced meal and is not overweight.
Spaying of the female dog is undertaken to control the unwanted pregnancy. The spaying of the dog reduces the aggressiveness of the dog. By spaying, one can reduce the incidences of the commonly encountered reproductive diseases like pyometra.
Spaying also helps to control the population in case of stray animals and many nations are doing these operations by removing the ovaries from the female animals. Experienced veterinarians are required to do the spaying in case of female dogs and the postoperative care is to be given more emphasis. If proper control measures are not taken after the surgical operation for the removal of ovary, then the infections may start setting in and the animal may end up in development of peritonitis and then toxemia sets in, causing unwanted health problems. Death of the dog may finally occur, if the dog is not provided an effective and proper veterinary care.
A female dog that is spayed before the occurrence of first heat will have almost a zero chance of development of mammary cancer, which is more common with the dogs that are not spayed.
A female dog generally comes to heat once in eight months or so. During the heat occurrence, there is bleeding from vagina and the dog may cross with the unwanted male and the spaying activity prevents all these. In case of aged dogs, the dog may often get signs of increased thirst, loss of appetite, vomiting etc. that are so common with pyometra.
Pyometra means the presence of pus in the uterus. Once pyometra occurs, it involves many discomforts to the animal in addition to the cost factor involved for the therapy also. Such pyometra is totally prevented by spaying because in the case of spaying, you are removing both ovaries and the uterus.
Ever heard of Coccidia and Giardia? They are nasty intestinal protozoan parasites that are common in young puppies. Vibralife Health Supplement Multivitamin and Natural Dewormer Alternative is packed with all-natural ingredients like reed sedge peat and diatomaceous Earth which work as a team to bind and remove toxins and parasites from your pet.
Surgical Neutering Of The Male Dog
Surgical neutering of the male dog is important in helping the dog owners to control the male dog’s aggressive behavior. Yes. By doing the surgical neutering, it becomes possible to control the dog’s restlessness, which might have caused so much agony for the owner and hence, neutering corrects such activity to the benefit of the dog owner.
When the dog is in the puppy stage, the dog may be subjected to the surgical neutering technique. Hence, the hormonal impact is highly minimized in such male dogs.
The surgical neutering of the male dog helps to prevent the incidences of prostate gland diseases. In canine patients undergoing the surgical neutering, the incidences of prostate enlargement are totally minimized.
Sometimes, the adult male dog has more difficulties during defecation. However, one has to rule out the feed borne constipation like lack of fibers etc. before resorting to the fixation of prostate enlargement as a cause for this. Constipation is mainly due to the increased size of the prostate gland. Neutering makes shrinkage of the prostate gland. In surgical neutering, the incision is placed in front of the scrotum and the testicles are removed in a surgical manner using aseptic techniques.
The wound does not need to be closed except for the tying up of the cord after cutting of the testicle. However, in two to three days after, as a routine tissue reaction, some swelling may occur in the scrotum. Once you administer the antibiotic that has a broader spectrum of activities, the condition gets recovered in a satisfactory condition. Septic shock may occur if the surgical site gets infected with some microbial infections and in these cases, the wound needs a thorough dressing procedure and the patient needs to be continuously monitored in a clinical environment.
Please feel encouraged to say hello – we’ll be happy to help with any questions you might have, and if you’d like to comment on our site, products or service, we’d love to hear from you!
Posted on: October 17th, 2024 @ 2:33 pm, By
Kim Leary
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Just a few short days ago, on February 20th, we celebrated Love Your Pet Day and the official 25th Anniversary of Goodnewsforpets.com. The launch of Goodnewsforpets.com was in the pressroom at Viticus Group’s Western Veterinary Conference (WVC) in Las Vegas, and now we continue our celebration with a visit next week to the conference that helped us begin our journey of covering good news about veterinary medicine and pet news.
We have been privileged to interview many leaders in veterinary medicine and the pet space. I’m thrilled to share this latest guest interview with Jonathan Lustgarten, MS, PhD, VMD, CSPO, who speaks about the challenges and opportunities of implementing AI in veterinary medicine. As Dr. Lustgarten points out, AI in veterinary medicine is not new; for example, in radiology. But generative AI has created a hyped up conversation about AI in all aspects of life, including veterinary medicine. He is helping to educate veterinarians on what to look for now and what the future holds. I met him at last year’s VMX and was delighted to get an update from him at VMX 2025. This will be the first in a series of interviews with veterinary leaders working to bring responsible AI to veterinary medicine to improve the workflows in the clinic, the well-being of the veterinary healthcare team, and most important of all, the health and healthcare of our beloved pets.
As I noted in my last blog post in 2000, the world was buzzing about the rise of the Internet. Fast-forward 25 years, and the buzz is all about AI. For several years, I have focused on doctoral research on responsible AI. My research has focused on how strategic communicators use AI responsibly, and now I’m turning to organizational use, specifically in veterinary medicine.
What does responsible AI mean in veterinary medicine? What are AI’s benefits to pet owners? There is much to discuss. We’ve started with Dr. Lustgarten’s interview, and I look forward to diving in and reporting back—along with other news in veterinary medicine.
If you are reading this now and going to WVC, I look forward to reflecting on the many memories of the past 25 years of Goodnewsforpets.com coverage, catching up on your news, and, most of all, covering the news of how AI is transforming veterinary medicine. It’s good to be 25!
Lewis panting from fear after hearing nearby heavy equipment
Something sad and difficult is happening with Lewis: clinical sound phobia. He is suffering. Three months from the onset and diagnosis, he is doing much better with the help of medications, but we have a long way to go. I want to share, for others who are going through this or might in the future, what the recent months have been like for us.
Sudden Fireworks Phobia
Lewis joined my family in December 2021, and in the next few years we had many thunderstorms and at least eight noisy holidays. I live in a capital city, so we get shows with booming fireworks. Lewis didn’t show fear during these events (with one exception under unusual circumstances). He was happy to accept food after noises, though. Due to long experience with sound reactive dogs, I always deliver good snacks for fireworks and thunderclaps. But if Lewis built up some good associations from that, they weren’t enough.
On January 1, 2025, when the New Year’s fireworks started, Lewis started panting and trembling and seeking comfort. He was in extreme distress. I had no meds for him. We toughed it out with food, when he would take it, and he finally slept, exhausted. I made plans to see the vet.
About a week later, a snowstorm started that lasted a few days, a rarity here. We hadn’t been to the vet yet. Lewis has enjoyed the snow in the past. But at around 7:30 PM the first night, we were out in the yard, and a neighbor close by set off some firecrackers. This video shows the result.
Video shows Lewis standing with his paw raised, trembling, panting, startling to quiet noises, with dilated pupils and extreme tension in his facial muscles.
Lewis not only panicked at the time, but he became afraid to go into the yard, especially at night. During the duration of the snow, he wouldn’t go outside in the evening at all, so sometimes didn’t eliminate for up to 18 hours at a time. And his sound triggers quickly generalized.
I phoned the vet, and we started prescription medications as soon as the streets were clear enough that I could pick them up. I won’t describe the whole meds experience, but many of you know it can take much longer than we wish to get a med or combination that works for a dog. When you get it, it’s priceless, a game changer. But the vet and I are still working on it for Lewis. Writing this in April, he is much, much improved. But he is not his old self.
I also had him checked thoroughly for pain (Lopes Fagundes et al., 2018) by two vets. I’ll keep on top of that. It’s worth noting that he was in the age group where genetic sound phobia typically kicks in, according to Dr. Karen Overall (2013, p. 257).
We kept having bad luck. In February, the city water department excavated the next-door neighbor’s driveway. First, a jackhammer. Then an excavator scraping up pavement and dumping it, booming, into a truck. And of course the truck made backup beeping noises. A new level of trauma unlocked for Lewis. The work started every morning at 8 AM and lasted all day. This went on for four days one week, then two more the next week. Lewis would rarely go outside and was hyper-vigilant when he did so. Indoors got poisoned, too, as he associated the scary noises with being at home. When inside, he’d ask to be taken somewhere by car. He’d stand next to the cabinet where I keep his leash and harness or try to get into the garage when I went out. Or he would simply ask repeatedly to go in another room if doors were closed. I let him, but of course it didn’t help, since there’s no escaping sounds of that amplitude and frequency.
There was a sweet spot around dusk after the workers left and before the still-scary nighttime. Sometimes he’d do his only eliminating for the whole day during that time. Sometimes I had to take him to another neighborhood to get him to go.
Lewis standing by the cabinet where I keep his leash, asking to leave the house
Thunderstorms, Too
Lewis was also terrified the next time we had a thunderstorm, and from then on. In my sound webinars, I talk from an acoustic point of view about the difficulty/impossibility of preventing dogs from hearing thunder. This has been brought home to me anew: how desperate we get, as owners, for something, anything, to block that sound. But in almost all cases, you just can’t. When a thunderclap can shake your house, it’s ludicrous to think that an insulated doghouse, a closet, or even earmuffs can make that sound inaudible. This is why owners of sound phobic and other fearful dogs are so easily exploited by companies that sell products with false promises. When we want to relieve our suffering friends; we will try anything.
I also talk about the problems with satiation when using food for ad hoc counterconditioning. This is a big problem for us. In Arkansas, we have storms that go on for hours. We recently had such a day. We knew it was coming. I had about two cups of chicken ready in bite-sized pieces. The first thunder came at 5:30 PM. I had medicated Lewis ahead of time, but he was still reacting. Not as severely as in the video above, but still upset and frightened. I gave him a piece of chicken for every thunderclap for more than 60 minutes, but after that, I had to slow down. It was just too much food.
If you have studied Pavlovian conditioning, you know that it’s important to establish a 1:1 association between the conditioned stimulus (in this case, thunder) and the unconditioned stimulus (food). The clearer the association, the better the transfer of the response you get to the originally-scary thing. But you can’t do it cleanly with thunder. There are some horrible challenges related to satiation. First, which thunderclaps “count”? You start off treating for each one, as we know we should do. Then you realize that if you continue to do that, and include the quieter ones, you will be feeding nonstop. So you try to make some acoustic threshold in your mind’s ear, and just treat for “the loud ones.” But this breaks the pairing. And is there really some magic line for the dog between scary and “OK, I’m not quite panicking” thunderclaps? Even if there is, how do we find it?
The second problem is the duration itself. I mentioned in my example that the thunder started at 5:30 PM. As of 1:30 AM the next morning, eight hours later, there hadn’t been a period of even 10 minutes when there wasn’t audible thunder. Then we had two more days of thunderstorms.
It could help if I could start to ask for a behavior and give him something to do instead of waiting for inconsistently paired food. After hours and days of storms, I was giving “consolation chicken,” since all hope of a consistent pairing was down the drain. But moving to a behavior will have to happen later; he’s too upset.
Lewis waiting by a door trying to escape the thunder (it wouldn’t work, but I let him through anyway)
Training and Husbandry Got More Difficult
I mentioned that Lewis’ triggers generalized fast. A door slam, a twig falling on the roof, a human getting the hiccups (really!), the unexpected clink of some metal pieces in a box, the excavation, cars revving—all scare him badly. There are still few days without triggers. In the video above, you can see how sensitized he is; he twitches at least twice in response to background noises.
Lewis is already a challenge with handling and husbandry. I still trim his nails by giving him frozen peanut butter on a LickiMat and clipping as fast as I can. That’s where we are with nail trims after three years, even though I’ve taught cooperative foot handling to five other dogs. Last fall, Marge Rogers started coaching me on getting him relaxed and being handled. That was coming along nicely until the sound phobia kicked in.
The handling practice is on hiatus since he’s too sensitive for much training. But he also gets upset if I do his nails the old way, whereas before, he didn’t care for the handling but didn’t seem to mind the actual clipping.
A similar thing happened with Clara, even though she was such an easier dog than Lewis. She was relaxing through Dremeling at three years old, but then she got Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever. She was in pain. I made the mistake of trimming her nails during this period and it was very hard on her. Although she was always cooperative, we never got our relaxed nail trimming back again, for her whole life.
Looking Back and Looking Forward
Each dog teaches me new things. I wish, for Lewis’ sake, he didn’t have to be teaching me about this.
Lewis’ condition is like Zani’s in that he is convinced that if he could leave the house (out the front, not the back), he could escape the triggers. I wish it were so! And both have/had a more severe response to their trigger sounds than Summer, who was afraid of thunder, but probably not phobic. Ad hoc counterconditioning helped Summer immensely. After Zani was stabilized on meds, structured desensitization and counterconditioning helped her to an amazing recovery. But her triggers had acoustic aspects that made them much more amenable to successful DS/CC.
Lewis has the toughest situation, with clinical phobia to thunder and fireworks that quickly generalized to many other sudden sounds and even objects associated with them. For instance, because one time some metal pieces settled in a box on the coffee table and made a “clink,” we have to be careful about cardboard boxes now.
Medications (ongoing and situational) and ad hoc counterconditioning have both helped. Lewis also profits from physical and verbal comfort. His first response when a sound scares him is to creep over to me or my partner. He often buries his head between my knees. He has access to places to hide, but isn’t interested. After his initial response, he wants to stay in sight of his humans, but not usually cuddly close. I can tell how upset he is by observing which location he chooses in the den.
I use sound masking to manage the acoustic environment. It can make such a big difference, and especially helped during the neighborhood excavation. Because of that, I figured out a trick for masking that may help some of you. I’ll publish that in a separate post.
Here’s an antidote to all the sad photos. We are still managing to have some fun during this adjustment and recovery period. I will keep you posted.
Related Posts and Resources
References
Lopes Fagundes, A. L., Hewison, L., McPeake, K. J., Zulch, H., & Mills, D. S. (2018). Noise sensitivities in dogs: an exploration of signs in dogs with and without musculoskeletal pain using qualitative content analysis. Frontiers in Veterinary Science, 5, 17.
Overall, K. (2013). Manual of Clinical Behavioral Medicine for Dogs and Cats. Elsevier Health Sciences.
This post may contain affiliate links. We may earn money or products from the companies mentioned in this post.
Are you in the process of breeding your dog, or do you already have a pregnant dog at home?
Whatever may be the case, you’ll need all information about the canine gestation period and what to expect. A week-by-week dog pregnancy calendar is an essential tool that will help you stay informed of what is happening in all stages of your dog’s pregnancy.
While having a new litter is super exciting, it’s completely natural to feel a bit anxious about caring for a pregnant dog! Luckily, dogs are very self-sufficient and know how to handle pregnancy and give birth on their own. However, you should know what to expect and be prepared to help in case of an emergency.
The average length of canine pregnancy is 63 days, but depending on the breed, dogs can be pregnant from 58 to 68 days. Compared to people, dogs are pregnant for a very short time, so you need to know in advance what to expect to support a healthy pregnancy.
QUICK TIP: Start preparing early for your newborn puppies. They most definitely can come earlier than expected as was the case with 3 out of 4 of Raven’s litters (the 4th litter was 1 day late). Check out our whelping checklist for supplies you might need for whelping a litter of pups.
Below, you will find a comprehensive guide through all nine weeks of canine pregnancy, from the moment your dog conceives to the actual delivery.
A Week-By-Week Dog Pregnancy Calendar
Whether you are trying to get your dog pregnant or you already have a pregnant dog at home, congratulations! Caring about a pregnant dog and raising the puppies are the most exciting things you are going to experience as a pet owner. With the help of a canine gestation calendar, you’ll be able to track your dog’s pregnancy week by week and be prepared for a due date.
Week One
Within the first seven days, after the mating has taken place, ovulation and fertilization happen. During this process, the fertilized eggs will travel down from the uterus to get implanted into the uterine wall. Knowing when your dog is ovulating can help you create an accurate canine pregnancy calendar and predict your dog’s due date.
Bear in mind, that ovulation is necessary for successful breeding, but it can be hard to determine whether your dog is ovulating or not. However, you can track your dog’s heat cycle to confirm ovulation.
Most dogs don’t show any signs they are pregnant this early on, but pregnancy will create hormonal changes within your dog’s body. While you won’t notice any physical change, some dogs may experience morning sickness. However, this is fairly rare, and most dogs don’t behave or appear any differently.
At this stage, you should continue to feed the best dog food and exercise, and play with your dog the same as before she became pregnant. Furthermore, there is no need to include any nutritional supplements at this point, unless your vet says otherwise.
Week Two
During the second week of your dog’s pregnancy, the developing embryos slowly start to grow. At this point, the embryos are still very small and don’t need many calories for normal growth and development. Therefore, you can continue feeding your dog the same as before and don’t have to change her diet in any way.
From this point on, you should measure your dog regularly and keep a close eye on her weight. Your dog’s weight should remain the same or increase by no more than 10 percent until the end of the fifth week of pregnancy. However, if your dog starts to lose weight, the puppies may be in danger, so call your vet right away and take your dog for a checkup.
These are still the early days of the pregnancy, so you can continue exercising and playing with your dog as you did before. Furthermore, you don’t have to make any changes to your dog’s grooming and bathing routine just yet. There is also no need to add any nutritional supplements at this point if none were prescribed by your vet.
Week Three
During the third week of your dog’s pregnancy, the embryos will start to take root inside the lining of the uterus. Inside this protective membrane, they will receive all the nutrients necessary for proper growth and development. At this stage, the puppies are less than one centimeter long, so you won’t notice any significant change in your dog’s overall appearance.
You should continue to feed and exercise your dog as before, and you still don’t have to change any aspects of your dog’s regular routine. However, some dogs start to have a bigger appetite around this time, so monitor your dog for an increase.
If your dog seems more ravenous than before, you can increase her portion sizes a bit, to satisfy the needs of the growing puppies. Note, that it’s too early to make any major changes in your dog’s diet at this point. So, if your dog seems hungrier than usual, a slight increase in food won’t hurt, but don’t exaggerate.
Week Four
The fourth week of the dog gestation calendar is the time when things really start to happen! At this time, an experienced breeder or a vet will be able to confirm the pregnancy by gently palpating your dog’s abdomen. Please leave this up to experts as you could injure your unborn puppies if you don’t know what you’re doing.
Furthermore, your vet will also be able to do an ultrasound, so you can get a rough idea of how many puppies your dog will have.
Therefore, you should take your dog to the vet by the middle of the fourth week, even if she looks completely healthy. Besides checking the mom and telling you what to expect in terms of litter size, your vet will also be able to spot any developmental deformities in the puppies.
By the end of the fourth week, the puppies will grow to around one and a half centimeters long. Their faces will start to take shape, and they will also start to develop eyes and a spine. And since the fourth week is one of the most formative stages of the pregnancy, the puppies are at the highest risk of sustaining developmental abnormalities.
At this stage of your dog’s pregnancy, you should start to limit rough play and strenuous activities that can put puppies at risk. While you shouldn’t stop exercising your dog altogether, you will have to be extra careful. So instead of taking your dog for a morning run, opt for a long walk and avoid high-intensity exercises.
Now is also the time to talk with the vet about your dog’s changing dietary needs. Your vet may suggest supplements that will support your dog’s delicate state and recommend different foods.
Week Five
By the fifth week, embryogenesis—the first stage of gestation—ends and the second one begins. At this time, puppies start to form organs and gain weight quickly, and are from now on called fetuses. The good news is that, from this point on, the puppies are less prone to sustaining any developmental issues.
During this week, puppies start to develop individual toes and their claws and whiskers also start to grow. They will also develop their male and female organs, so your vet will be able to tell you the genders of the puppies with an ultrasound.
At this stage of the pregnancy, the puppies will start to put on weight more quickly, so your dog will start to gain weight considerably as well. Consequently, you will need to start feeding your dog more and adjust her diet accordingly. Instead of two main meals, start feeding several smaller meals to your dog.
Depending on your dog’s current diet, now might be the time to change her food to one specially formulated for pregnant dogs. If you have any doubts or questions regarding your dog’s food, consult your vet. Your vet will be able to tell you how much food she needs at this stage of pregnancy and might even recommend the best food for pregnant dogs.
Week Six
During the sixth week of your dog’s pregnancy, the growth and development of the puppies start to speed up. At this point, the puppies will get their distinctive features and their bones and skeleton start to become solid.
This is the time when your dog’s belly will become larger and her pregnancy will become apparent to everyone. If you haven’t changed her diet till this stage, you will have to do it now. Start feeding your dog with high-quality dog food formulated for pregnant dogs, to avoid nutrition and calorie deficiency.
Some dogs have a decreased appetite during this stage, due to the discomfort caused by the pregnancy. However, your dog will need a lot of calories from the food to support the still-growing puppies. If your dog experiences a decrease in appetite, start feeding several smaller meals or leave food and encourage free feeding.
At this time, you should also consult your vet and see if your dog’s diet should be supplemented in any way.
Week Seven
Seven weeks into the pregnancy, the puppies will start to develop hair and their bones will solidify even more. At this point, your dog may start to shed hair from her belly as she is getting ready for the big day. If this happens, don’t be alarmed—this is normal behavior for dogs as they prepare to give birth.
The seventh week of a dog pregnancy calendar should be marked as the time you start preparing for the birth of your new puppies. This is the best time to set a whelping area for your dog! Choose a quiet place away from foot traffic, where your dog will feel safe and comfortable bringing her new puppies into the world.
Keep in mind, that your dog will be inside her nursery a few weeks after she gives birth, so choose a room you won’t have to use anytime soon. The designated birthing area must be warm and easy to clean. If you don’t plan on breeding your dog often, you can use a simple cardboard box and blankets as a whelping box.
Week Eight
By the eighth week, the puppies’ skeletons should be formed completely. At this time, your vet can do an x-ray to confirm the exact size of the litter. However, this procedure may be too invasive and it’s really up to you and your vet to decide whether it’s necessary or not.
From this point on, your dog can go into labor at any time, so make sure that everything is prepared. Now is your time to make any final adjustments to the whelping area and to see if you have everything you need.
By the end of the eighth week, your dog will begin lactating, which is a clear sign that she’ll go into labor soon. Most dogs start lactating a week before labor, thus giving you a good guess of when the puppies will be born.
To make your dog more comfortable during whelping, you may consider trimming the hair around her nipples and rear quarters. This will keep the mess at a minimum and make the birthing and nursing process a lot easier for your dog.
Week Nine
At this point, your dog might start whelping at any time, so be ready to welcome the new puppies. Your dog will start nesting in her whelping box and might become restless and anxious as she prepares for birth.
You can start measuring your dog’s temperature if she allows it, since a drop of 1.8°F means that the labor will start soon. However, don’t do this if it will stress your dog out or make her uncomfortable in any way.
And once your dog goes into labor, try not to show any signs of stress and just be there to provide comfort and support. Remember, most dogs know what to do and can manage everything on their own. To put your mind at ease, you can notify your vet that your dog started whelping and have him on standby in case your dog needs any help.
Dog Pregnancy Calendar – All Stages Of Dog Pregnancy
FAQs About Canine Gestation Calendar
When Should A Dog Start Showing If Pregnant?
Most dogs will have a noticeably larger belly approximately 40 days into the pregnancy. At this point, it will become clear to everyone that the dog is pregnant. From this point onward, a dog’s belly will continue to grow daily until the time of whelping.
We didn’t start seeing obvious pregnancy signs with Raven’s first litter until the final week before delivery.
How Do You Calculate A Dog’s Due Date?
The average due date of a dog’s pregnancy is 63 days after mating, but this can vary by several days. In most cases, a dog pregnancy lasts between eight to nine weeks. If you know when your dog mated, you can easily calculate her due date and use a dog pregnancy tracker to mark all stages of pregnancy.
Can A Dog Be Pregnant For Three Months?
A healthy pregnancy in dogs ranges from 58 to 68 days with an average of 63 days. So if everything is as it should be, your dog will give birth to puppies within the first week of the third month. If you want to know your dog’s expected due date, you should record the exact day of the mating and get ready to welcome the new litter.
How Long Is A Dog’s Pregnancy?
A dog’s gestation period, on average, lasts for 63 days and is measured from the day the dog ovulates till the day she gives birth. However, depending on the breed, a dog’s pregnancy can last from 58 to 68 days. It’s completely normal for some dogs to give birth a few days earlier than the average 63 days and for others to be a few days late.
Can A Dog Give Birth At 54 Days?
Dogs can whelp 54 days into the pregnancy, but this is considered an early delivery. Dogs who carry too many puppies for their size go into early labor, but unfortunately, these puppies rarely survive. On day 54, puppies still don’t have a sucking instinct and rarely survive without adequate veterinary care.
If you suspect that your dog is showing signs of going into labor earlier than the expected due date, call your vet for advice. You should make all the necessary preparations for an early delivery to be on the safe side. And if your dog starts to give birth early or shows signs of distress during delivery, call your vet right away.
Conclusion
Whether your dog is already pregnant or you are planning to breed her, the dog gestation calendar can help you estimate your dog’s due date. A healthy canine pregnancy can last from 58 to 68 days, but the average delivery date is 63 days after mating. The most important stages of a dog’s pregnancy are:
In the fourth week – a vet will be able to confirm the pregnancy with an ultrasound
In the seventh week – start preparing a whelping box for your dog
In the ninth week – your dog can go into labor at any time
Knowing what happens through all stages of canine pregnancy will help you understand the needs of a pregnant dog and her growing puppies. And with the help of a dog pregnancy tracker, you’ll know exactly what to expect when your dog is expecting!
Have you ever had a pregnant dog?
Did you keep a dog pregnancy calendar to help track your dog’s pregnancy milestones?
Tell us about your experiences in the comment section below.
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Dog Pregnancy Calendar – Stages Week-By-Week
UPDATE: This post was originally published on July 24th, 2022. We periodically update blog posts with new experiences and information to keep them as relevant as possible.
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BEST DOG CHEW We Like:Beef Collagen Sticks – All of our pups love to bite, nip, and chew. We love using Collagen Sticks to help divert these unwanted behaviors.
Viticus Group Expanding to Nashville: WVC Nashville Set to Debut August 16-18, 2026
— Plus New National Veterinary Continuing Education Conference & Training Facility in Music City Planned To Launch Summer 2026 —
Viticus Group, a nonprofit and leading provider of innovative veterinary and human healthcare education worldwide, is thrilled to announce its expansion to Nashville, TN. The expansion signifies a pivotal moment in the organization’s nearly 100-year history, adding WVC Nashville, a new veterinary continuing education conference on a national level, and a state-of- the-art hands-on education center in a vibrant and accessible location. WVC Nashville is scheduled for Aug. 16 to 18, 2026 at Music City Center and the new training facility is scheduled to be fully operational in the summer 2026 (subject to change). The 2027 dates are August 22-24, 2027.
Andrea Davis, Chief Executive Officer Viticus Group
“Our expansion to Nashville marks a significant milestone for both the veterinary and human healthcare industries,” said Andrea Davis, chief executive officer, Viticus Group. “For nearly a century, we’ve been at the forefront of hands-on training and education from our home base in Las Vegas. Now, with this new location, we’re broadening our reach – creating even more opportunities for professionals to advance their skills, build their confidence and shape the future of their practice. We are here to stay with the Vegas lights and look forward to the Nashville sights!”
With its flagship WVC Annual Conference continuing in Las Vegas, Viticus Group remains dedicated to providing unmatched continuing education while building its second home in Nashville. The new facility will be a cutting-edge bioskills training center designed to provide advanced hands-on education for veterinary and human health professionals. In addition, the upcoming conference, the first new national veterinary continuing education conference in more than 40 years, will introduce an experience that will match the energy and level of continuing education that WVC participants expect, expanding Viticus Group’s legacy of delivering premier continuing education and networking opportunities. Specifically, with the concentration of veterinary professionals in the geographic areas near Nashville, the accessible and centrally located city provided a logical choice to create an additional home for Viticus Group.
To stay updated on Viticus Group expansion plans, visit viticusgroup.org and join the Alert List.
Source: WVC News release
Check out our guest interview with Dr. Anthony Pease, Viticus Group Chief Medical Offer, for more!
