rottweilers in labour

Question
hi how do you tell when your dogs in labour ? thanx

Answer
Most bitches refuse to eat before they go into labor, and they usually have a temperature drop 24 hours beforehand. As labor approaches, most of them get very restless and try to find a "den" (or your bed!) to whelp in, and start panting. Once labor is underway, waterbags will begin to break and you will be able to see contractions.

A handful are not so obvious and a delivery can sneak up on you quite suddenly. I've had two that did that to me. One I was expecting, but she was sleeping on her back in my bed as I read the Sunday paper when I noticed that her back feet pushing on me were actually her having contractions, and I barely got her into the whelping box in time, and the other one gave absolutely no indication until she dropped her first puppy in the hallway three days early. (First litters for both of those bitches...)

Karen