How long is a bitch pregnant for?

A normal pregnancy lasts ca 63 days.

An ultrasound is recommended around 28 days after mating. A pregnancy diagnosis can then be made, however, the number of puppies cannot be accurately counted. This is due to anatomical reasons, but also because some foetuses may be resorbed later on in the pregnancy. X-rays can also diagnose pregnancy, but this is not done until day 43 when the puppies’ skeleton has calcified. The number of puppies is much easier to count on X-ray than on ultrasound.