Determining if your dog is pregnant or not can be somehow challenging, especially for the new owner or the inexperienced breeder. Many things need to be considered when trying to count the odds. Most likely if your dog was at her most fertile time of her heat (the estrus) and if a tie with the male was witnessed it is very likely she is pregnant.

The estrus phase therefore, is the crucial phase, it usually occurs between the 7th and 10th day after the bleeding has started. This is the time you will be looking for if you are hoping your dog is pregnant.

Early pregnancy signs may be hard to be detected especially by an inexperienced owner. Some dogs may become slightly inappetent in the first weeks just as women get morning sickness. A slight decrease of activity may also be seen as the bitch goes through all the hormonal changes. Nipple growth as well is an early sign, the nipples will appear slightly larger.

Your vet may palpate your dog's abdomen as early as 28 days post breeding. However, an ultrasound may be a more accurate test, actually this test may even help determine how many puppies your bitch is expecting.

However, a relaxin pregnancy test can be available nowadays to those owners eager to find out if the dog is pregnant or not. This test can be done as early as 20 days after the luteininzing hormonal surge.

The test requires a blood sample from your dog and this can be challenging for some owners. You must have a centrifuge to separate the plasma because the plasma needs to be tested.

If this is not an option you can have the vet take care of this part for you for a small fee. He can both draw the blood and have it spun for you. Once the plasma is obtained you can finish up the test yourself.

This kit is especially good for breeders since there are 5 tests in the kit. This test is also great for distinguishing real pregnancy from pseudo pregnancy. Results are fast, it only takes about 10 minutes.

The kit is available online for those who would like to test at home but if you do not have the equipment then you can have the test done totally at the vet's office.