Whelping Checklist

The night before whelp is not the time to discover you forgot the bulb syringe, or that your puppy scale is in a box in the garage. Most whelping checklists you find online are bare item lists that assume you already know what each item is for. This one explains why every supply matters, organized by category and timing so you can prep in stages starting at week 6 of pregnancy.

The checklist covers everything from the whelping box setup to emergency supplies, with a final pre-whelp check the day before the dam is due. Each item carries a parenthetical note explaining its purpose, so first-time breeders learn the protocol from the document itself.

What the document does:

It walks the breeder through eleven sections of preparation across the weeks leading up to a whelp, then collapses to a single day-before final check that catches anything that slipped through. It's a working document, not a reference list. Print one copy per litter, check items off as you acquire them, and keep the printed copy in the whelping area as both a checklist and a reference card during the whelp itself.

What is included:

• 11 sections organizing 75-plus items by category and timing
• Litter information header capturing dam, sire, breeding date, expected whelp date, and emergency vet contact
• Whelping area setup, whelping supplies, monitoring and measurement, puppy support supplies, dam care supplies, emergency supplies, and documentation readiness
• Day-before final check that catches the items you forgot during the rest of pregnancy, including reminders about charging your phone, clearing your schedule, and eating and sleeping
• Notes section for breed-specific or litter-specific considerations
• Pre-whelp sign-off fields for the breeder and any backup help

Format and how it works:

Word version for digital editing and a PDF version for printing. Print one copy per litter. Check off items as you acquire them across the weeks leading up to the whelp. Most breeders keep the printed copy in the whelping area and use the embedded explanations as a quick reference if a backup helper has a question during the whelp.

Why this version is different:

Most whelping checklists on the internet are scraped and rewritten generic lists. I built this one from what actually gets used in real whelping operations. Every item earned its place by being needed in an actual whelp. The parenthetical explanations matter because they are how a backup helper learns the protocol on the fly when you need them to grab something fast.

Who this is for:

For breeders preparing for an upcoming whelp who want a real prep system rather than improvising from memory. Especially valuable for first-time breeders or breeders adding a new breed to their program. Pairs naturally with the Whelping Log and the Puppy Weight Tracker, which it references in the documentation readiness section.

Get the checklist on its own, or open the bundle for the full litter system at the kit price.