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During my time spent working at an animal hospital, I have came across different types of owners when it comes to dealing with a possible dog pregnancy. There are those concerned owners that worry their bitch may be pregnant after escaping from their yard and returning home two hours later and then on the opposite side there are those hopeful owners, keeping their fingers crossed that their bitch is pregnant and counting down 63 days.

Regardless of the owner's state of mind there are some specific signs that may help suggest or rule out a pregnancy. It is helpful therefore, to learn about the heat process in order to evaluate the odds of the dog being pregnant.

SIGNS THE DOG IS IN HEAT

The heat cycle is divided into phases which when combined, average about 21 days.
The first phase is called Pro-estrus and you will be aware of this stage because it is when the vaginal bleeding and vaginal swelling occurs. This phase lasts about 7 to 10 days.

If male dogs are around they will be interested in the bitch but she will be reluctant and refuse him to mount.

The second phase is the fertile phase called the estrus phase. This is when the the female is actually fertile. The bleeding has stopped and it is replaced by a yellowish vaginal discharge. This phase will last about 4-13 days. She will be more tolerant and will keep her tail to the side. She will allow the male to mount at this point. If you witness "a tie" where they are both stuck together for a while, then very likely puppies are on the way.

The third and final stage is the diestrus and is when the female again will be reluctant to mate, because she is no longer fertile. The male though may still try to mount.

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 the "hopeful breeder" or this is the time you hope she didn't go out if you are the "concerned owner".

However, there are really no reliable days to count on and this is why some professional breeders have their dog's hormones checked by a vet to ensure breeding on the most fertile day. Again, even this may not be sufficient therefore there is no way really to "grant" pregnancy, but by monitoring the phases you may be able to heighten the chances.
This may give a little bit of relief to the "concerned owner".

SIGNS OF DOG PREGNANCY

Early pregnancy signs may be hard to be detected especially by an inexperienced owner.
Some dogs may become

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