Hearing dog pregnancy journey

We have several amazing dog mums who are part of our breeding scheme at Hearing Dogs. They all play a vital role in producing puppies who will one day help change the life of a person with hearing loss.

Hearing dog spaniel mum nuzzling one of her very young puppies

Here is a brief introduction to the journey they take during pregnancy.

Being scientific

Before breeding a litter of life-changing hearing dogs, there are certain things we need to consider, including:

  • The breeds best suited to our deaf recipients
  • Who the hearing dog mum and dad will be and how compatible they are.

Making sure mum and dad are a good match can get very scientific – but in short, we make sure their genes are a good fit to help ensure healthy puppies are born.

Hearing dog mums and dads are selected to do this important job from a young age. They are picked because they have all the traits needed for a hearing dog – such as a gentle temperament, strong ability to learn and general good health.

The mums live with a volunteer, called brood fosterers, who look after the newly born puppies until they are about eight weeks old.

A happy white labrador sitting on grass between a man and a woman in hearing dogs volunteer uniform.
Hearing dog mum Luna with her brood fosterers Caitlin and David

A dog’s early pregnancy signs

Around four or five weeks after mating, mum will have a scan so we can confirm if she is pregnant or not and get a rough idea of how many we are expecting. The vet will check the size of the puppies and make sure all their heartbeats are normal. Sometimes they even give us a scan photo and video!

 

The all-important preparation

Our breeding scheme advisors are fully supportive of the mum and volunteer dog trainers throughout the pregnancy.

In the weeks leading up to the birth, we provide our brood fosterers with the tools to help including: 

  • A whelping box for the mum and pups to sleep and rest in
  • A baby monitor for night-time
  • A heat pad to keep the pups warm
  • Fun toys for when the dogs are a bit older!

Our knowledgeable team also provides guidance and training throughout the pregnancy for our brood fosterers.

 

The labour 

While we give our volunteers an overview of what to expect during labour, our hearing dog mums instinctively know what to do. Our role is to make sure she's as comfortable as possible, provide support when needed, and ensure her newborn puppies are happy, healthy and thriving. 

The newborn puppies

A black labrador is laying on its side while its litter of 5 chunky black puppies feed

Once a puppy is born, we give our new pups a quick check over. Our caring team note the sex of the puppy, time of the birth and weight before returning to mum for cleaning.

Almost immediately after birth, pups will make squeaking noises and pull themselves across their beds – even though their eyes and ears have not opened yet.

Eight weeks after birth, they will be ready to leave the nest to start the next step of their hearing dog journey.