Preparing for Staffy Puppies: Eva’s Final Two Weeks Before Birth
Two Weeks to Go: How We Are Preparing Eva for Her Puppies
By Ian Barnes | Wolfpack Bulletin Board
This is Part 1 of Eva’s Pregnancy Diary. In this article we share how we prepare for the final two weeks before birth, from building the whelping pen to getting everything ready for the puppies’ arrival.
There is something very special about the final couple of weeks before a new litter arrives.
The excitement begins to build. The whelping equipment comes out of storage. Fresh bedding appears. Camera batteries are charged. The rest of the Wolfpack become increasingly suspicious that something interesting is happening without their permission.
Most importantly, life begins to slow down around Mum.
At the time of writing, Eva is around two weeks away from her due date, so we thought we would take you behind the scenes and share how we prepare her, our home and ourselves for the arrival of a new Wolfpack litter.
Every breeder develops their own routine through experience. This is ours.
We are not vets, and this article is not intended to replace professional veterinary advice. It is simply an honest look at the preparations that have worked well for our family over many years of raising Staffordshire Bull Terrier puppies.
Calculating the Countdown
We calculate the expected due date from the first mating, as that is the earliest possible date Eva could have conceived.
Nature does not always work to an exact timetable, so we would much rather have everything ready early than find ourselves rushing around at the last minute.
By the time we reach the final two weeks, the countdown is well and truly underway.
Preparing Mum
Once Eva reaches around seven weeks of pregnancy, we begin increasing the amount of food she receives.
We do not suddenly replace her normal diet or introduce a completely different feeding routine. Instead, we keep the food she already knows and enjoys, then gradually add more nutrition around it.
Her usual evening meal remains based around the Wolfpack’s salmon and sweet potato hypoallergenic kibble.
We then mix in one of a range of fresh protein-rich foods, including:
- Sardines
- Scrambled eggs
- Beef mince
- Pork mince
- Roast chicken
- Butcher’s meat offcuts
- Other fresh meat, depending on what we have available
At around seven weeks, we also add a breakfast meal. This gives Eva extra nourishment without making her evening meal uncomfortably large.
The puppies are growing quickly during these final weeks, so our aim is not simply to pile more food into her bowl. We want to give her good-quality protein and energy while keeping everything familiar and easy for her to digest.
Continuing Her Usual Supplements
Eva continues to receive the same Can9 supplement that we use as part of the Wolfpack’s normal feeding routine.
We prefer consistency rather than making lots of unnecessary changes during pregnancy.
As always, owners should speak to their vet before introducing any new supplement during pregnancy. We are simply sharing what Eva already receives as part of her established routine.
Building Eva’s Maternity Suite
Around two weeks before the expected due date, the whelping pen comes out.
This is one of the moments when the whole Wolfpack knows something exciting is about to happen.
To us, it is Eva’s maternity suite.
To the rest of the gang, it is clearly a brand-new indoor attraction that must be inspected immediately.
Why We Use the Kitchen
We set the whelping pen up in the kitchen because it is the heart of the Wolfpack home.
It is familiar to Eva, which helps her feel comfortable and secure. She can still hear the ordinary sounds of family life and does not feel as though she has suddenly been shut away somewhere strange.
It is also the most practical room for us.
Once the puppies arrive, we maintain a 24-hour watch over them for the first seven days. Julie sleeps nearby on a camp bed so somebody is always close enough to hear the smallest squeak or notice if Mum or one of the puppies needs attention.
The kitchen also makes it easier to give Eva and her newborns privacy from the rest of the Wolfpack without completely removing her from family life.
She has her own protected area, but she is still at the centre of home.
Inside the Whelping Pen
Our whelping pen is a specialist plastic design measuring approximately 120 cm by 120 cm.
It is wipe-clean, practical and large enough for Eva to stretch out comfortably beside her litter.
A safety shelf, often called a puppy rail, runs around the inside. This creates a small protected space around the edge and helps reduce the risk of a newborn puppy becoming trapped between Mum and the side of the pen.
For every new litter, we buy a fresh fleece mat mattress for the base.
We then add clean blankets, cushions and comfortable bedding while Eva is becoming familiar with the space.
At first, the door is left open.
Eva can go inside whenever she chooses, leave whenever she wants and gradually begin to see the pen as somewhere peaceful rather than somewhere she has suddenly been placed.
The Official Wolfpack Inspection
Nothing new enters the house without being approved by the Wolfpack Inspection Committee.
The moment the pen appears, there are noses everywhere.
Tails wag furiously.
Blankets are tested.
The mattress receives a full comfort assessment.
Ian’s construction work is examined from every possible angle.
This often ends with all nine Staffies attempting to squeeze into the whelping pen at once, apparently convinced that it has been built for them.
Only after the committee is satisfied that the structure is sound, the bedding is soft enough and the location meets their exacting standards can we begin turning it into Eva’s quiet space.
Watch the Wolfpack help Ian Make the whelping pen
Helping Eva Make It Her Own
We do not expect Eva to immediately understand that the pen belongs to her.
At first, we often climb inside ourselves and encourage her to join us.
The secret is one-to-one attention.
Once Eva realises that getting into the whelping pen means extra cuddles with Ian or Julie, she is usually more than happy to settle down.
Over the following days, the strange new object in the kitchen gradually becomes familiar.
It begins to smell like her bedding.
It becomes somewhere she can escape the bustle of the gang.
By the time labour begins, she is not entering an unfamiliar box.
She is going into a place that already feels like home.
Preparing for Every Possibility
We hope every puppy arrives safely, feeds well and gives us no cause for concern.
However, hope is not a plan.
Before labour begins, we check every piece of equipment, replace anything that is missing or out of date and make sure the entire birthing kit is ready.
If something unexpected happens during a birth, that is not the moment to start searching through cupboards.
PuppyStim
PuppyStim is a fast-acting oral energy paste containing ingredients such as colostrum, probiotics and glucose.
We keep it ready for an emergency in case a newborn puppy is weak, underweight, struggling to feed or needs additional support while we seek veterinary advice.
Most litters never need it.
That is exactly how we hope it remains.
Even so, having it close at hand gives us peace of mind.
Puppy Milk Formula
We also make sure we have puppy milk formula ready before the birth.
Most mums produce everything their puppies need, but occasionally a puppy may struggle to feed or there may be a temporary problem with Mum’s milk.
Trying to locate specialist puppy milk in the middle of the night is not a situation we ever want to be in.
We would rather have it waiting in the cupboard and never open it.
The Little Onion-Shaped Suction Pump
One of the smallest pieces of equipment in our birthing kit is also one of the most important.
Our manual suction pump looks rather like a little rubber onion.
Its job is to help clear fluid from a newborn puppy’s mouth or nostrils if necessary.
It is not glamorous, but it is absolutely essential.
Before every litter, we make sure it is clean, working properly and within easy reach.
Forceps and Cotton Thread
Mum will usually nip through the umbilical cord herself and chew it away from the puppy.
Most of the time, she gets it exactly right.
Occasionally, though, a mum can be a little too enthusiastic and the cord may continue to bleed. We find that this usually happens with around one puppy in a litter.
Petra is the worst offender for getting carried away, while Eva is normally much more measured and careful.
For that reason, we keep clean Spencer Wells forceps ready in case a cord needs clamping, together with cotton thread so it can be tied off if necessary.
They are simple items, but when a cord is bleeding, they need to be within reach immediately rather than hidden in the back of a cupboard.
Towels, Towels and More Towels
You can never have too many clean towels during a birth.
As one becomes damp, another is ready.
By the end, it often looks as though every towel in the house has somehow migrated into the kitchen.
Clean, dry towels are one of the simplest things in the kit, but they are used constantly.
Keeping Newborn Puppies Warm
We test the puppy heat pad well before labour begins.
Newborn puppies cannot regulate their own body temperature properly, so having a dependable source of gentle warmth ready is one less thing to worry about once the first puppy arrives.
The heat pad sits beneath part of the bedding so the puppies can benefit from warmth without the entire pen becoming overheated.
Watch How We Position Our Puppy Heat Pad
In this short video, we show exactly how we position our puppy heat pad within the whelping pen and explain why it is important that the puppies always have the choice to move towards or away from the warmth.
Team Wolfpack
People often ask who does what during a Wolfpack birth.
The answer is very simple.
Once Eva shows signs of early labour, the Wolfpack are kept completely separate from her.
They may be curious, but this is Eva’s time. She needs calm, privacy and our full attention without nine interested Staffies trying to investigate every movement.
The kitchen becomes her quiet maternity space, with only Julie and Ian coming and going. This helps Eva settle, allows us to watch her closely and prevents the other dogs from disturbing her during labour or immediately after the puppies arrive.
Once Eva is settled and the rest of the Wolfpack are safely out of the way, everyone has their own role.
Julie is in her element.
As a qualified midwife, she is calm, organised and completely focused. She watches Eva closely, keeps everything clean and handles the practical side with the confidence of somebody who is very comfortable around birth.
Ian has a different role.
He is in charge of filming, recording the birthing notes and behaving like an expectant father who has consumed too much coffee.
Every puppy is logged with:
- Birth time
- Sex
- Birth order
- Distinguishing markings
- Any immediate observations
We do not use identification collars at the birthing stage. Ian’s notes and the puppies’ individual markings help us keep track of everyone.
In truth, he also spends a fair amount of time pacing up and down the kitchen and posting live birth updates to Instagram and Facebook Stories while thousands of Wolfpack followers wait alongside us.
Capturing the Moments
This time, we have a new camera setup ready.
We will be using a GoPro with a gimbal and light, along with a macro lens and a separate microphone.
The aim is not simply to record the birth.
We want to capture the tiny details that disappear so quickly:
- The first little squeaks
- Tiny paws
- Newborn snuffles
- Eva meeting each puppy
- Those first precious moments at the milk bar
The puppies grow so quickly that it is easy to forget just how tiny they were on that first day.
Good footage allows us to preserve those moments and share the journey with the Wolfpack family around the world.
Preparing Eva Emotionally
The final weeks are not only about food, bedding and equipment.
They are also about Eva.
Pregnancy changes her in small, gentle ways.
She becomes calmer, more careful and far more affectionate.
Eva has never been the most confident creature on earth, so as her due date approaches, she looks for plenty of reassurance.
When a Staffy decides she needs reassurance, subtlety is not part of the plan.
Eva becomes gloriously, unmistakably clingy.
It is the full-face, full-body, absolutely-no-personal-space affection that only a Staffy can truly master.
She does not necessarily follow us everywhere, but when she wants attention, she makes certain we know about it.
Taking Life at Eva’s Pace
Eva still enjoys her walks, but she takes things more gently.
When the rest of the Wolfpack race ahead in their usual blur of legs, tails and questionable decisions, Eva stays near the back with me.
There is something especially peaceful about those slower walks together.
It reminds me of Izy, when she and I would bring up the rear while the younger dogs sprinted on ahead.
For a moment, it feels as though she is still walking there with us.
Eva also becomes more selective about the chaos at home.
She avoids the roughest play, the full-force Staffy wrestling matches and the giant cuddle puddles that somehow involve nine dogs occupying a space designed for two.
She seems to know when she needs to step back.
What is lovely is that the rest of the Wolfpack seem to understand too.
They do not knock into her.
They do not drag her into play fights.
They give her space without being asked.
It is one of those quiet examples of pack awareness that is difficult to explain but wonderful to watch.
Tommy Steps Up
Tommy becomes especially attentive.
He stays close to Eva, snuggles beside her and carefully cleans her ears as though he has appointed himself chief maternity assistant.
There is no big display.
He simply looks after her.
For all the comedy and chaos that comes with living with the Wolfpack, moments like this show just how gentle and emotionally tuned-in Staffies can be.
When Nesting Begins
As labour gets closer, Eva begins to nest.
She scratches at the bedding, walks in circles and tests one position after another as though deciding whether everything meets her exact standards.
Eva is possibly the cleanest dog in the world, so her whelping area has to be immaculate.
Blankets are inspected.
Bedding is rearranged.
Comfort levels are reviewed.
Once she begins getting herself ready, Julie climbs into the pen beside her.
We dim the lights, make the room quiet and help Eva settle.
Julie will often read her a Smudgekins story.
It may sound unusual, but Eva loves it.
The familiar voice, the soft lighting and the one-to-one attention all help her relax.
By the time labour begins, the whelping pen is no longer simply a piece of equipment.
It is Eva’s den.
The bedding smells familiar.
The room is calm.
Julie is nearby with a story.
That is exactly how we want it to feel.
The Final Checks
As the due date approaches, we complete one last round of checks.
The heat pad is tested.
The emergency equipment is laid out.
The puppy milk and PuppyStim are ready.
The suction pump is clean.
The forceps and cotton thread are in place.
Fresh towels and bedding are stacked nearby.
Camera batteries are charged.
Memory cards are cleared.
The microphone is tested.
The birthing notes are ready.
Phones are charged.
Veterinary contact details are close at hand.
Once all of that is done, there comes a point when there is nothing more to build, buy or organise.
Watching and Waiting
By this stage, all the practical preparation is complete.
Our attention turns entirely to Eva.
One of the things we begin monitoring closely is her temperature.
A dog’s normal body temperature usually drops by around 1°C in the 12 to 24 hours before labour begins.
It isn’t an exact science, and we never rely on temperature alone, but it is one of the most useful signs that the puppies are getting ready to make their appearance.
When we see that drop, we know the countdown has really begun.
From that moment on, somebody is always close by.
Every little change in Eva’s behaviour becomes important.
Every scratch at the bedding.
Every nap.
Every cuddle.
Every trip into the whelping pen.
The waiting becomes wonderfully exciting.
Now We Wait
The whelping pen is ready.
The blankets are in place.
The cameras are charged.
The emergency kit is sitting quietly nearby, hopefully never to be needed.
Eva has made the space her own.
Now all that remains is to keep her comfortable, give her plenty of reassurance and wait for Mother Nature to decide the time is right.
Over the coming days, there will undoubtedly be more cuddles, more slow walks at the back of the pack and another Smudgekins story or two.
Before long, the kitchen may once again be filled with tiny squeaks, miniature paws and the wonderful chaos of a new Wolfpack litter.
We cannot wait to share the next part of Eva’s journey with you.
Hopefully it will look something like this:
The next chapter of Eva’s journey is almost here. We’ll be sharing the birth, the puppies’ first moments and their first weeks of life here on the Wolfpack Bulletin Board and on our YouTube channel. We hope you’ll join us for the adventure.
Ian, Julie & the Wolfpack ❤️🐾
Continue to Part 2: Scan Day, Bloodlines and Final Week Preparations →