German Shepherd gestation period?

by nadine gomez
(diamond bar, ca )

how long is the gestation period? and how many puppies on average?


Total German Shepherd:

Good question, Nadine. On average a German Shepherd will typically be pregnant for 62 to 63 days before whelping her pups.

Now this is not set in stone by any means as the female may go a shorter or longer period of time depending on exactly when she got pregnant. Not necessarily when she got bred!

And this is important to understand too because, in some cases, the semen can stay alive in the female several days before actual fertilization occurs. So she may not have actually gotten pregnant on the day she was actually bred but a few days afterward.

And concerning the average litter size, now that can vary a lot too, but in most cases 8 or 9 seems to be fairly common though I have known of many litters having 1 or 2 and as high as 12 or more (fertile moms and dads, no less).

One way to be fairly certain of what to expect is to have your vet check your female for the amount of puppies that she is pregnant with. This isn't 100% either but at least you'll have some amount in mind when the due date does come.