In the chaos and joy of the whelping box, it’s easy to focus on the visible things: Are the puppies nursing? Are they warm? Is mom resting?
But one of the most powerful tools you have for keeping puppies alive and thriving doesn’t require any fancy equipment or advanced training – it’s your scale.
Why Weight Matters
Newborn puppies are fragile. Their energy reserves are limited and their ability to regulate temperature is almost nonexistent. The first week of life is a precarious time.
Healthy puppies should:
- Lose no more than 10% of their birth weight in the first 24 hours
- Then gain 5–10% of their body weight every day thereafter
When those numbers dip or stall, something’s wrong. The puppy’s best chance of survival rests on prompt support and intervention.
Daily Puppy-Weighing Routine
Here’s the system I recommend:
- Choose a digital kitchen scale or postal scale that reads in grams or ounces and has a tare button.
- Use a small container or bowl with sides so wiggly puppies don’t slide off.
- Pro tip: If you have a really wiggly puppy, wrap them snugly in a soft washcloth or small towel to keep them still — just be sure to subtract the towel’s weight from the total.
- Record the weight in a notebook or digital tracker.
- Weigh every puppy at the same time each day — ideally twice a day.
- Compare each weight to the weight from 24 hours prior.
A steady climb = reassurance.
A plateau or drop = a signal to act early.
Free Puppy Weight Tracker Template
To make the process of calculating percentage weight gain easier, I created a Puppy Weight Tracker in Google Sheets that automatically calculates daily percentage gain or loss.
👉 Want a copy? Click here to open the Puppy Weight Tracker.
To use the tracker, enter the puppies’ AM and PM weights in the top boxes — the sheet does the rest. The lower boxes instantly show percent change, turning green for healthy weight gain and red when a puppy’s not gaining enough. Check it out and let me know what you think!
📝 Important: When you open the tracker, you’ll need to go to File → Make a copy to save your own editable version. The shared template is view-only, so please don’t request access — just make a copy, and it’s all yours to customize for each litter.
What If a Puppy Isn’t Gaining?
If a puppy isn’t adequately gaining weight:
- Check temperature — cold puppies can’t nurse effectively.
- Observe nursing — is the puppy being pushed away or not latching?
- Supplement — use puppy milk replacer
- Track again in 12 hours.
- If there’s still no improvement, call your veterinarian.
The Simplest Way to Save Lives
In those first two weeks, your scale is your safety net.
It keeps you from guessing, helps you notice subtle problems before they become emergencies, and gives you peace of mind that your litter is truly thriving.
And best of all? It’s simple, affordable, and takes less than a minute per puppy.
Want to learn more about how to best support puppies in their first weeks of life?
Join me for the free Raising Puppies Webinar on November 19 at 3 PM ET.
We’ll walk through the full week-by-week milestones from birth to 8 weeks, and I’ll answer your questions live.
👉 Register for the webinar and download your free Raising Puppies guide here.
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