Is it normal for puppies to move more during early dog labor?

You can see puppies moving up to a week before giving birth. Take Bell's temperature rectally twice a day. A dog's normal temperature is between 101-102.5F. Once it drops below 100F, she should have her puppies within 24 hours.

I would recommend to start taking a rectal temperature on her several times a day. Normally if the temperature falls below 100 they will go into labor within 24 hours. You can find more info on signs of labor at https://veterinarypartner.vin.com/default.aspx?pid=19239&id=4951546

Sometimes you can feel the puppies move but in some dogs you can't, it depends if your dog is large, fat or lean and it is usually possible toward the last trimester only (more than 50 days of pregnancy).

You should be really careful pressing her abdomen as you could inadvertently damage a puppy/her uterus. If Kailyn seems well in herself and is eating and drinking I would not stress her out by taking her to the vets. If she seems to be in pain, showing signs of illness or has any smelly discharge then AI would take her in for a check up. I wouldn't worry overly about not feeling movement, it would not be that normal to feel the puppies moving, you would have to press quite hard. If you are concerned you could arrange to take her in for an ultrasound exam to check their health. However this could stress her a lot. If she is well in herself I would urge you not to worry too much. I know it is a really concerning time, but dogs are amazing, and they do really well naturally. It is best for her to have minimum stress.

You will not be able to feel the puppies heartbeat as they are too deep inside the mother. You can generally expect to feel movement from a large litter earlier than a smaller litter. You may begin to feel movement up to two weeks before the due date. If she only has a single puppy however you may not be able to feel much movement as the puppy will be deep inside her body. An ultrasound can detect the puppies heartbeat after 22 days from the breeding and a radiograph can see the skeletons 45 days after the breeding. I hope this is helpful and please feel free to post any additional questions.

It is normal for a dog in the first stage of labor to whine and pace, but if you feel Abby is significantly painful that would not be normal and I'd recommend seeing your veterinarian. I think her vulva also looks normal but it is difficult to see in your picture, so again if you think something is wrong it would be safest to have a vet take a look.

It is normal for the ligaments around her pelvis to become stretched in preparation for labor and also for the pups to drop down under her belly rather than stretching her belly wider it should become deeper. Any restlessness, fever or discharge should be checked by your vet