In wilderness, dogs give birth in dens, holes in the ground, hiding places in tall grass. In arctic area, caves, hollows, dig out dens would do, while in woodlands they usually dig under tree roots. Female domestic dog also needs dark, warm and safe place. Foxes and coyotes sometimes take over deserted dens from other animals, mostly skunks and badgers.
Wolfess will be in labor 15–30 minutes, but it can last up to six hours if the litter is large. The next thing that follows is licking of the newborns in order to clean them and simulate them to begin breathing. After the birth, cubs of all canids are tiny and helpless and the mother rarely leaves them in the first few days.
Dens are always near the water and rendezvous (meeting point) which is usually at the centre of the territory. There may be more than one entrance to the den. Cubs sleep in comfortable chamber at the end of the tunnel, while mother sleeps near the exit. Cubs will stay in the than for around 8 weeks.
The number of the cubs varies from species to species. Maned wolf female will have the smallest litter, usually with two cubs; domestic dogs – four to six; wolf – between three and eight; foxes – usually four to seven, jackals – five to eight; african wild dog – the biggest litter, even up to sixteen cubs at once.
All canid mothers will do extremely good job with feeding, taking care of and being devoted to her cubs. They will bring them back to the den at the slightest sound. Once they feel there might be danger, they would move cubs to another place. Although mothers do uttermost work in taking care of the cubs, a pack will also help in their upbringing; all members in different ways and in different amount. While she is nursing, the mother needs a lot of food to keep producing enough milk to feed the cubs. Mother wolf will produce around 1.2 liter milk per day. For that, she will need around 2 liters of water and a lot of food. It is best for her not to go hunting in first few weeks, but to let others bring her food and defend the den. The cubs will feed on milk only for about five weeks, after which typical way of feeding the young will follow, with half-chewed food stored in a stomach of an adult – regurgitation (expulsion of food that is given to offsprings to eat). If it is a social group of dogs in question, the whole pack will help. From ninth week on, when their sharp teeth start to hurt her, she will wean them from nursing. Sometimes, a male will help her by putting them aside and with doing so, disciplining them also. The pack will slowly gain a new role which is socialization of he cubs and guarding the den.
Red fox does not live in a group, but by itself, and raises the cubs alone. It will provide its cubs with large prey but feed itself on mice exclusively.