Yes! Female dogs do charge before going into labor and almost all of the animals do that. The temperature of the body of the female dog drops and she starts whelping. There are a number of other symptoms which a female dog can show like she can shiver. Then the female dog releases the discharge as a part of whelping process.
www.thepetcenter.com/gen/whelping.html
www.thepetcenter.com/gen/whelping.html