Alright – now lets assume that you do want to breed from your bitch; just make sure that your reasons for doing so are sound?

If you think it will make you lots of money, I would advise that you are likely to be in for a whole lot of disappointments! It’s hard work, there are real gut wrenching issues including deaths of bitches and pups; as well as quite considerable veterinary bills to grapple with! So – if you ARE going at it for the $$$ please reconsider?

But assuming that you have thought this through fully; we would advise that your bitch be on at least her 2nd season – because her uterus is not fully ready for pregnancy and puppies prior to that. Sure she can get pregnant – but your chance of trouble increases dramatically!

So – she’s 2nd season (or later), and you’ve noticed all of the things we mentioned here, now you’ll be wanting to observe her vaginal discharge closely. Here are a couple of myths:

Wait until bleeding stops. NO – TOO LATE – you have usually missed the action at this stage!

You CAN count on the following:

Bitch’s vulva (yes you’ll have to touch it) will go from firm (prior to ovulation), then very loose & stretchy (ovulation)!

Bright red discharge PRIOR to bitch readiness for mating

OK – now if after all of that you’re still unsure – you can take your bitch to the Vet for some blood tests to determine if she’s ready. They can be a little expensive, but if that’s no issue it will take the uncertainty of it away for you. However the above methods are tried n true – they can and do work for us and breeders worldwide.

Finally – once you know that your bitch is ready you can take her to your chosen stud and mate her every 2nd day for 2 or 3 matings.

Some AI (Artificial Insemination) is done for various reasons, often due to aggressive bitches or stud dogs that have no clue, even some canine diseases – but that’s probably more detail than is needed here.

If natural breeding – the dogs need to join (tie) and should be carefully held in place so that no damage is done to bitch or dog – by pulling away in panic or just too early. Even though dogs have done this for thousands of years they can and do harm themselves seriously if left alone – so experienced breeders (even novices) should always remain with the two dogs through the process.

They need to join (tie) and should be carefully held in place so that no damage is done to bitch or dog – by pulling away in panic or just too early. Even though dogs have done this for thousands of years they can and do harm themselves seriously if left alone – so experienced breeders (even novices) should always remain with the two dogs through the process.

Steve

OK, so it may be that your bitch is coming into her first season (Click here to determine) – but she’s too young and you don’t wish to mate her yet; or you just haven’t got around to getting her desexed – or any other number of reasons?

If you’re not a registered breeder, you will really want to be careful in this matter – there’s a lot of time committment required and it can be expensive; not to mention that finding homes for unwanted puppies is hard work.

It’s important then that you’re on your toes – preventing this will be a bit of a challenge, depending on your pattern of work, the security of your property (from unwanted mates), and even if the bitch spends most of her time alone?

As a general guide – in the first 7 days of her season she’s not really interested in mating (though males will still be interested in her) – but the next 14 days or so ( add about 3 days extra to be certain) are the real risk period!

Do NOT underestimate the desire of neighbouring dogs to sniff her out (literally) – or her desire to go get mated! You MUST be vigilant – we’ve heard stories of people with 6 foot fences coming home to four males in the yard – or out walking with their hounds and them getting into trouble, one case of a person stopped at the traffic lights suddenly looking down to find a male has tied with their bitch!

One point – since it would be cruel to not walk your bitch for 3 weeks – we would highly recommend that, you consider making or buying a pair of Chastity Britches (see here). If you don’t do that you may have to house her in an appropriate kennel (with a run) – or even send her to a Boarding Kennel for that period.

My wife spends all of her time with our dogs – so its only rarely that they are left unattended. If it is required she will crate them briefly – which protects all of them from escape or theft – and any bitch in season.

Crated Bitch in season - to prevent unwanted matings

But lets assume that after all of your efforts though – you failed, it happened to us once – our bitch had only just finished with her previous litter and we did not want another so soon afterwards!

There IS a medical way out – and without any major side effects! The bitch can be given 2 x injections of Aglepristone 24 hours apart, 0-21 days after mating. As I understand it, this acts on the sperm to make the environment unfavourable – or if it has already bound with the egg, causes it to come away from the placenta – ending the pregnancy.

This should be a last line of defence though, prevention is better than cure – keep your bitch safe, or better still if no breeding is required or wanted; get her desexed ASAP.

Steve

OK – so you have decided that you want to buy a Pedigreed dog, to make sure that you get what you pay for? Well there are a couple of traps to be wary of; particularly if you think you might like to Show or even Breed at a later date?

When we were amateurs, we thought that if you bought a pedigreed dog, then you were guaranteed of getting a good dog, free of defects. Not so – some breeders will still knowingly sell a dog with a defect, and just not mention it. We found that out when we got our first ever Pedigree Staffordshire Bull Terrier – she had the Short Toe Defect mentioned on this site in video and via an article. So you still need to be alert and get the dog checked over by a Pro!

But there is another potential problem – lurking for the unwary!

The problem is that of restrictions placed on YOUR Dog, restrictions put there by the breeder, via the pedigree registration!

And this is much more common than most people know! To have ALL rights to what you can do with a pedigreed dog, your dog MUST be registered on the MAIN Register.

Registration on the Main Register enables you to:

a) Show your dog in ANY type of Show you choose, including Conformation Shows, Trials etc
b) Breed from your dog or bitch
c) Register pups that your bitch produces
c) Export any pups that your bitch should produce

The Main Registration certificate is generally blue – the blue colour denoting the lack of restrictions.

BUT there’s another type of registration, not often talked about – called Limited Registration. Dogs on the Limited Register – are, – well, what can I say…. limited!

This register was originally designed to restrict the use of pups/dogs that were perhaps not up to par – but still allowed them to be sold etc. I guess that’s better (from a Doglovers perspective) – otherwise some of these dogs may have ended being destroyed. But the Limited Register can also be abused – if a Breeder wants to control!

Limited Register pups and adult dogs:

a) Cannot be shown dog in Conformation Shows, but are allowed in Trials and Obedience Shows etc
b) Cannot be bred from
c) If you do breed anyway – pups simply CANNOT be Registered
c) Prevents the export of any pups that your bitch should produce

The Limited Register certificate is generally pink – with the pink colour denoting the restrictions on the dog. In the wrong hands the Limited Register can be used by people who want to control Show Ring results and keep winning awards with reduced competition! Be aware that this does occur – believe it or not some people build their self esteem on how well their dogs do in the Show Ring!

IMPORTANT NOTE – THE ONLY PERSON WHO CAN UN-DO A LIMITED REGISTRATION – IS THE BREEDER THEMSELVES!

So – REMEMBER TO ASK – DOES MY PEDIGREE INCLUDE REGISTRATION ON THE MAIN REGISTER? If the person is evasive or does not answer you forthrightly – it may be time to look for another breeder?

Steve

Once a bitch comes into season or heat, there are a few problems you will have – but we have ONE great solution, that makes care of the bitch much simpler!

The 3 major problems of a bitch in season are:

1) Discharge from the vulva, that can stain furniture etc. (if bitch is an insider)
2) The need to monitor the colour and volume of vaginal discharge as the bitch progresses through her season.
3) The critical need to prevent unwanted mating with stray dogs or males other than your stud selection.

Our solution – which I jokingly refer to as the Chastity Belt – nails all 3 problems with ease! It is a simple home-made fabric pad with elastic straps, that holds a womans sanitary napkin in place. While some versions of these ARE available at better pet stores; none that we’ve seen have elastic straps – which are FAR easier than the ties, others use!

Standard feminine napkin can be used for a bitch on heat.

Plus – while pet stores may also have special pads for your bitch, they can be expensive, why bother, when supermarkets already carry a great range for women. We usually use a pad indicated for “heavy” days, since they have ALSO the capacity to cope with the dog getting out to pee, BEFORE you get the pad off!

Red Staffordshire bitch showing belt fit

Bright blood - generally about 3 - 4 days into her season.

Rear shot shows snug fit to prevent leakage!

Here’s how they help 2 of the 3 problems mentioned above:

1) They capture discharge, that can stain soft furnishings
2) White pad – allows monitoring of colour and volume of vaginal discharge as the bitch progresses through her season.

Escape proof when coupled with a Walking Harness

Finally –

3) When coupled with a dog walking harness – becomes a Chastity Belt and prevents 99% unwanted matings.

To be 100% guaranteed of protection from male dogs – you will need to be able to lock up your bitch, we use a crate – they are also handy for discipline and training! Note that we ONLY ever use these for short periods, or shows etc – not for long term.

Only now 100% Mate Proofed - waiting for Mr Right

Finally – we’ve now impoved those earlier versions of the Canine Chastity Belts – see the following pictures for examples. I have been contacted by individuals seeking to buy them; and am now happy to advise that we can custom make items for your dog and send anywhere in the world – contact me here: steve@dogloverstoolbox.com

New model Chastity Britches

New style Chastity Britches

Now – to be on alert for the signs of a bitch coming into season – Click here.

To prevent unwanted matings – Click here.

The two most common questions asked by dog owners who have a bitch that has not been neutered or desexed, are – Is my bitch coming into season? and – How do I know if my bitch is coming into season?

In fact it appears that even though we live in an information age – there is still some confusion about the whole topic of dog mating and dog breeding.

Firstly – to make identification of a female in heat easier, you’ll first need to know your dogs age, as accurately as possible? This is because a bitch can come into season from the age of 6 months – to as late as 12 months.

You’ll need to start looking at the bitch closely though – at around 6 months of age.

PLEASE NOTE – a bitch is still very immature mentally and physically at their first season – and should NOT be bred from! Professional breeders are obliged by their breed associations to breed ONLY from 12 months onward.

If you’re NOT a professional breeder – but you CARE about dogs; please don’t breed them at first heat! They do much better generally, and when looking after pups etc, from 12 months on!

See the 2 X photos below of the same Staffordshire bitch – the 1st pic is vulva prior to coming into season, the 2nd is in mid-season.

Normal vulva

Enlarged vulva (same bitch)

Early Warning

One of the first signs for the observant owner may be an increase in frequency of urination, this begins a stage of “scenting” an area to let male dogs know of their condition. This can occur around 2 weeks prior to coming into season and may also be accompanied by an increase in the dog licking its vulva in an effort to keep themselves clean.

More Obvious Signs (Pro-oestrus)

Much more obvious, (lasts about 7-9 days) generally the vulva begins to swell first – can go to as large as TRIPLE its original size. Importantly though – you will need to have been observing prior, so that you know the original size – in order to detect the swelling. Also usually the bitch will become more dominant with other females and may begin to “flag” male dogs – ie, putting her tail up and presenting her rear to the nose of the male dog. It should be noted however that the bitch will NOT allow a male to attempt mating at this point!

Oestrus (Standing Heat)

(lasts between 2-21 days – this is when ovulation occurrs) It should be remembered that we are dealing with animals here not machines – so each bitch may differ; some bitches (and one of ours) may go straight into a blood stained discharge, without really swelling at all, and in our case the swelling followed later!

Hopefully you had been paying attention to the size of the vulva – so now dab with a tissue from time to time over the next days – in order to not miss progress. Any discharge though, may vary in intensity from bitch to bitch, however though the discharge may or may not start off brown in colour, it will always progress to red.

At this stage also most dogs appetite will decrease, though this is not always the case.

Needless to say all of this is VERY obvious – if you miss it, I would suggest that you might need to take your pulse and see if you are still alive! LOL

If you are planning to mate your bitch – Dog Breeding or Mating OK to Go for tips on what to do next.

Steve