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