From the beginning of a female's estrus period, she will be attractive to male dogs, though she will usually not be receptive or allow mating until seven to ten days into her cycle. As the cycle progresses, the color and appearance of the discharge change.
The vulva becomes very enlarged and soft, and the bitch will be receptive to the male. This stage may last 3 or 4 days or as long as 7 to 11 days. The female may be receptive a day or two past the time when she would still be fertile.
How many times should a dog mate to get pregnant? Although a dog can get pregnant from one mating, most stud dog owners will recommend the dogs mate two (or even three times), usually 24 – 48 hours apart each time, but this may depend on whether a tie or a slip mating has been achieved.
If you have been watching your dog carefully, you will know when she is ready to be bred. The “spotting” that she has been doing around the house will first turn clear and then might stop altogether. That is when your dog will stand and allow a male to mount and breed her.
Injections. Most dogs, given the opportunity, will end up mating when the female is in heat. A whopping 40% of female dogs will fall pregnant after just one mating session! That incredibly high number means you are at considerable risk of having a litter of unwanted puppies if you are not careful.
The canid is generally fertile with about 80% successful matings ending in pregnancy by natural methods. With clinical procedures success rate is approximately 70 – 80%. The best method is to mate the dogs naturally wherever possible but clinical intervention is a useful adjunct to a successful breeding program.
The longer dogs are stuck together in a copulatory tie, the greater the chance that the semen will reach the eggs. But pregnancy in dogs is never guaranteed, Greer says, "Just like in people, not every mating is successful."
A dog may only stand to be mated when she is close to ovulating or just after. The most common reason for a dog refusing to stand to be mated is that she is not yet ready. The female has gone past the time when she would allow the male to mount.
Figure 5-4 A to D, Once the tie occurs, the male dismounts, swings his leg over the female's back, and stands facing in the opposite direction. Ejaculation occurs throughout most of the time the tie is maintained. The sperm-rich portion of ejaculate is usually produced during the first 2 minutes.
After about 9-10 days, the bleeding will become more watery, or stop. It is at this time your female will, most likely, be at her most fertile. This proestrus stage can last as long as 20 days in some dogs. So the end of bleeding can be a more useful indicator of peak fertility.
After a female dog has mated, you can expect changes in behavior like becoming clingy or irritable with other dogs. She may be lethargic and show signs of morning sickness. Physically, she may gain weight and have larger, discolored nipples.
a) Dogs and cats are not like people when it comes to sex. They don't cycle the same way and there's no evidence, behaviorally or otherwise, that sexual activity brings them any specific pleasure akin to orgasm, for example.
Dog pregnancy diagnosis. Your vet can confirm a pregnancy with either a dog pregnancy test, which measures her hormone levels, from days 21-25 of her term, or by ultrasound from day 20-22. From around day 30 your vet will be able to carry out a physical examination to count how many puppies your dog is having.
To get to the heart of your question, male dogs have excellent senses of smell and can sense an intact female in heat up to 3 miles away. Dogs have geographic territories, and they can generally detect any intact females within those boundaries.
Estrus Stage
During the estrus stage, which lasts between 5 and 10 days,1 dogs are fertile, meaning the ovaries have started releasing eggs.
Fresh ejaculated canine semen has the longest viability. Semen from young, fertile stud dogs can survive for up to 5-7 days in the bitch's reproductive tract.
Sperm counts of >200 million are usually seen in the rested stud dog. Counts of at least 200 million motile sperm are required for reliable vaginal artificial insemination.
Dogs sometimes mount other animals and people to display social status or control. A dog mounting for this reason may or may not display an erection, but he's unlikely to ejaculate.
Keep the dogs calm.
If you want natural mating, you need both dogs to remain calm. If dogs are agitated or nervous, mating is less likely to occur. If the male and female dogs do not already know each other, make sure they meet a few days prior to the mating day. You should also keep the environment calm.
Again, there isn't anything wrong with humping unless it makes you or the object of affection uncomfortable. If you want your dog to stop humping, then Hof suggests the best thing to do is deny her the opportunity to start.
It's totally normal for dogs to get stuck together after mating. It's called a “copulatory tie”. Don't do anything to try to separate the dogs, especially pull them apart by force, which could hurt them! Stay calm and wait for the dogs to unstick themselves.
For most females, the best time for breeding is between the tenth and fourteenth day of estrus. However, some females ovulate as early as the third or fourth day or as late as the eighteenth day. It is normal to arrange for two matings (also called stud services) for your dog, often 24 to 48 hours apart.
A tie occurs when the male and female dog are stuck for some time. However, some dogs have also become pregnant without a tie, and some dogs don't get pregnant despite tying, so it's not a guarantee.
What should I do immediately after my female dog has been mated? Make sure she does not have the opportunity to mate with other dogs. Remember that estrus or 'heat' will continue for several more days, and she could theoretically become pregnant from another dog during this period.
Borns-Weil says, in most cases, “getting another dog is the right thing to do. Dogs in isolation are not happy.” Even if you are home with your dog much of the day, a second dog in the family might very well be the right choice. “I believe that dogs in general are happier with other dogs,” the doctor posits.