Everything you need to know about breeding dogs: appropriate age, what to do if it doesn’t work out, rules and tips

Dog mating (or, as beginners often call it, “dog mating”) is the process of mating a male and female dog to produce offspring. If you have decided to knit your girl, but you have a lot of questions, then perhaps this article will be useful to you. Puberty and, accordingly, the ability to reproduce, appears quite early in dogs. Males, while still just puppies - at the age of 5-6 months, already breed a bitch. Therefore, do not underestimate your “babies” and leave them alone with girls in heat. A bitch can become pregnant even during her first heat (at 6-7 months!).

Early matings adversely affect the health of both males and females. A bitch's young, immature body is not able to withstand the colossal load caused by pregnancy, childbirth and feeding puppies. And early matings of males that have not yet completed their formation are fraught with problems in the future.

The bitch is ready for mating no earlier than her second or third heat (approximately 15-20 months). Favorable days for mating most often occur on the 11-13th day from the start of estrus. But practice shows that this is not always the case. For example, one of my bitches mates on day 9-10 (estrus lasts only 14-16 days), and the other, when in heat for almost 30-odd days, mates until day 17-18.

On peak days of estrus, a bitch mates very willingly: she stands completely still, moves her tail, places a loop and the penis penetrates there easily. After the male manages to insert the penis, he sprays sperm into the bitch. At this moment, blood flows abundantly to the bitch’s genitals, they swell greatly and tightly envelop the male’s penis - gluing, or locking, occurs.

Dogs can stand in the castle from a couple of minutes to an hour or even longer.
The dog is helped to take a comfortable position - his hind leg is carefully thrown over the bitch's croup (the dogs turn their tails towards each other). Sometimes the male does not show the desire to turn around completely, so you should not “force” him - let him stand to the side of the bitch if he is more comfortable that way. When dogs are in the castle, do not leave them alone. Make sure that the bitch does not sit down and tuck her legs, or try to run away or bite the dog. Any sudden movements can seriously injure a male dog’s penis and even lead to a fracture of the penis bone.

Dogs have matings when the lock lasts only a minute or two or is absent altogether. But this does not mean at all that the mating will be empty. The main thing is that the sperm gets into the bitch's genital tract.

After the dogs separate, a certain amount of light, sometimes bloody, liquid flows out of the bitch’s loop. There is no need to turn the bitch upside down and lift her hind legs, as many craftsmen advise, supposedly to stop this. What comes out of the bitch is not sperm at all, but lubricant, which is sometimes called propulsive fluid.

It makes sense to carry out the second mating (breeders call it control) no earlier than 24 hours after the first. The period of heat in a bitch may not coincide with the period during which eggs are capable of fusion with sperm. Sometimes this discrepancy is very significant, and a bitch mated during the hunt remains unfertilized precisely because several days pass from the start of the hunt to the maturation of the eggs.

What is breeding or mating of dogs?

Mating is the procedure of mating dogs of breeding value in order to obtain a high-breed litter.

According to the regulations on breeding work of the Russian (and International) Cynological Federation, mating of bitches is permissible once a year - through estrus. A one-time exception can be made for animals, breeds that are on the verge of extinction or for females of special breeding value. Provided that the bitch receives restoration in the next year. There are no restrictions for males; males can be mated at least every month.

Individuals that have breeding value, are completely healthy and have reached the age of 18 months are allowed to mate. For bitches, as a rule, this is the third estrus. The breeding value is determined by a breeding expert at the exhibition. For a male dog, admission to breeding is considered to be no lower than “very good”; for a female dog, no lower than “good”. Some breeds also require a mental health test.

Important articles on the topic:

• “Oestrus in dogs: duration, first heat, caring for your pet”;
• “Features and duration of pregnancy in dogs”;
• “False pregnancy in a dog: symptoms and causes”;
• “Giving birth to a dog: preparation, symptoms, care.”

Features of animal behavior

During sexual heat, the behavior of dogs changes to varying degrees, depending on the individual characteristics of the body.

The first estrus in bitches occurs at 5–7 months in small breeds and 6–10 months in large breeds. Behavior changes only during the period of estrus, after which it returns to normal:

• The female actively leaves marks on the street.
• May become more irritable and restless, and show aggression towards other females.
• There are interruptions in appetite.
• The dog can mount others, including females.

Males mature by about 7 months, changes in behavior are possible:

1. The dog actively begins to mark its territory.
2. It is possible to display aggression towards other males and a protective instinct.
3. Interest in females increases.
4. Attempts to mount other dogs, including males, are possible.
5. The dog refuses to follow commands and is stubborn.

Among other things, the release of testosterone at the sight of a female in heat drives a male dog crazy - the pet does not hear or see the owner at this moment, does not respond to commands, and there are frequent cases of running away after females in heat.

Puberty occurs much earlier than reproductive readiness. Animals that are too young should not be bred.

When can and should you adopt pets?

Estrus occurs twice a year once a year in some native breeds . The average duration of estrus is 21 – 28 days , depending on the breed and individual characteristics of the body. The ovulation period - a favorable time for mating - lasts from 2 to 5 days . The male is ready for insemination all year round.

Bitches living together synchronize estrus and everyone goes into heat almost simultaneously. This is due to the fact that in the wild it is easier to protect puppies in a pack.

Ovulation occurs on the 8th – 14th day of estrus; it is on these days that you need to go on a “date with your gentleman”. Until the female is ready to mate, she will not allow the male to approach her. But if the dog is far away, in order not to travel in vain, you need to determine the exact day of readiness for mating; this can be done at a veterinary clinic or you can try it yourself.

Symptoms of ovulation in a bitch:

1. When pressing on the croup, the dog stands and moves its tail to the side.
2. The loop becomes soft and increases in size.
3. Vulvar discharge becomes paler.
4. If you press on the loop, it rises up and the tail goes to the side.

But a veterinarian will provide more reliable information; clinics do tests using a vaginal smear or drawing blood from a vein.

Progesterone in dogs for mating (table)

Testing for progesterone in dogs is done through a blood test. Not all veterinary institutions perform this procedure, so you can go to a human hospital for testing. Based on the results obtained, we can conclude that the bitch is ready for mating.

Details in the table:

Possible problems

Even if you know how to breed dogs for the first time, you cannot exclude the possibility of certain difficulties arising:

After successful mating, it is recommended to monitor the bitch until the end of her heat. This is due to the fact that she can contact another male again, which will cause mixed offspring.

Happy family

On a note! Dogs are mated exclusively to produce purebred puppies. It is absolutely not worthwhile to carry out mating “for health”, since it will not bring any benefit.

Dog's first mating

Mating is carried out on the territory of the male; this is an exceptional rule. A male dog must feel like he is in charge of the situation, while females often behave aggressively towards trespassers. Small and medium-sized breeds can be kept in the apartment, having previously removed all objects that could interfere or break during the “mating games”. Large and giant dogs are bred outside, in a securely fenced area.

The “date” is scheduled for the morning; dogs must skip breakfast. Water should be left freely available, regardless of the time of year.

To facilitate the process of the first mating, experienced partners are selected - for an untied female, an experienced male and vice versa. But in any case, it is unacceptable to let the process take its course; the owners need to be constantly nearby in order to have time to help, if necessary.

Video - mating hairless dogs

Possible problems

In the process of meeting a breeding couple and direct mating, some difficulties may arise, which should not be alarmed, they can all be solved:

• Aggressive behavior of dogs . To avoid injury and bites, animals are muzzled.
• The male is shorter than the female . The hind legs of the male are placed either on a specially prepared stand, or improvised with improvised means.
• The female is not interested in the male . The male is brought from behind to the bitch, allowing him to sniff thoroughly. If this does not help, then you need to either change the male dog or conduct an ovulation test (perhaps the day is not suitable for mating).
• The dogs are tired . There are times when the process of flirting is delayed, and the animals simply get tired, in this case, you need to separate the couple for 1 - 2 hours and let them rest.
• When mounting a dog, the bitch should sit . In order not to injure the male’s penis, the owner places his knee under the female’s belly; for “ladies” who are too tall, a wide belt is thrown over the belly and held on top.

If you have very little experience in dog breeding, but you definitely need to breed a pair, you can ask for the help of a mating instructor; all canine organizations provide such services.

When is it possible for the first time?

Purely theoretically, the first mating in dogs can be carried out during the female’s first heat. But experienced dog handlers do not recommend breeding dogs at such an early age, since their body is not sufficiently developed, which can cause difficulties with bearing offspring and the birth process itself.

A female dog's first heat can begin as early as 6 months; mating is best done no earlier than 15-18 months. If mating is carried out for the first time, it is recommended to mate the dog with an experienced male. In this case, owners are recommended to introduce the animals first, as this will help facilitate the mating process itself and subsequent pregnancy. The optimal period for mating is the ovulation period in the female, which occurs on the 10-15th day of estrus.

How does mating happen?

1. After the “lady” meets the “gentleman”, a kind of courtship begins - the male can lick the face or ears, bite the withers, lick the vulva. If the female is completely ready for mating, she stands in a stance without outside help and exposes the noose to the male.
2. Then the boyfriend begins to mount - he puts his front paws on the lady’s rump. He grabs her by the “waist” and begins to make forward movements, trying to penetrate the penis into the vagina.
3. After the penis enters the vulva, ejaculation occurs, at which point the vaginal walls contract, keeping the male genitals inside . This process is called gluing (locking), it lasts from 2 - 3 minutes to 70 - 90 minutes. To make the procedure easier, the owners need help - the dog’s hind leg must be carefully folded over and the dogs placed back to back.

The female should not be allowed to sit; she can injure the male’s genitals. To ensure the reliability of fertilization, double mating is carried out after 12 – 48 hours.

Preparing the couple

Before mating, it is necessary to prepare both partners:

• Get tested for genetic diseases.
• Obtain permission to breed from an expert at the exhibition.
• Pass standards for working qualities (for breeds with working tests - shepherds, service dogs).
• Provide vaccines against rabies and other infectious diseases in advance.
• Get tested for genital tract infections.
• Carry out deworming (preferably twice with an interval of 10 - 14 days).

If there are incurable or genetic diseases, animals are excluded from breeding . All other health problems are resolved in advance; only completely healthy individuals are allowed to reproduce.

All manipulations are carried out in advance, as is the selection of a partner. In order not to miss an important moment and to be on time, the owners of the bitch need to keep a calendar of estrus, which will help them figure out when to expect the next one. A month before the intended mating, it is necessary to inform the owners of the male dog about your intentions to mate with their “boy”.

Technology and help for pets

To prevent force majeure, owners of both animals need to be alert to help their pets in mating. The most problematic matings are between very small and very large dogs, especially when the male is smaller than the female. In other cases, nature itself does its job.

Help from owners during insemination, if the day is chosen correctly, is minimal.:

1. If mating outside, in the cold season, you need to sprinkle the mating area with sand so that the dogs do not injure their paws.
2. Do not allow the female to sit down during cage and locking.
3. Give the gentleman a lift or put something under his hind legs if he is shorter than the lady.
4. Prevent skin injuries during aggressive attacks using a muzzle.

It may be necessary to direct the male's penis into the vulva if he cannot get there on his own.

What to do if it doesn't work out

If the owners followed all the recommendations, there should be no problems. But if suddenly, despite all efforts, fertilization does not occur, then there are several ways out of the situation:

• Use the services of a professional knitting instructor.
• Take the bitch's ovulation test again.
• Replace the male.
• Resort to artificial insemination.

Dogs, of course, are not capable of love in the human sense of the word. But it happens that a couple is chosen in such a way that the pets simply do not like each other and, having changed the gentleman, mating will happen in a few minutes.

Video - mating a wolf and a husky

At what age can a male and female be mated to produce offspring?

Dogs reach sexual maturity at 6–8 months, but this does not mean that they are ready to mate. Early mating adversely affects animals of both sexes. After the onset of the first heat, the bitch continues to develop the musculoskeletal system, internal organs, and establish hormonal balance.

In the event of pregnancy, the female’s body directs all resources to bearing offspring, and her own development is inhibited. She is not yet able to withstand the enormous stress associated with pregnancy, childbirth and feeding puppies. This is fraught with miscarriages, complicated childbirth, and the birth of unhealthy offspring.

Early mating for a male is not as dangerous as for a female, however, with the onset of puberty, the physiological development of the male is also not yet complete. There are few sperm in the semen, their activity is below normal, and mating may be ineffective. Many diseases manifest themselves in adulthood, so the risk of transmitting hidden diseases to offspring increases. RKF recommends breeding males of large breeds when they reach 18 months, medium breeds - 15 months, small breeds - 1 year.

Artificial mating in dogs

Artificial insemination is required when physical contact between animals is impossible due to some circumstances. The key link to the success of such fertilization is the day of ovulation; without a test for readiness to mate, there is no point in carrying out the procedure. There are 4 types of unnatural mating:

1. Surgical. Performed only by a doctor qualified as a surgeon. Has all the consequences of abdominal operations. The veterinarian injects the sperm into the uterus through an incision in the abdomen using a catheter.
2. Endoscopic. Performed by a veterinarian using an endoscope. Has a high success rate with minimal injury. It is carried out without anesthesia, therefore, it is not suitable for aggressive and hyperactive dogs.
3. Intrauterine. Produced by a veterinarian or qualified livestock specialist. Using special catheters, sperm is injected into the cervix or cervical canal of the uterus.
4. Vaginal. A simple method available to breeders, but it has the lowest percentage of positive results. Sperm is injected with a douche or a special syringe.

Sperm is used both fresh and frozen. It is more effective to use fresh; frozen is used only if the manufacturer is located abroad.

Possible difficulties

There are many difficulties on the path to successful fertilization. Owners may encounter:

• active resistance of the pet during insertion of the penis;
• lack of interest in mating on the part of the male or too early ejaculation;
• lack of a lock.

All these situations are solvable, but only with human intervention. This is especially true for untied animals.

Diagnosis of the result

The first month of pregnancy in dogs is almost asymptomatic. Toxicosis in bitches is extremely rare; the abdomen grows, but is practically not visible visually without measurements (a distinct enlargement of the abdomen is noticeable in multiple pregnancies).

By the end of the first month, the first signs appear:

• The mammary glands swell.
• The nipples become harder and brighter in color, and colostrum may leak when pressed.
• The abdomen is noticeably rounded.
• The expectant mother becomes more careful and sleeps more.
• Appetite increases.
• 7 – 10 before birth, you can clearly feel the puppies moving.

Earlier determinations of fertilization are available only to veterinarians; 3–4 weeks after mating, you can do an ultrasound diagnosis or take a blood test for relaxin (a hormone produced in pregnant women).

Key mating rules and advice from dog breeders

Basic (sometimes even unspoken) rules for breeding dogs among breeders:

1. Do not produce mestizos and phenotypes.
2. Do not breed sick animals.
3. Do not engage in inbreeding unless absolutely necessary.
4. Do not allow mentally unstable dogs to breed.

Another optional but important principle is not to mate large breeds that are too young, particularly females. Large and giant dogs mature psychologically and physiologically later than other breeds. Therefore, responsible breeders, who care about their sires and puppies, try to untie bitches closer to two years. Complete formation of the skeleton occurs later than the officially permitted mating age.

Agreement and Act of Dog Breeding

In breeding there is such a thing as the act of mating; this is a mandatory document, without which mating will be considered unscheduled. The data of the owners and their pets is entered into the act, and then certified by the nearest canine organization. A standard mating act can be found on the official website of the RKF or downloaded for free on our website. It is compiled in triplicate - for the owners and for the club, which will carry out the litter verification and issue pedigrees.

Cynological organizations do not control payments for mating, so that there are no disagreements among the owners, experienced breeders recommend drawing up an additional agreement, which will spell out all the rights and obligations of the parties.

Sample of filling out a dog mating certificate

For an inexperienced dog breeder, it is better to contact the nursery where the puppy was purchased for all questions regarding mating and related documents. Breeders are always happy to help their “children” both in selecting a pair and in preparing pedigrees. After all, this is an opportunity for them to know that everything is fine with their charges.

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