When to breed female - Page 1

I plan on taking my female up to Canada to be bred in her next heat cycle. From the day you start noticing her heat beginning when is the best time to let the male and female together to insure best odds of pregnancy. The male's owner said I could leave the female up there and he would breed her as many times as the male and female want so any suggestions on when to start, stop or how many times so as not to harm either of them. Ana

Ana, Unless you are doing progestrone levels there is not anyway to pinpoint the day when the female will be ready to breed. The normal is about 10 to 12 days in to her cycle but this may vary greatly depending on the female. If the female is sent to the kennel the stud owner can test this. A female will flag and accept the male when she is ready. I would say after you notice the first signs of heat cycle beginning you could wait at least five to six days before sending her and be safe. Marlene

Thank you Alabamak9. What can I provide him with to test the progesterone level? How does he test it and what are you looking for? He is not a breeder but he has a great male I wish to stud so I want to make everything as easy as possible for him.

ANA, It is a blood test done on your female, Take your female in your vets office and tell him/her you are going to breed this dog and want to know were she is in her cycle and they will know what to do and how to advise you.

Ana, the bitch must visit a veterinarian so that a blood sample can be drawn. Most veterinary offices do not have the equipment to test the progesterone level, so they usually send it off-site for an evaluation by the next afternoon. This may need to be done more than once. Additionally, most stud male owners demand to see a recent test for the presence of brucellosis. Again, the veterinarian can take the sample, but must usually send it away for testing. The female will ususally start flagging when she approaches a progesterone level of "2" or "3" and is ready for conception at the level of "4". Usually if the level is determined to be "2" it's time to pack your bags. The time period from "2" to "4" can be as little as three (3) days, or as many as six (6). As Marlene said, different bitches are different. She may remain at "4" for as many as three (3) or four (4) days before the level continues to climb. If this is her first breeding, then before you make your travel arrangements you should take your bitch to your veterinarian for a minor checkup, and have the first blood sample drawn. He should also check her vulva for the presence of a stricture, a rare but easily-solved problem. Good Luck, Bob-O

YOU NEED TO WATCH YOUR FEMALE CLOSELY. MARK DOWN ON YOUR CALENDER THE FIRST DAY SHE SPOTS BLOOD, AND YOU CAN TEST HER 10-12 DAYS FROM THEN TO SEE IF SHE IS READY. YOU CAN CHECK HER WITH A PROVEN MALE DOG, IF SHE FLAGS HER TAIL (MEANING SHE RAISES HER TAIL UP WHEN HE SNIFFS THERE) ALL BREEDERS DO IT DIFFERENTLY IF YOU CANT BE THERE ID MAKE SURE THE DOGS ARE NOT LEFT ALONE TO BREED ! THERE ARE MANY THINGS THAT CAN GO WRONG IF NOT SUPERVISED BREEDING. A PROGESTERONE TEST SIMPLY TELLS YOU WHERE SHES AT IN HER HEAT CYCLE, THE BEST DAY FOR HER TO BE BRED SO SHE'LL CONCEIVE. GOOD LUCK!

So would there be a problem if I left her there and his male was allowed to breed to her for 1 or 2 weeks or as much as both he and she wanted.

Ana, there would not be a problem leaving the female there for an extended period. As a matter of fact, it is best to let the dogs become acquainted with each other before the breeding begins. If it is an experienced male, he will know when to start breeding. Once he begins, he should be allowed to breed her once each day until she will no longer receive him. This may go on for four (4) days or so. If the male is inexperienced, the progesterone test will provide some insight into when he had better be made ready, as he may need a bit of assistance from the breeder or a veterinarian for the first time. The first mating should definitely be observed to make sure there not a serious dog fight, and that a tie occurs. If it goes well then he should be allowed to repeat this once each day. Ed Frawley has an excellent article on his website at this address: http://www.leerburg.com/hormone.htm Bob-O The progesterone level test is a great tool when you have a narrow time window for the use of a stud male who is heavily booked, and you yourself have limited time. Or when you have a bitch who has never been bred, and you need some clues to her cycle pattern.

Yes, it could hurt his male and your female. MANY expert breeders have told me, that usually three times, over a period of 5 days, SHOULD be sufficiant. Breeding is rather hard on the dogs, even though they both want to. AND NEVER LEAVE THEM ALONE, thats when problems happen, she pulls away, and breaks the bone, and he is almost useless as a stud. I breed Goldens right now (for 6 years) and am getting into shepherds, so this advice is from both experiance and from talking to top breeders. Yes, a progesterone test is VERY helpfull, and I use it occasionally for first time females. Now my females are regular, I don't use it. If you have any questions, or want the names of the breeders I got this information from, please feel free to email me, Krista Blue-Skye Kennels blueskyekennels@msn.com