Breeding Your Female Dog: Things To Know

Wednesday, February 1, 2012, 17:13

Your female dog is just like your daughter, precious and protected by you. So extra care has to be taken while breeding your dog if it happens to be a 'she'. When dogs are in heat, they get desperate to mate. This is a signal to you that your dog has reached puberty and you need give some serious thought to its breeding needs. Not all owners are very knowledgeable about pet breeding but you have to gather all the information that you can before going ahead because your pet is a female.

Here are some aspects you need to consider and know about before you take your dog for breeding.

Points To Remember About Dog Breeding:

1. From the very first year of her life your female dog will have a reproductive phase called the 'heat period'. It is similar to the ovulation period in human beings. Luckily this happens only twice a year for dogs because they get really difficult to handle during this period.

2. Canines reach puberty quickly so your female dog's periods (menstruation) will start from the 8th month to the 1st year of her life. Breeding before this time is not advisable.

3. You must let two 'heat periods' pass before mating your dog. This rule stands for small and medium sized dogs like pugs and spaniels. For larger dog breeds the number will increase to 3 cycles if you want your female dog to bear healthy puppies.

4. When your dog is in heat, she will start secreting a whitish liquid from her genitals. She has no control over it (hormones you know) so it will drip around. Do not reprimand her in this delicate stage. Fold up all carpets and cover up furniture with plastic sheets.

5. At this time she will become troublesome to walk around with because male dogs (unfortunately for you even the stray ones) pick up the scent of her discharge. She is not yet ready to mate so she will resist them vehemently and you too need to assist her by driving her tormentors away.

6. In the second stage of the heat phase, the discharge turns reddish; she will become coy and flirtatious and might even enjoy feeling around with her male counter parts. This is still not the right time for breeding your pet so keep an eye on her.

7. The 11th to the 14th day of her heat period is the best for her to conceive. If you are serious about breeding your dog then you have to take her to a dog breeder during this time. Unless you are trying a cross breed of good quality, you should ideally mate her with a dog of the same breed.

8. A dog hospital or breeder's is mandatory for proper breeding because she will have the comfort being mated by one dog and not mobbed by many.

Use these tips for breeding your dog responsibly.