# Breeding confusion



## dogman22 (Feb 5, 2014)

so i am ready to breed my bitch. this will be my first breeding. and yes she is schh 3 and ipo3. with ofa hips a normal. 

i reached out to a kennel for a stud. and he has a great stud. he told me to drop of my bitch at the 9 day mark. estrous/standing heat. which i did. but she was not flagging. i left her there for 4 days. (day 9-14)

he told me "they tied" but i really dont know if hes telling the truth. the contract will guarantee that there will be a puppies. if it doesnt happen now, then come back next heat but the thing is. he lives 5 hrs away from my location. i cant simply afford the time to travel to and fro. as i have done 4 times already. and i work full time

so it is now day 17 into the heat cycle. and she is barely beginning to flag. 

what should i do?

take her back? or take his word for it and wait?

i can train a dog but i know very little about breeding. any help with be appreciated.


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## doggiedad (Dec 2, 2007)

why would you breed your dog if you know
very little about breeding?


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## Chris Wild (Dec 14, 2001)

Take her to the vet and get progesterone drawn. That will tell you where she is in the process and if she has ovulated. Bitches can vary widely at what time during their heat cycle they are ready for breeding. She may not have been ready yet when she was at the stud owner's, so even if they did "get a tie" it may not have done any good. Progesterone testing now may help answer that.

In the future, it is always a good idea to do progesterone testing prior to going to the stud. Especially if it requires travel. Having to drive all over the country to get your bitch to the right stud is part and parcel of being a breeder. However it makes sense to minimize the time away and ensure you're going at the right time in her cycle, and it is worth it to spend some money on progesterone testing and planning when to travel based on those than to try to guess at when she will be ready to breed.


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## hunterisgreat (Jan 30, 2011)

What chris said, and if you can't travel, have a vet do an AI


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## holland (Jan 11, 2009)

Wouldn't AI be more expensive than travelling-although guess that depends on where you are travelling to


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## qbchottu (Jul 10, 2011)

Do progesterone first - there is no guessing then. Some females will exhibit flagging behavior the entire time or some very minimally so I wouldn't necessarily rely on behavior alone to indicate ovulation. If time and travel is an issue, progesterone should be done for sure. Take her in for brucellosis while you are at it. Get guidance from the your vet as you go through the process. 

I also recommend getting the Leerburg whelping video as it goes through the entire process in fairly good detail. This is a pretty serious process and your bitch's life is potentially on the line so be sure all is in order beforehand. Good luck to you.


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## Saxony (Mar 29, 2013)

Next time you set up a breeding, ask for a picture of the tie.


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## dogman22 (Feb 5, 2014)

everyone has to start somewhere. i did as much research as i could. i talked and collaborated with as many reputable breeders as i could reach. being it is my first time. im still excited/anxious/nervous all at the same time. 

ive seen and assisted in dozens of whelps but this is my very first. the kennel that im working with, they can barely speak english. ive tried my best to translate and work around this problem. but when i talk to them its like he completely understands me, but when he tries to answer, its like hes from mars.


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## dogman22 (Feb 5, 2014)

thanks. this is what i did. and i took her back to the kennel and waited for a tie. thanks!


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