Having a litter of puppies can be a very rewarding experience, but it is also a great deal of work. Getting your dog bred, whelping the litter, and raising the pups until they are ready for their new homes is a time consuming process that lasts for several weeks. Even though dogs have been successfully having puppies with little or no human intervention for thousands of years, many things can and often do go wrong when nature is left to simply take its course. In this issue we will take a look at some of the best ways to get a successful breeding resulting in a happy, healthy, well socialized litter.

Producing a litter of pups is basically a three stage process that includes (1) getting the female bred, (2) caring for the expectant mother through whelp (or birth) of the litter, and (3) raising the puppies until they are ready to go to their new homes. The entire process from mating to sending the puppies to their new homes takes about four months assuming that you release the pups at seven weeks of age.

The first challenge that you will face along the way is getting the female bred. A dog can only become pregnant while she is ovulating, or in “heat”. Unlike humans, who ovulate monthly, dogs ovulate, or go into season approximately every six to seven months. This time can vary greatly between individuals. I once owned a female who only came into season every fifteen months. A normal heat cycle will last about 21 days, and there are two options for breeding your dog during this time. It can be done naturally by simply putting the male and female together and letting nature take its course, or it can be done artificially through either vaginal or surgical insemination.

According to Dr. Lee Payne of the Animal Clinic of Oxford, Mississippi, “the first indication that a female is coming into season is vaginal bleeding and swelling. The typical female will have a red, bloody discharge for about a week. During the second week of the heat cycle the bleeding will become more serous (watery) as ovulation occurs. At this point the female will become receptive to breeding. If you are going to breed naturally, on average you should try to get two or three matings between day 7 and day 14. After day 14 bleeding will usually continue for a few days until the heat cycle ends at the end of the third week”.

Obviously, for a natural breeding both the sire and dam must be available once she goes into heat. After the heat cycle commences, breeding the female can be as simple as putting her with the male on day 9 or 10. However, for optimal results Dr. Payne recommends that progesterone (or hormone) testing be done on the female after the heat cycle begins. Dr. Payne states that “certain hormonal changes take place during the heat cycle. Using a simple blood test we can monitor the changing hormone levels and accurately predict exactly when ovulation will occur and when the female should be bred”.

If for some reason a natural mating is not possible breeding still can occur through artificial insemination. Should the stud dog be available a vaginal insemination can be done using fresh or chilled semen. If the male is not available surgical insemination can be done using frozen semen. If frozen or chilled semen is being used, progesterone testing is a must due to the fact that cooling the semen significantly shortens its effective life.