Live Life Team
In order to breed you will need to have a bitch in season and a suitable stud dog. It can be hard to tell if your bitch is ready to mate; sometimes the only sure way to tell is to put her with the stud dog and see what happens. If the stud lives far away, this may not be practical, so keeping an eye on the progress of the heat cycle can help you get the two of them together at the right time.
Your bitch will be ready to mate about 10-14 days after the first spots of blood appear. You’ll need to have a good look at her behind every day and keep careful notes, especially if you are not quite sure what you’re looking for. Knowing when she went into heat will also help you estimate the date the puppies are due.
If you can, introduce the stud to your bitch beforehand to make sure that they don’t have a personality clash. That way you won’t have to scrabble around looking for another stud if they are not compatible or miss the opportunity and have to wait for the next cycle. All being well, you can put the two of them together and let them mate. If possible (and if they are willing) allow them to mate again the next day (and the third day too). This way you will increase the chances of pregnancy. Once it’s all over, you will just have to wait and see.
