Dog Heat Cycle and Breeding

The dog heat cycle and breeding procedure is a bit more complicated than some people realize. Learn more about it right here.

Although it may seem like dogs can turn up pregnant in the wink of an eye, it's actually a fairly complicated process. Just ask any breeder who has repeatedly tried and failed to produce a litter from her champion bitch; sometimes things just don't go according to plan.

Dog breeding is all about the timing. Let's take a closer look at the biological issues behind the process.

Simply put, estrus is a bitch's fertile time, generally referred to as a heat cycle or season. The first heat cycle typically takes place between six and nine months old, but slower maturing breeds may not experience a first heat until twelve to eighteen months of age.

A normal heat cycle lasts approximately three weeks. In the beginning stages, known as proestrus, a bitch's vulva begins to swell, and you may notice her licking herself more than usual. Male dogs will also begin sniffing her more as her hormones start to produce a scent that signals she is coming into breeding condition.

Very soon after the vulva begins to swell, the bitch will begin to produce a bloody discharge. The amount will vary from one bitch to the next, so it may or may not be noticeable.

Sometime around nine to twelve days, the color of the discharge lightens to a pinkish-tan color, and it's usually around this time, referred to as estrus, that the vulva softens and eggs are released from the ovaries. At this point you may notice your bitch flirting with other dogs; this is a sign she is ready to accept a male's advances.

If the heat cycle is allowed to continue uninterrupted, by the third week, the discharge begins to look bloody again. The amount will trail off until the cycle has concluded with anestrus.

On average, a healthy bitch comes into season every six months. However, this can vary, and some bitches only cycle once a year while others come into season on a quarterly basis. Quite often, bitches that come in quarterly are not fertile every season.

Look for these signals that your bitch is ready to be bred.

• General flirty/affectionate behavior
• Tail held high and flagging
• Pushing up rear when petted on the back
• Willingness to stand and present vulva
• Color change in discharge from red to pinkish-tan

Breeding usually takes place naturally without any human intervention beyond introducing the dam to the stud. However, when one or both of the dogs involved have never been bred before, a little direction may be required.

Typically, the male dog will become very excited when introduced to a receptive bitch, sniffing and licking at her vulva. Very quickly he will mount her rear quarter and begin to thrust. When all goes as nature has designed, he will penetrate the bitch, causing two glands directly behind the penis to swell considerably.

In response, the bitch's vulva will clamp around this swelling; this situation is referred to as a tie, and is the moment when the dog and bitch become "stuck" together. This period typically lasts from fifteen to thirty minutes, and it is at this point that sperm are being delivered to waiting eggs.

If the breeding has been successful and the bitch conceives, she will deliver her pups between 58 and 63 days later.

If you have no intention of breeding your bitch, there are two courses of action you can take.

• To simply ensure your bitch isn't bred on a given season, keep her confined from males for the entire three weeks of her heat cycle.
• To permanently prevent your bitch from being bred, have her spayed. This procedure can be carried out as young as four months of age, before your bitch ever goes through her first cycle.

There you have the basic explanation of a dog heat cycle and breeding. If you want to learn more about the next stage, visit LoveToKnow Dogs' article about the Signs Of Dog Pregnancy. Also be sure to visit the LTK Dogs Forum: Breeder's Corner..

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