Mating plays a major role in dog breeding

Planning a litter is incredibly exciting, and when the right male is found, it feels as if everything falls into place – you get that bubbling feeling in your stomach that this is exactly the right choice. Waiting for the female’s heat to begin is often impatient and sometimes stressful. Once the heat starts, the next step is waiting for the so‑called “prime days,” when the female is ready to be mated. What adds to the stress is figuring out how to arrange time off from work for the mating trip, as well as practical matters like organizing care for the dogs staying at home.

Usually, the female’s owner travels to the male for mating, but nothing prevents the male’s owner from bringing the dog to the female instead. I have often had the male stay with us either for a few months or just a couple of days for the mating. Sometimes I’ve travelled to the male and brought him home with me if the timing turned out to be a bit too early.

Sometimes the bitch has other ideas about the sire

Choosing a male is such a broad topic that I’ll write a separate blog post about it later. Here, however, I want to mention that even if the breeder has chosen a male for the female, it may happen that the female does not accept the selected suitor. I remember a case when my sister had two Tibetan Terrier sisters. She had chosen an older, handsome male for one of them – he was our mother’s last homebred dog, with many valuable qualities worth preserving and a wonderful pedigree full of classic old Finnish lines, even though he himself had not been shown in dog shows. Fortunately, the first female to be mated was the one this old gentleman had been chosen for. At the time, I lived next door to the male and had a miniature poodle male of my own. My sister came to pick me up with her female, and she had already started flirting with Ville, my poodle – they would certainly have begun their love games if allowed. We were sure the timing was right. But when we arrived at the intended male, the female showed no interest in him at all, even though the male was eager. My sister had to change her breeding plans on the spot. Luckily, the other sister was more enthusiastic, and we were able to preserve the valuable genes of the old gentleman after all.

Just like in humans, animals have many subtle factors, such as pheromones, that influence which partner feels suitable. I believe these should be respected in dog breeding, and a female should never be forced to mate if she does not accept the male. Usually the reason is incorrect timing, but sometimes there may be something “off” about the other dog – temporary muscle or joint pain, physiological abnormalities – or the combination simply isn’t meant to happen. In nature, males put great effort into gaining the chance to reproduce, and many species have their own rituals to attract the female. Based on this, I believe it matters for dogs as well whether the female accepts the male. Although artificial insemination and frozen semen offer new possibilities, I hope they remain the minority and that most litters continue to begin through natural mating.

Timing is important

Determining the correct mating time is a science of its own. Some breeders rely entirely on progesterone tests, but I see them as a helpful tool – I wouldn’t put all the weight on numbers alone, but rather trust the female’s behavior. Heat begins with proestrus, when the vulva swells and bleeding starts. The female becomes more playful, and especially in a group of females, they often engage in “train play.” Even though females may mount each other, it doesn’t necessarily mean mating with a male would succeed. When proestrus transitions into estrus, the vulva softens and the discharge becomes lighter in color. Some females have so little discharge that it’s barely noticeable – especially if the female keeps herself very clean. So the color of the discharge is not always a reliable indicator of the right mating time.

The correct mating time is when the vulva has softened enough for mating to succeed. This can happen about 7–21 days after the heat begins, but exceptions exist. Sometimes it’s hard to know exactly when the heat started, so counting days isn’t always accurate. Usually the female will offer herself to the male when the moment is right. If she is not ready yet, she may play with the male and even stand for him, but at the moment of mounting she will sit down or pull away. In that case, more time is needed. A female may also behave this way if she hasn’t had enough time to get to know the male. If play and time together don’t help, it’s best to wait. If the attempt was in the morning, try again in the afternoon, and vice versa. If the right time passes, you’ll notice – the female becomes immediately cranky toward the male.

When the magic happens

When the timing is right, the stars align, and the male is in good condition, mating succeeds. It’s best to choose a mat or carpet as the surface so the dogs have better footing. However, don’t choose the most expensive oriental rug, as it may get stained. At the end of mating, the male and female become “tied” when the semen has been transferred. At this stage, it’s important to hold the female and monitor the male. Often the male wants to turn so the dogs stand back‑to‑back, but this is not necessary. They may remain tied for 10–60 minutes, sometimes more or less. With our apsos, the time has usually been around 15 minutes, but it varies.

Sometimes the male does not tie, but the semen may still have been transferred. This should be kept in mind if one assumes the mating failed and decides to switch males. In such cases, it’s best to DNA‑test the puppies to confirm the father. I know cases where the first male turned out to be the sire according to DNA testing.

After mating, once the dogs have separated, it’s best to wait a couple of hours before letting the female outside to relieve herself. That’s why it’s good to walk her thoroughly before mating. It’s also important to ensure the male’s penis has time to return to normal. Mating is physically demanding for the male, and as a canine massage therapist, I recommend a calm, restorative walk afterward to activate muscle metabolism. A massage for the male can be scheduled no earlier than the next day. The female, however, should not be taken to a massage therapist until the puppies are weaned and milk production has stopped. Instead, the female should be pampered throughout pregnancy – from mating to whelping and nursing – so the puppies receive as many feel‑good hormones as possible. Our females are lapdogs and enjoy closeness and petting daily anyway. During pregnancy, we do all the things they especially love.

How many times should a female be mated? I usually mate only once successfully, but the general recommendation is 1–4 times. Four times is clearly too much in my opinion. Since sperm survives in the uterus for several days, there’s no need to mate every day – at least one rest day should be included. If the timing has been assessed well, the female often won’t accept mating again after several days, let alone a week. Mating always carries a risk of infection, so unnecessary matings should be avoided.

I wish all breeders the best of luck with winter and spring matings – may you get wonderful litters! Here at Yarmilan Kennel, we are focusing this winter and spring on training Ruth, who stayed with us from our last litter, to become a well‑mannered canine citizen. So this time we did not mate anyone from the heats that just ended. We are planning our next litters for the heats beginning in late summer and for next autumn.

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