i have a bitch we have mated her 3times now, on 3 different heats. the last time was 50 days ago. she is showing no signs of being in pup. do you think she is infetile. i dontknow what to do. do i take her to the vets for tests? any thoughts appreciated.

Have you used the same stud dog each time?  A friend of mine had a bitch she mated twice to the same boy and each time failed to get pregnant, mated her to a different dog on the 3rd and final attempt and she had a lovely litter of 7.

Did you blood test your female? you could have got the days wrong if not,

Don't give up with her.  We have a girl who was mated to three different stud dogs over three years, we travelled the length and breadth of the country (all proven, including one of our own) she had progesterone tests every time and we couldn't get her in whelp.  When she came in season we said that this would be the last try, at the beginning of the month she had 8 puppies, all big strong and healthy.

no i didnt get her tested as i spoke to 2vets and 3 breeders and they all said not to bother as they arent 100% accurate. on the first 2times i mated her with the same dog, but the 3rd time i used another. is there a test  i can do to test her fertility? im beggining to think that having her tested wouldve been a good idea even if it isnt 100%. :(

Have a word with this guy www.fitandfertile.com he will advise you, also next season get your vet to swab your female inside, she may have an infection you arent aware of, then she could give the correct antibiotics if needed, we give antibiotics when in season, also the pre-mate test (which for us has never failed us),  and when mated the canine herpes vaccination, best of luck for a litter in the future, im sure you will get there x

thanks for the advice. i feel like im the only person that has a bitch that wont catch!. will do everything you said. many thanks :)

I'd use the Idex test next time to make sure that you're mating her on the right day before involving with drugs or more invasive investigations. :)

how do i go about getting an idex test? just searched for it and dint find anything. is idex a shortened name?

Idexx laboratory link.

thanks for all your help everyone. feel a bit better about it now. just spoke to the stud owner and he said she has a funny shaped vagina, would that effect it?

Did they tie when mated?

yep every time on every mate. on the last heat she was mated three times and tied well on all of them

> i spoke to 2vets and 3 breeders and they all said not to bother as they aren't 100% accurate.

The premate kits that show if the bitch is ovulating with a colour chart are not as accurate as an elisa test where they read the levels of hormone accurately.  the latter are very accurate, but of course they c an only base their advise on what the average hormone levels are for bitches at ovulation.

It is the latter test they use for timing AI, and in the USA they have a very high level of success with AI as it is used far more routinely than her.

In fact I know of no US breeder that doesn't have progesterone tests (be they premate kit of full lab Elisa).

Some bitches can ovulate as early as in the first week and some don't ovulate until after 21 days
I have never had a bitch miss more than once so have not bothered routinely testing mine, but certainly would if a bitch had missed twice.

I did use the test on a  bitch that was difficult to get mated so that In would know what was going on, and the test was spot of, ans I got 4 pups, by persisting on persuading her to co-operate.

If your using the same dog his fertility needs checking.

I would try the Idexx pre mate test to check see if she is ovulating, plus the antibiotics, good luck x keep us posted.

Have you noticed any symptoms of her missing, ie discharge etc.

Swabs can be usful with discharges so the appropriate AB's can be given next time round.

on the 3 seperate occassions was the matings done around the same time ie: days 13-15?

Have you tried covering her season with AB's, one of my girls missed 3 times on the trot too and on our final attempt we covered her whole season with synulox and got 7 bouncing babies, may just be coincidence but it worked for us so just a thought. She also had a late mating on the final attempt too at day 20 so could of been incorrect timing even though she had good ties on all matings before.

You have had good advice here.  I would take her to vet as soon as she starts her next season and get her swabbed for infection.  Use Idexx for testing to see when she ovulates and also use the CHV - see current thread.  Make sure the stud dog you're going to use has recently sired at least one reasonably sized litter.
I had difficulty getting a bitch in whelp a few years back and followed this regime and now do so every time.
Re - vagina, well if she doesn't have a litter after this, she may well have an infertility problem.
Wishing you luck.

I used Idexx with my Lana just over a year ago (pups will be one next month yay).  She had missed by two dogs previously and this was her last chance as I got permission from the KC to try again as she was now 8 years of age.  We got three wonderful pups from it, maybe the best I've bred, and it was worth the wait. 

Don't give up but I would go the Idexx way which was recommended by the guy who deals with infertility mentioned above.