Hi everyone,

My small breed girl is 4 years old and this will be her second litter but first with me, the stud is pretty experienced. My girlie started flagging on day 5, which surprised me but since they were both very keen I decided to trust them and let them breed then. He mated her again the next day, and then seemed to cool off her despite her very flirty behavior. I assumed this meant she must've gone over and he knew his work was done, she was still as keen as ever. However a week later on day 13 he woke me up in the middle of the night howling and desperately trying to get at her. She was standing with her rear pressed against her crate door! By morning it was pretty clear by his behavior that he thought the time was NOW, so I put the first two matings down to her just being a terrible flirt and they have bred every day since then for the last 5 days (not sure if it's relevant but the first two ties were 15 minutes and every tie after has been over 30 minutes) and she is still flagging and flirting with him. I am just a bit confused as to why they've mated within such a wide time scale, were the first two times just for fun?! My gut feeling is that she has just ovulated over the last few days, I didn't feel that she was ready the first two times although she was more than happy to be bred! Anyone else had a bitch like this? Would it be sensible to count from the day 13 mating? How long should I let them continue? I can't imagine her saying "enough!" any time soon!

Yes I've had a bitch just like this. She mated with the dog the moment they met (they were staying with each other, commonly done in this toybreed), within 5 minutes on day 3 or so, then the next day again, then all went quiet until about day 12 when they went mad for it again. I ended up having to restrict the matings as it was a case of otherwise mating 3-4 times a day, every day. Only bitch like this I've had, others that have been living with the stud dog have mated for 4-5 days, once or twice a day during that time only. But then I've only had a total of 4 occasions when the dog and bitch have stayed in the same house for the mating, for the entire season.

My experiances with girls is we had a girl already had 1 litter 18 months before, stood for our boy on day 4 caught us off guard, then they both seamed to settle after 8 days later they tied again again very quick by the time it took me to get up he was tied, so she was shipped off to my parents she came back, 3 weeks and 2 days from first blood, tested them out with each other no intrest from either of them though i was safe, next moring took daughter to school came back in the door to find them tied again, she had her litter 62 days from middle mating with 2 very obvious smaller pups. Different girl went to stud dogs had 2 good matings 2 days apart and she missed, next season we decided to try his son she went to stay with the stud dog we both agreed let them do it when they wanted for as long as she would stand first tie at 10 days then once a day untill day 18 i reconed we would of had another mating the day after if it had not been xmas eve the day i picked her up on day 18, my male was again shipped off to parents when she came home just to make sure he didnt get to her, tryed him at 3 weeks from first blood and she tryed standing for him he ended up staying at my parents untill 5 weeks after first blood just to make sure. i think after they have had a litter or have been mated they are more eager to mate and in future i will test so we dont end up with a huge time range for pups to be born.

Thanks, glad mine isn't the only one who can't enough of her stud boy! They are both very chilled today and neither is interested in the other at all, so she has gone over now I think. He will be going home tomorrow. Feels like I have to wait years now until I can get her scanned! Fingers crossed...x