I've been reading and following posts for quite some while , now it is my turn to ask for your knowledgeable opinions .

After lots of thought and research We have decided the time is right to try for a litter of our own , we looked long and hard for the perfect stud who would compliment our bitch . We are more than happy with him and his owners .

Anyway - to cut a long story short , the time eventually arrived and we went to visit the stud (we have stayed with them for a week due to the very long distance between us)

We haven't managed to achieve a tie , only slip matings - being new to breeding what do I class as a "true" slip mating ?

Details : 3 slip matings , (girl very very squirmy and vocal) dog very attentive and gentle - the best of all slip mates so to speak was the 3rd one where he thrusted for a couple of minutes then he turned himself around with a little help from us we managed to keep them together for a minute maximum . After they are apart it is quite clear to see his bulbous gland is swollen and he stays erect for a good 15-20 minutes dripping fluid on the floor .

Do we consider this as a mating and possibly hold on to a chance of our bitch being in whelp ? What are the chances after our experience ?

if you are still at the studs i would keep trying for a mating with a tie, though the last one may well be classed as a mating if he was in close contact for a minute.

Sometimes you get slips when the bitch isn't quite ready, so I would keep trying until the bitch is no longer cooperative.

Ok thank you brainless we have a few more days before we head of on our journey home so we will see what happens .

It's very difficult to keep them both still with such a wriggly bitch , so I'm sure we will experience a few more interesting nights ahead of us :)

If the boy turns too soon it can stop the tie forming so it is best to gently hold him in place/restrain him after he stops thrusting for a half minute before allowing/helping him to turn.