Hi guys, I just have a few questions.

I've been breeding Golden Retrievers for a while, and they've been largely successful in welcoming healthy and happy puppies that adjust well to their forever homes. I've recently widened my plate with German Shepherds.

My GSD bitch is 3 years of age, and has been bred twice before to no conception.

Some things to note:
1. She cycles every 4.5 months, which is below average generally but it's quite common in the breed so no problems there.
2. She's healthy and maintained monthly by a vet since she was born. All my dogs are maintained monthly so I'm confident with her health.
3. She mates on the proper dates indicated by vaginal cytology as well as ovulation strips.
4. We mated her 3 times in a cycle on her optimum days.
5. She shows pregnancy indications like being lovey dovey and getting her morning sickness. She also gets mucus discharges and milk on her supposed 8th to 9th week. But upon palpation, no puppies.
6. On cycles that we dont breed her, she DOES NOT show these pregnancy indicators. No appetite changes, no mucus, no milk.
7. She is super active and does everything with a jump. She is a jumper and regardless of how I do things with her, she will jump off her kennel, she would run about and chase things when we do walks, she jumps when she greets people, she's a jumper which I fear is the culprit for her inability to have pups. I've been pretty careful with the people that go to her so she doesn't get excited and jump. She still does with every doorbell or car that drives in our garage.
8. My vet says he finds no reason for her to not be able to conceive. Although he is concerned about the 4.5 month interval between her heat cycles. He is also concerned about her hyper-ness.

Hoping for your thoughts. I'm thinking of breeding her one last time to see if it's the jumping that's the culprit. I'm planning on putting a sort of ceiling that is lower in all the places she roams around in (kennel, garage, kitchen, yard) so she won't jump.

Also could it be that given she shows pregnancy signs when we do mate her, that she does conceive but does not maintain the puppies due to her hyperactivity? Seeing that she shows no signs of pregnancy on cycles we don't breed her, I'm left with an inference that she did get pregnant before which is why her body shows it despite losing the puppies.

If she does not conceive, I'm open to spaying her and having her as my baby girl because she is a terrific pet.

I have had very active an playful bitches and no problems carrying pups.

It is more likely that through infection (herpes perhaps) or hormonal imbalance,s eh is failing to maintain pregnancy.

If you have used the same stud each time it could be there is some incompatibility between them resulting in pups being no viable.

I'd try another dog, use the herpes vaccine, and avoid her being in heat when pregnant.  I would also progesterone blood test to ensure she is in fact ovulating..

Thanks Brainless,

With Canine Herpes, we don't have that here in the Philippines, last time I researched.
We did use different studs on the times we bred her.

Will check hormones with my vet.

One of my girls was a real jumper.  Even greeting me would jump 6 foot into the air and never had any problems conceiving and having pups.  I would go with blood testing as I feel that's more reliable.

Hmmm. With my previous mating we mated on days 11, 13, and 15.

With the second mating, we did daily pre-mate test pads, those ovu pads that supposedly turn dark when LH surge is about to happen.
That was day 20 already.

Any thoughts on the timing of the previous matings?

In my breed I have never had a fertile mating before day 15 and my last two bitches have been later than that one at days 18 - 2.

Most failures to get a bitch pregnant are down to timing so doing proper progesterone testing would be wise this time.

Litters are bred from working dogs all the time - gundogs, agility, police dogs, working trials etc - and they all live very active lives which include jumping so wouldn't have thought that would be the cause of not conceiving.

If she is really hyper is she an ideal dog to breed from? A friend of mine had a hyper GSD and it was a nightmare and flipping hard work, I wuld be looking for a calm temperament not hyper, that for me would be asking for trouble.  I thought my puppy 'monster' staff x was bad enough, and he is nowhere near hyper, just a bit bitey. Just a thought. Maybe it is her hyperness that is the problem, and perhaps it's not a good idea to pass that on. I would be worried the pups would all come back if they inherited that temperament!  No offence intended.

I'm not sure that I'd interprete

Steady of nerve, loyal, self-assured, courageous and tractable. Never nervous, over-aggressive or shy.

as

"She is super active and does everything with a jump. She is a jumper and regardless of how I do things with her, she will jump off her kennel, she would run about and chase things when we do walks, she jumps when she greets people, she's a jumper.  I've been pretty careful with the people that go to her so she doesn't get excited and jump. She still does with every doorbell or car that drives in our garage. "

That's certainly not the typical temperament that I would expect if I bought a German Shepherd puppy. :(

Sounds very Malinois like -they don't know they have four legs,  only need their front two, and I have puppy buyers telling me their dogs don't have legs but springs. :) I wouldn't say any breed standard REALLY tells the full story. With any breed that has a celar split between working and show lines I'd imagine you can get hyper dogs in the working ones.

> Sounds very Malinois like -they don't know they have four legs,  only need their front two,

? they do handstands?

there are lots of dogs out there that are hyper and I personally know of several ( although not GSDs) that have conceived and had their litters normally. I have to say I doubt it is the jumping around that is causing the problem. a pregnancy is usually well protected from the activities of the mother.

Has she been progesterone tested to ensure matings are taking place at the optimum time? Has the bitch actually been seen to be in whelp with a scan? If you mate her again I would  do progesterone testing and then scan at 4-5 weeks to see if there are any puppies there. this is the only way to be certain if she is actually conceiving as opposed to having a phantom.

? they do handstands?

LOL I must have been tired!! :D

I very much doubt it's the jumping; working and agility dogs successfully give birth all the time, many working for a large chunk of their pregnancy.

I've had two very successful litters from one of my girls mating on days 6 and 8, she gave birth exactly 60 days from the second mating which proved to me that my boy knew she had ovulated on day 6. I've also had one girl in the past who mated successfully on day 18; it really does depend on the girl and remember girls can differ at each season.

It does sound as though her hormones are unable to carry the pups to term though as you say she doesn't get any pseudo pregnancy signs if she isn't mated, I'd get her hormone tested. I take it the stud is proven?

A lot don't like the ovulation pads but I tried them once whilst also progesterone testing. Both indicated that she was ovulating at the same time...I didn't have my boy to tell me back then. Hardly a scientific study but it was interesting all the same.

Good luck!