I just wondered about other bitch owners experiences.  Until this year, I have never managed to 'miss' my bitches with matings, and now I've done it repeatedly!! LOL

I progesterone test with CAPL and my two most recent cases the levels were very low and seemed to stay low, then after waiting 3 days for re-test they rocketed up!  One to past ovulation ie. 3.2nMol to 36.2nMol in the three days and the other from 2.1nMol to 19.1nMol in three days.

If the rates are rising this quickly then it leaves a very small window for finding the optimum time.  I've previously always had rates double every two days?  But this is doubling every day, after a slow start!...

Anyone else had similar findings?  I wondered if it was because my bitches were older now, and therefore their window of fertility was smaller?

I did want to say that if the levels are staying low for age they can suddenly shoot up, I believe I read that somewhere re progesterone testing.

I think in the end with such bitches the best bet is for them to stay with the stud for as long as it takes a decent stud will know when the time is right.

One of mine had a strange last season (turned out to be a split season).  So she ended up staying with the stud dog owner for 4 weeks (though one week was after the matings).

She had missed the previous time when the dog was very half hearted about mating her.

In the last 40 years I have only ever tested once.  I have always used my own stud dog to tell me when a bitch is ready.  He has never got it wrong - ever.  As soon as he lets me know that a bitch is ripe I can jump in the car and take her straight to my chosen sire.  It has always resulted in puppies.

> In the last 40 years I have only ever tested once.  I have always used my own stud dog to tell me when a bitch is ready.  He has never got it wrong - ever.  As soon as he lets me know that a bitch is ripe I can jump in the car and take her straight to my chosen sire.  It has always resulted in puppies.

<img title="Quote selected text" class="qButton" alt="Quote selected text" src="/images/mi_quote.gif" />

Lucky you!...

I have a young dog now, but the bitch in question is his mother.  He is keen, but also knows some respect!  One of my other bitches usually tells me though.  But this bitch will stand when she is not ready, so it isn't the greatest clue.  I'd rather spend the money on a couple of tests than some hundreds of pounds on wasted diesel up to a very distant stud.

I have a 5yr old bitch who had just gone from 1.1 on day 22 to 3.6 on day 27 then shoot up to 10.5 on day 29. Very strange season!