I have 3 female German shepherds and i was hoping to get into breeding I have had 1 litter but since then every time i have mated one of them they have not fallen pregnant. the timing has been right the ties have been good and i have used a reliable stud dog. I dont know what the problem could be. has anyone got any advice as it is driving me mad.

Hi there,

Presuming you have mated them on the correct day/s, how many have missed, & how many times each? Is it the same stud dog? Are the bitches from the same family?
Sorry for all the questions but I'm trying to build up a clearer picture so that I can offer advice.
We had a bitch come to us for mating once, & she missed twice consecutively after very good ties. The third time I suggested a broad spectrum antibiotic course from day 1 to 7 of the season. She was then mated once at day 11 & produced ten beautiful pups.
It is quite unusual for all the bitches to have missed, but maybe if you have used the same stud dog he could be passing on a bug to your bitches preventing them from carrying a litter.
GSd's generally don't have any major breeding problems though.

thanks for your reply I have used the same stud dog each time as he is producing really good litters, my bitches are from the same family, I mated the first to him (she had had a litter before not from him) it was a good mating but she missed, so i tried again on her next season she missed again so i tried a different bitch she was a maiden but she also missed. but as i said he is producing with others but not with mine

I would be tempted to try a different dog - maybe even from a different line. I had this problem when I badly wanted a pup from a particular dog, but he and my bitch just didn't produce, even after completely normal matings, and he was siring pups with other bitches. In the end I used his full brother (so same bloodline) and it worked.

But there are lines which, although fertile, just will not "take". I think you may have to get the year-books out and start your homework again.

It is possible that the stud dog is infertile.
If he has mated a bitch different to your own then he could of picked up something and made him infertile. That is why bitches and dogs are smeared before hand to check for this. As certain bacterias can render a dog infertile. Your bitch may just of been mated on the wrong day. But if more than one bitch it makes me think it could be the dog at fault. Do you know if he is proven? Do you have proof that he is proven? Have you seen his litters registered in the breeds suppliment of the Kennel club. Check into it. As it would worry me also.
Try a different dog if possible.

Nutkin

Yes he is a proven stud dog he is producing very good litters it just sems to be with my females that things seem to be going wrong

They may possibly have an infection.Did u get them swabbed first???.Maybe a visit to the vets a week before mating to make sure ...then a course of antibiotics.May do the trick!!!

I agree, have them swabbed next time they come in season, but I would take them on day 2 or 3 of the season, to give plenty of time for results to be had and the right antibiotic given. It depends whether the vet has their own lab, and how long it takes for the results to be known, which can take 4 days if they grow a culture in a dish. Taking the bitch 7 days before mating may be cutting it too fine as ideally she should be on A/B's for at least 5 and preferably 7 days before mating. With the history of the bitches missing, and presuming the dog is fertile, it does sound very like an infection and a good broad spectrum AB that covers most breeding infections is Ceporex. When you have the swab done , maybe ask the vet to prescribe Ceporex anyway and start giving them to her. When the results come back the chances are Ceporex will be the right AB and you will be "days ahead" with the treatment. Keep the bitch on the AB's for 21 days or until the season has completely finished and then a short course starting on day 56 until whelping day. This is what I would do.
I have done this myself in the past when one of my bitches picked up something somewhere, had missed twice because of it and after the above treatment went on to have two more good sized litters. I had to give ALL the bitches the same treatment every time they came in season to prevent the infection circulating between them, even if they are not to be mated, for at least 2 seasons each. Any bitch puppies, that you may keep on presuming treatment is succesful, should be treated through their first and second season too.I now have my bitches tested on day 2, just in case. Its nice for the stud dog owners to know that the bitches are "clean", too. No offence intended to anyone.

PS I would definately use a different dog next time and preferably from a different kennel, if it does turn out to be an infection after all.