can anyone help i have a lovely gsd with a smashing natue and a really good hipscore i have tried mating her 3 times but she is a very large dog and she doesnt swell very much when she is in season the dog i took her to is proven but he just cant seem to manage i only want to use this dog can anyone help

Let the vet take a look, she may have a thick hymen, this can be sorted with an operation.

She may have a 'stricture' which needs to be broken down. The stud may be too much of a gentleman to be rough enough to do it. See your vet.

Hi,
I have seen a few bitchs with this problem & unfortunately they have never bred for their owners because even though the dog is going mad & trying to mate the bitch they just cannot get in because the bitchs vulva hasn't swollen properly.
When they are in season most bitchs in good health & everything will have a vulva that is swollen & resembles a plum & be quite flabby to touch, if they are in season but have only swollen a little bit more than what they were before their season then its unlikely the dog would be able to get in unless he was very very forceful.

One of my girls was 'very small' but luckily the stud dog was very good with her and he was well used to being 'handled' it took quite a while with lots of breaks but we had a successful outcome with 4 pups. This was her first mating too!

Hi Sue,

Find another breeder or a vet that can help you with artificial insemination. Basically, the dog gets excited - he is finished off manually (by a human) with sperm deposited into a cup - sperm is sucked up into a turkey baster (basic kitchen tool) and the bitch is artificially inseminated with the baster, holding her up by the hind legs for a little while to make sure all the fluid heads in the right direction. This works with small and large breeds.

Stacey

I thought (although I am not sure) that using AI to overcome a inability to mate was not permitted by the KC. It certainly does not seem like a good idea to me, won't it lead to more problems with the next generation?

Stacey pups produced by Artificial Insemination of two dogs resident in the UK cannot be registered with the Kennel Club. They will ojly allow the use of imported semen if the breeder applies with a good reason, and a particular bitch has to be nominted to have the semen. the donor dog muyst have a statement that he has sired puppies naturally in his home country, and there are other restrictions.

Hi Brainless,

I'm really surpised, I understand where there would be extra regulations in the case where bitch and dog are physically in different locations. Then there are a whole host of concerns about identity of each animal and the health of the sperm. However, it does not make sense to me that artificial insemination should be prohibited when the dog and the bitch are together during mating, but some extra help is required. Oh well, that's what Kennel Clubs were created for I suppose :-)

Stacey

Basically the rules are to prevent the breeding of animals who are incapable of doing it naturally. That is the start of the road to breed extinction.

The KC rules on AI can be read on the 'Mugged for Pedigree Dog' thread.

Hi Sue
We have a female who has been mated before and also had a litter, we took her to a proven stud and he couldn't mate her, we were told she was too small..but with the first stud no problem...so it might not be your bitch at all, i would try another stud dog just to see.
Tracey