Does anyone know when my bitch will be ready to mate? She is a Keeshond and yesterday I checked her to see if she was in heat yet (no swelling, no bleeding) but then later on in the evening I noticed the male licking at her but I couldn't see anything. This morning I get up to blood all over the kitchen floor. So do I count today as day one and when do you think she'll be ready for him? I really don't want to miss it this time. Thanks!!!!!

They will usually stand for a male between the 10th and 13th day of their heat. I'm sorry but u sound like u have not done ur homework on breeding. The first sign of blood is counted as day 1. If u are planning a litter please do alot more reading before she ever gets pregnent. There is so many things that can go wrong, believe me I have been there. My female needed a c-section and she did feed her pups fine but I did have to bottle feed for the first 48hrs cause her milk didn't drop right away and the little one's were hungry. I was scared I was gonna lose the whole litter. Complications do arise when u don't expect it. Hope u know that ur bitch should be on her third heat or two years old before u breed from her, and the male should be over a year. I know longer breed right now cause I would much rather have them as my pets, I just have my studd dog which I still use to approved bitches.

ttfn :)

I tried to answer on your prevous post, but the board was too busy. If your bitch is only 18 months old she is too young yet to be bred from and you should keep her away from the male for at least 3 1/2 weeks, as she should really be at least two years old before having a litter.

The Problems you were having mating them last time were due to inexperience and immaturity, and really I would count myself lucky that nothing came of it.

Keeshonds are a long lived breed, so there is absolutely no hurry to breed from them at too young an age.

Have you had her Hips scored, and submitted to the relevant body for assessment? In the UK this is The British Veterinary Asoociation, which runs the BVA?KC Helth schemes.

If you are in the USA ylu cannot get the hips assessed until the dogs are Two years old (another reason to wait until your bitch is older), and the X-rays are sent of to the Othopaedic Foundation for Animals (OFA). You should also check if there is any Epilepsy in the lines of both your dogs, as it is beleiced to be a hereditary problem in Keeshonds.

I agree with everything that dollface stated in her posting. When you want to breed dogs you must READ! READ! READ! and Study long BEFORE the bitch comes into season so intelligent decisions can be made. You don't just pick a male and female and decide these two dogs will be mated.

THAT'S ENOUGH RHETORIC. I'LL GET OFF THE SOAPBOX. Let's deal will the issue at hand.

I always bred my Wire Fox bitch on the 10th, 12th and 14th day of her cycle from the very first sign of bleeding. Her first season she didn't catch as these dates weren't used. The male was an experienced stud and he was telling us it was time but of course I, as a novice ignored him. This is only a rule of thumb as each breed differs slightly. You need to look for the flow to change to a very faint pink about the 10th day. The vet can do target smears to see what day the female is ovulating. Also the female will be more interested in standing for the male to mate her. If you are dealing with maiden dogs both bitch and stud, it can be useful to have the owners of both dogs there to hold the bitch and assist the male. If you can old experienced breeders try to use an experienced stud with a maiden bitch. It's easier since one party knows what to do and you have only the bitch to handle. Don't be surprised if the bitch has to be muzzled during the breeding even if usually she is very mild mannered. A first time breeding is strange territory so she is uncertain what actually is taking place. Better to muzzle than a dog fight. Since you have a few days before the breedings will take place, go into the internet - search for some good articles on breeding. One really good book that a Std Poodle breeder girlfriend of my recommends is "Reproduction in the Dog (?). I'm not sure of the title exactly. I don't like to breed a bitch until she is at least 2 years old. Genetic testing that needs to be done for your breed should also be carried out before you breed that first litter.

Hope this helps! You still can decide not to breed this season by ensuring that the male and female are kept separated until her season is over. The crucial period of course is day 10 to day 16 of the 21 day season. Hope you have dog crates for your dogs. You should always use a buffer zone of a few days before and a few days after the crucial period to ensure there is no pregnancy. Breeding a litter is a big responsibility so should not be taken lightly. In the five litters that I breed, I only broke even as far as the money went but my ultimate goal was to breed a show dog improved on his/her mother or grandmother.

Margaret :) Canada

Duplicate post. As this post has had some replies, I will let it stand. In future, please only post a question once. Thank you :-)