hi
took my dog yesterday and today to be mated and she and the stud dog tied on both occasions, but not for very long, about 10 mins it was very difficult to keep her still, will this be long enough? and after reading the pages i want to get her some raspberry leaf tablets will i get these from a vet or a herbal shop? any suggestions on best things to supplement her diet would be appreciated, at moment she gets dry complete food.

10 minute ties should be fine - bitches can get pregnant with only slip matings (no tie at all), and a tie can be anything from 5 minutes to over an hour (very boring for those holding the dogs still - you get cramp in places you didn't know you had!) As for the raspberry leaf tablets - I use those manufactured by Denes, specially made for animlas, and available either on the net or in pet shops.
Good luck with the hoped-for litter.
:)

thanks, as this is her first litter and my first time as a potential grandma (she is my baby girl!!)and im not sure on a couple of points could you advise on when i should be able to tell if she is pregnant?
im going to buy the book of the bitch today, but a little advise from someone whose done it before is always appreciated

There's no way of telling for at least 4 weeks, so get the tablets, read the book, keep her secure until the end of her season (she can still be mated and conceive to other dogs!) and treat her as normal.
:)

thankyou, im sure ill be asking for more advice as we go through, this is a great site, which i happened upon by chance, so many dog lovers its fantastic

how will i tell by the way?

Some vets can ultrasound-scan your bitch accurately (others are hopeless at it!), or they can x-ray the bitch after about 6 weeks. But I've always waited till I can feel the pups moving inside the bitch (about 7 or 8 weeks) because I don't like to put too much stress on the bitch with vet visits. My girls have always changed their personalities after a successful mating (we've had 'misses' too, so I have seen the difference), becoming slightly more sensible and a bit more careful of themselves- almost as if they've got a secret......
:)

ill keep a close eye on her then, can you buy this book in book shops, like waterstones or will i be better ordering over the internet

Hi Amberjade i have bullmastiffs you will be able to tell i can tell with in days with my females they change completely they get abit lazy they want to be with you more than normal you do need to know your female very well to notice the changes but buy 5/6 weeks you will know for sure ,dont start to change food/walks just yet and when you do start giving good body building foods and be careful about giving any form of tablets, just see how she goes,lots of luck bye the way what breeding is she and which stud did you use? jackie

amber is a red-fawn, very beautiful (i am biased), and is wonderfully natured.
the dog i used has never been a stud dog before, but amber knows him and was comfortable with him and he is a lovely dog with no problems and very nice temperament

He might be a nice dog BUT has he had his hips scored and elbows and has your bitch been tested as well if not WHY you cant just breed with out spending alot of money doing all the health checks you are going to want high prices for the pups why should people buy them from you when they can go and buy one from better stock??? jackie

both have had full checks from the vet, i wouldnt have gone ahead without this, and im not breeding her just to make money

A Vet check for general health is not the same as testing for hereditary defects - like hip dysplasia.

So they both have below-average hipscores for the breed?
:)

Breeding a litter of puppies is fraught with problems at the best of times, you are going to need more luck than usual inasmuch as you haven't done enough breed specific research. I wish you well with the litter, I really do, but you ought to have known about KC/BVA health tests appropriate to your breed before you got this far.
All the best, Dawn R.