One mating or Two?  Some people say one is enough but what do you do and why? :-)

One mating is fine if you get the timing right - my first litter (10 pups) was from just such a mating. I prefer to play safe, however, and mate on alternate days for as long as the bitch will stand.

One mating on day 13.   Done that 3 times now with 2 different bitches - 14 pups in each litter!

However...the bitch may prefer two!!! I remember when I mated my Dobe, Sarah,(this is going back over 2o years and my first litter!) took her for the first mating, then advised to bring her back for a second two days later....it was quite a trip, but, being new to it all took the advise from my Breeder, well we got within a mile of the Stud dogs house and Sarah started howling!!! She was, what I believe they call today...ermm...'gagging for it', me of course died from embarrassment and could barely stay in the same room as my 'tart' dog LOL  Ahh such happy memories :D

I have usually found the bitches much happier with a subsequent mating if they are maidens.

As many as I can get (well not more than once a day) while the bitch will stand.

i took my bitch to the stud on day 13 they had a tie, took her back the next day and she stood for him but they didnt tie. she is pregnant on day 33 not sure how many pups

I do two with a two day gap, beginning from the day I feel confident the bitch is ready. The only time I've had a miss was when I trusted the progesterone test over what my eyes were telling me!

I mate only once. I always have my bitches progesterone tested & have never had a bitch miss yet.

I've heard good things about it, and don't know what went wrong with my bitch. I used progesterone because the stud was the length of the country away, and I wanted to be dead on right. But when the test said she was right, the boys' noses and my own experience said she was too early. However having invested in science this time I decided I'd have to believe in it. So off we set on a blazing hot day. Both of us were limp, hot rags when we got there, but that damn' test said today was the day. So the stud was brought out. This of course was one of those occasions where both dog and bitch were maidens. He was much more excited than my own experienced boys and set to with a will. At which the bitch had just had enough and they had to be separated in short order to prevent wigs on the green. So home we went with no mating.

Five days later she looked ready to me and was no better then she should be when one of the boys propositioned her (though weldmesh I hasten to add!) Anyway we brought out the stud and it was pretty clear that she had neither forgotten nor forgiven. She just would not have him near her, although she was happy to flirt with the other stud on the premises (unfortunately his pedigree and hers didn't gel).

Six months after all this abortive effort I took another bitch to the same stud using my own experience and observation of the males' reaction to her and her to them to fix the time. Because of all the trouble the last time we took bitch and dog to a man who specializes in difficult matings. Well we got the pair through the gate, but before we could ring the doorbell the pair were at it like rabbits with no encouragement, in fact general confusion from ourselves. The net result was 8 nice, big, healthy puppies. We hadn't gone for a second mating with this pair and I wonder if she was still a shade early then.

Anyway, to shut what became a long story short I wouldn't  advise anyone not to use it, but for me at was more trouble than it was worth.

IME a lot of vets tell you to mate the bitch the day the progesterone test is ready instead of telling you to go 2 days later. It can make all the difference.

Yes this is so and none of my bitches have wanted to be mated at ovulation, but happy once the eggs were ripe and a day or two after.

The more experienced girls can be a pain as they seem happy to stand for a lot longer than their fertile days.

My Jozi has reliably ovulated on day 12 but wouldn't entertain the male until day 16 the first time and day 15 and 16 the second.

She was willing from about day 14 on the last occasion with a rather inexperienced male who didn't get his act together until day 20 by which time she was bored to tears and missed.