hi all, some of u may remember my girl was mated back in jan, had a single puppy, which later died at 1 week,
my oh has asked, is the reason (or part reason) y she missed on her first mating, and on her next she only had the 1 puppy is because she gets really stressed out when mated. we travel 30 mins to the stud dog each time then 30 mins back. we are still waiting for her to come into season so we can try again and the breeder wants us to go there from day 7/8 then every other day until she wont let him near her, shes also a very hypo dog will that make a difference, i want to give her the best chance as possible

any advice would be good thanks

julie

What exactly do you mean by "gets really stressed out when mated"?  Perhaps it might be better not to mate her again, especially since you say she is a very hypo dog?  Maybe she is just not cut out to be a mum.

If this is your Staffie, then as their temperament should be "bold, fearless and totally reliable" I don't think that I would consider mating one that was "stressed out" and "hypo" when there are already many badly bred Staffies in rescue waiting for owners?

And 30 minutes each way is nothing to travel to a stud dog.  Does travelling stress her too?  I travelled 408 miles each way (I remember every mile!) for the most suitable stud dog. :)

How can she get really stressed out and yet be 'hypo' at the same time? Or do you mean 'hyper' (the opposite of hypo ;))?

Julie
what day/s are you mating her on?

Would suggest that perhaps it might be worth having her checked for
thyroid trouble. Blood testing by your vet - you'd get the results pretty quickly within
a few days.

Having fertility/season problems and hyperactivity can be symptoms of thyroid disfunction.

sorry ment 'hyperactive' and yes she is 'bold, fearless and totally reliable', i'm taking her to the vets tomorrow to ask these sort of questions but i'm just asking would it effect her concieving because she gets a bit stressed when they tie. and no she doesn't get stessed on the journey.

thanks julie

Stress can certainly cause early deliveries and loss of pups, ill health and reactions to an alpha female being in season, can all cause delayed and increased seasons, but the question you are actually asking is unlikely. If she is in season, she is producing eggs (which is why she is in season in the first place) the stress of travelling and mating will not stop egg production once her body is producing, after mating it can take a few days to fertalize so again this would not affect her, as after mating she will be at home and relaxed again, so is very likely to be relaxed when actual fertalization takes place.  If she is a nervous dog and easily stressed at home, then re-absorbtion of the pups may happen, stress can be a factor though there are many other reasons it is just a possibility.

To be honest if your bitch is so upset at being mated then to make her go to the stud every 2 days from day 8, is going to be like a torture to her it is not necessary and sounds desperate to me.  There are too many Staffies being bred, if this was a good blood line that was needed in the breed to better it, then there is an understanding behind it, but if your bitch is not happy to be bred, if there is no real reason to breed her apart from yourself wanting a pup and she has already been through stress and upset, lost pups and you have both gone through the heartbreak of all of this, why do it again? Just buy another Staffie pup from the same breeder and let your bitch have a stress free life. :-)

thankyou for your reply, it's the tie she doesn't like, everything else she is fine about, she is a relaxed dog at home just goes a bit hyper when people come round (but what dog doesn't) i will talk to the vet tomorrow and also the breeder we go to and go from there, thankyou for answering my question.

julie

If it is just the tie, as long as yourself or the breeder have positioned both dogs correctly (if you don't it can be painful and tear her) after the initial tie the uncomfortableness should leave her, what I would suggest is to gently stroke her head and talk calmly to her until the dogs untie.

i doubt the vet will have much experience in mating dogs!  half an hours journey is short- we had to travel one and a half hours each way. most bitches hate the tie and try to jump away. you just need to be patient and calmly hold them both still- you will need 3 people to be safe and then you may have to hold on for dear life for up to 40 mins! i think her reaction is pretty normal. i would travel and then let her have a good walk somewhere to let off some steam (on the lead) before meeting the stud. my bitch found the whole thing stressful but still had 8 lovely pups.

Have you thought of having her artificially inseminated. Any experienced stud dog owner should be able to collect from their dog and inseminate the bitch. They may be a medical or genentic reason why you can't get her in whelp, after all, not all women can have children can they.

That is not generally permitted by the KC exception in specific conditions and quite rightly in my opinion the lack of ability to mate naturally is not something you would want perpetuate.

Not permitted, Saxon, when both dogs are resident in the UK.

If this was an endangered breed the KC might be willing to permit it - but certainly not in a breed where they're actively discouraging excessive breeding.

if your dog gets so upset then why put her through it? do you show her, is there a main reason that you are so keen to have a litter, espically as other people have said there are so many staffies out there, and many in rescue centres why increase the problem? no offence

hi all, some of u may remember my girl was mated back in jan, had a single puppy, This will be a back to back mating then ? & the only puppy died as well ?

I presume you had a PM done on the puppy to see why it died & TBH if she was my bitch I wouldn't breed from her-unless she was a really top top quality bitch & then not to the same dog as the singleton could be down to genetic incompatibility of the parents & of course Staffies now top the breeds in rescue numbers

I agree with the others,unless both your dog and the stud come from top blood lines and by mating them you are bringing something new into the fold,then why bother? It would be so much easier on both you and her,not to mention the over population of staffs already looking for homes to just buy another pup.Perhaps she just isnt cut out to be bred from??

I think until we get the population of unwanted staffs in rescues down they shouldnt be bred from,unless of course by experienced show breeders etc.,and even then only if they positively have to. This goes for every breed IMO where the numbers of dogs far outweight homes,i'm not just picking on staffies.