We mated my bitch Saturday am and Sunday evening, but my neutered dog (quite a good indicator) is still quite keen on Wednesday morning. Would it be worth having one more try with my stud dog? My friend reckons you can have too much difference in puppies' 'ages' at birth, but I think her science is flawed and you only get one release of ova which will then be fertilised, is that right?

How do you explain the fact that puppies in a litter can have different sires, if all the eggs are fertilised at once? ;)

A friend once mated her Newfie on three days each one a couple of days apart & she had her three puppies all on the same day

The eggs can survive for several days if not fertilised & not all eggs are fertilised immediateley so if the bitch is mated by different on the same or different days the puppies can have different sires

If the bitch is willing then I would try again, I don't think she will have problems it could be the eggs were not released on the other days

Exactly. There's always a fear that if the matings are too far apart then whelp/s conceived from the last mating will effectively be born several days prematurely (labour having been started by the mature whelps from earlier matings) and could have problems.

The ova will only be released at most over about 48 hours and cannot be fertilised until ripe.  You cannot have different age pups in the uterus to the extent it will make any real difference.  The developmental differences in whelps are largely to do with their position (crowding) and how good the placentas are.

Some bitches will stand just before they ovulate, some when they ovulate and others not until the ova are ripe, and some as they are dying off ohers throughout this time, this will give you about a week or so when a bitch could be receptive, but there is only about as 48 hour window fr actual conception to take place.  A mles sperm should survive in good condition for about 4 days, and even as long as a week.

I had always been told the best chance of conception was to mate a bitch alternate days fr a long as she will stand.  Alternatively teo or 3 days on the trot, wait a day (for the male to recover his reserves) and continue alternate days until the bitch no longer stands..

Hmm, I'll see what she looks like this evening then and might have a quick go then, thanks. But if not, hopefully the two ties will have set something happening! :-)

[Did you have pre-mates done?  If not, I would personally take her back as long as she will stand.  After a couple of prevous failed attempts with my bitch, I have had bloods done this time and we mated her on days 16 & 17.  And we have managed to get her in whelp - she is due next Fri/Sat and is huge!  All the hassle taking her for bloods and not knowing when we were ecaxtly going to visit the stud dog etc was well worth the inconvenience.    /i]

Out of interest what days did you mate her on the failed attempts?

I wouldn't really want to go down the vet testing route unless she missed and there was doubts about her fertility, but this is her first mating. No failed attempts as such, but we got a slip mating on day 11. Then we got ties on both days 13 and 14. As my boy was still wild for her, and my neutered dog (a good indicator I'm discovering!) was still a bit interested, I did try again on Wednesday evening (day 17) and we got another tie. The boys are now less interested and she is definitely shrinking externally. I assume she is shrinking internally too as she did give one squeak on the last tie, whereas the previous two she didn't make a sound, while my boy's other two bitches he mated in the past have both screamed like mad! 'Built like a tank', my experienced friend commented! :-D So with 3 ties and a slip, if she isn't now in whelp there is something wrong - we shall see in 4 weeks time! :-)

Good luck Lucy, let us know!

Oh, don't you worry Goldmali, in spite of all my reading I still have THOUSANDS of questions! Ok, next question - I know you need to be particularly careful around weeks 3/4 because that's when the embryos get implanted, but can she go on walks and go to training club (just simple obedience, not jumping or anything!) once she's out of season? Some of my friends say 'treat her with kid gloves' and others say 'let her be normal' (if she is ever normal lol) :-)

I've always let mine live their normal lives once out of season, even if they've been mated and I'm hoping for a litter. Pregnancy isn't an illness, and the last thing you want is a flabby, unfit bitch at whelping time! :)

That's my view too JG, thanks! :-)

It's what I've done too. :) The bitch will usually let you know when she feels too heavy and tired to cope with the normal walks etc. Mind you, I learned that stopping training early was just as well with Ripley because she gets all hormonal and silly and won't listen to a word you say LOL.

Mine do too Goldmali, they look at you as if to say " I really don't have a clue what you are on about silly woman" then carry on doing whatever they want. My bitch last year who is brilliant at picking up ,was 5 weeks gone last year. i took her out with the rest of the team on a shoot day. I sent her for a bird which she went out for with gusto, when she reached it she lay down and rolled on her belly !!! Much to my embarresment and the mirth of the others.

I've been taking her for walks, but my friend threw a blue fit when I planned to take her to ringcraft - all the dogs are vaccinated, so surely it's not a risk?? Ah well, we're getting to the (hopefully) implantation stage at 21 days or so now, so will keep her in - better safe than sorry.