Bit of a weird question but I am wondering whether there is any way one can "encourage" a bitch to come into heat?  My girl is due next weekend and as I am taking her to Europe for mating and I am pretty well restricted to when I can go (tickets bought and paid for) I was wondering if there is anything that can be done to try and ensure she comes in on time?  I don't mean anything invasive or pharmacutical, just something like exposing her to another bitch in heat or something?  There probably isn't but I thought it was worth asking experienced breeders if there was anything they do?
Thanks in Advance
MV

Wow I'd never rely on my bitches to that extent.  They a e not machines, even our own human cycles as women who come in monthly are rarely accurate to the day.

I would never book tickets until the bitch comes in season. 

Having twice flown abroad this meant making the bookings on day one of the season even though most airlines like to have two weeks notice.

I have a 3 1/2 year old bitch here, who so far has come in season each time within about two weeks of the previous dates, and I think that is quite reliable.

Based on the longest gap so far she should have been in season by the 1st of October and so far no sign!

I have had bitches come in season as late as two months past when I'd expect and up to 6 weeks earlier.

They say  B itch whose season is imminent will often come in within a day or so if she is kept with another in season bitch.

All I can say is you are very very brave booking tickets, In my experience when something really special is planned like this they never comply. Vino was 2 months late coming into season when I took her overseas to mate !!
I know when mine are due in season ... but only nature can decide !
I waited till she came into season before making any plans other than agreeing with the dogs owner that I would let them know asap of an estimated date. Then it was down to blood results and Vino.
Good luck, I think you will need it.
Sometimes being around other bitches may help, but I have 2 here and although one follows the other in it can be 2 -4 weeks later.
I do not believe there is anything chemical you can use, and personally I wouldn't anyway. Let nature take its course and the results will be natural not contrived. We mess about enough with nature IMO.
Aileen

> xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">I thought it was worth asking experienced breeders if there was anything they do?

I'm not a breeder, however I have twice (2 completely separate occasions) had my bitch come into season early having exposed her to another in-season bitch.  This was a friend's bitch and the dogs had been playing together in the house.  Mine came into season, about a week early, within a day or two of being with the in-season bitch.

Of course, this could be co-incidence, I don't know.

Gosh I have never known a bitch to come into season at the same weekend each time! Usually it varies with at least 14 days, sometimes by as much as 2-3 months. The only thing I am always certain of is that if I am going to mate a bitch, she will be at least one month late! LOL.

My 2 entire bitches came in season within a day of each other in January, and their previous season in April 2013 we're not even sure who was first!

>Then it was down to blood results and Vino.

ROFL  That'll teach me to read a thread properly instead of scanning down quickly.  I missed that Aileen's bitch was called Vino, so it looked to me as if Aileen, after the blood results, took to the bottle.   :-)  :-)  :-)

Yes, I know what you mean and I wouldn't have bought tickets except that my friend who is coming with me had to book the time off work.  As we are going in his car, I was somewhat forced to name a date!  I would never use anything pharmaceutical on any of my dogs for that, but I was wondering....as a couple of you have already mentioned now, letting her mix with another bitch in season might help. 
Keep everything crossed for me please that I manage to get her there on time :/
Thanks for the relies everyone xxx

Good luck with your trip, you are much braver than I am! I booked our tickets 2 days before travelling on the basis of a first progesterone test on the Friday, travelled out Sunday and arrived 1500 miles later on the Monday night. I mated the bitch that night, again the next day with a second progesterone test that evening which showed ovulation to have taken place that day, and a final mating on the Thursday morning before driving home. I had 2 dogs left in kennels while we were away so was in a hurry to get back for them and ended up paying well over the odds for an on the spot ticket home.

All this was for a bitch who has always been like clockwork. Not to put you off the plan to expose your girl to a bitch in season, but I had a bitch over from the Continent for 9 days to be mated to a dog of mine (she wasn't as ready as indicated by the first progesterone test, probably being upset by travel and change). I was terrified that she would bring my bitch into season early, but this time she was two months late.

Your other issue is (as with our Dutch visitor) your bitch may be 'set back' by the stress of travel. This bitch had previously been successfully mated on days 14 and 16; her breeder had to return home, which meant boarding her with us. She was mated here on days 19 and 21, and my vet was sceptical about success (she had a litter of 7). So with this in mind I deliberately took my oldest boy with us because he is normally her "crate companion" and they absolutely loved their holiday. Whether he had any definite impact on keeping everything as normal as possible I can't say for sure, but it seems to make sense to keep everything as normal/stress-free as possible

Our first litter is due next week and I can barely sleep for excitement :-). Hope the same comes true for you!

You've very brave to book your tickets in advance.  Not sure how long you'll be staying in Europe, but not only are you relying on her coming into season on time but to ovulate on a given date - almost impossible to predict I would say, but good luck.
One of my girls has always been 8months and between 3-8 days, last time she was well over 10 months....
I always say, bitches are not named as such for no reason....

If you have a limited 'slot' in which to get this done, why not fly her out and get the people with the stud dog to board her?   This may, of course, not be possible, or something you'd want to do (and the stress may or may not bring her in, much as it may also be that it prevents her from conceiving!!).   You could go 'with' her to get her settled and come home again - the stud dog owner would have to be willing to do this - and you'd have to pay!

Bitches who are due in in any case, often come in when with other bitches who are in season.  But they'd have to be at that point in their cycle...... I had entire bitches and being around those in season only brought them in, if it was their time!!

>I had entire bitches and being around those in season only brought them in, if it was their time!!

I have three entire at the moment one came in about a month after the other.  

The last season was here in July/August, yet her daughter who was due anytime in September still hasn't come in.

When I have travelled with an in season bitch I was very fortunate in that both stud dog owners invited us to stay.  the first time I stayed 6 days, and the second time 10 days.  I booked travel the day they came in season and took a stab at arriving on day 12, but having had some bitches ready quite late the second time I opted for a longer stay.