My maiden bitch is on day 3 of her season, I had initially planned to idexx test but I'm having second thoughts.
Stud is only 30miles/1hr drive away, so I'm wondering if it might be better to just keep visiting him until he tells us and she shows us she is ready - rather than put my girl through potentially several blood tests (she isn't a great fan of the vets!)
Any thoughts?

Plenty will disagree, but I have never progesterone tested a bitch, and never had a mating not result in pups. I've 3 times had dogs refuse to mate a bitch but when changing the dog for a different one, we got a mating. One of those were on the SAME day so it cannot have been the timing that was off. The others were one day later and two days later so could have been timing.

So do you go on set days/guess or do you have boys who tell you she is about ready?

I suppose it depends how experienced you at at reading the signs from your bitch.      It's awfully frustrating for stud dog, bitch and owners if the day is wrong - can be physically and mentally exhausting.   

At least if you have a blood test for the right day, and the bitch is a bit of a precious princess and not sure about the whole scenario, a good stud dog owner will handle the boy accordingly.     Without a blood test, a mating  might just be postponed as 'not quite the right time'.

Jo

I tend to feel the same as Joflatcoat. Some of my bitches although sweet little darlings at other times with all dogs will turn on a stud dog and really see him off even though he is extremely keen. If not blood tested ready we wouldn't know whether to hold her and handle the dog in or whether she was acting this way due to her not being at the right time.

So do you go on set days/guess or do you have boys who tell you she is about ready?

I go on what my own boys tell me, but before I had any, just went on bitch's behaviour. I probably got lucky there though as now I know I have several bitches that will flirt before they are really ready.

> I suppose it depends how experienced you at at reading the signs from your bitch

Smiling because I have just read Marianne's post.  I too have bitches that will flirt when not ready.  One of my girls starts to flag on day 3 and I swear she would stand for a camel. 

I would prefer to believe a male who knows what he's doing.  But that's easy for me to say as I have such a reliable dog.  Once he has told me that a bitch is ready I can jump in the car and take her to my chosen stud.  (Which is sad for my own boy I know.)

Agree with Goldmali, if there is no issue of access to the stud then why put yrou poor bitch through the stress of blood draws.

Only did it once with the in house test kits and she had three samples, (day 10, 12 and 13) and many bitches would need more.

My Golden Retriever bitch is 3 years old & we have found a stud dog 80 miles away suitable for her! She had blood taken yesterday for progesterone testing & result came back today saying she is not ready just 7ng/ml suggest retesting on Friday which will be Day 13. Does anyone think we should go over to where the dog lives on Saturday afternoon & await the next results and hope if we stay for 1 or 2 nights we will get a mating! I am beginning to find this whole thing a nightmare!

I also have Goldies and they often ovulate later - have mated on days 19 & 21 previously and had a litter.  I'd wait for the result

No I would hang on. I have just had a litter from a bitch that I blood tested from day 10 and wasn't ready to be mated until day 23....very expensive but traveling 12 hour round trip to stud it had to be done.

I know all the alternatives are less reliable, but is there anything at all to doing vaginal slides or any other method?  Or if you don't want to do the blood tests, is it really just guesswork and judging behaviour and looking for when blood dries up?

Well I tried the matetel method just as an aside... According to that it said ovulation had occurred... Visited stud just in case and he wasn't interested, had blood test done and have to retest Friday.
Matetel has gone in the bin! I never really trusted it but couldn't risk her missing when it showed positive!

> According to that it said ovulation had occurred... Visited stud just in case and he wasn't interested, had blood test done and have to retest Friday.<br />Matetel has gone in the bin! I never really trusted it

If there was a simple way of reliably predicting ovulation I am sure the reproduction specialists would know it, and surely would prefer not to have to blood draw and do lab work on blood samples.

If only we could get a reliable urine test breeders could use at home.

There isn't the push for something like that as the general veterinary opinion is snit breeding.

If it was something helpful in the Livestock industry where it's about getting food on the table, then it would merit investigation.

In the end your best test is a reliable stud dog. as in the end for the majority fo the tiem it is up to him and the bitch anyway,.