hi all, just after a bit of advice, i have a medium sized gundog breed just turned 4 .. was just wondering what days are best for breeding  . we took her to the male on days 11 and 13 and had a good tie  each time. she's a maiden bitch . she's still spotting a very light pink colour blood and I'm nervous as to whether we were too early. please any advice would be appreciated. both dogs have had all relevant health tests .

Every bitch is different but most will still be in season even after being mated. Having a tie will help (although you don't need to have one to get a resulting litter), you will just have to play the waiting game now

thank you, fingers crossed shes not tolerating my other bitch at home now at all very moody and eating like she's starved . praying she caught

Unless eventually you scan, I'm afraid you are just going to play a waiting game!   Most of mine 'came out' of season, ie had a normal gradual decrease in the discharge, coloured or not, through the final week (bearing in mind they ARE still in season to the usual end) but with one she came back into a blood coloured discharge through to the end and at the time I thought she's never taken.   After an uneventful pregnancy, she produced 9 puppies in a litter that was probably the best we'd ever had.   We kept 3 and bought them back, with the others, to the UK where one of the three took a UK title and her sister her permanent Crufts quali.   The male unfortunately went edge to edge (mouth) whilst in quarantine - they went in at just over a year) so couldn't be shown in the UK.

There really are no 'best days' for every bitch, not even with the same bitch bred more than once!   Just an 'on average'.

Don't pile the food into her - at least not until you see how many puppies she has to cater for.   Like us, it's better for a pregnant bitch to remain lean and trim through a pregnancy.

Two good matings with ties in the 'typical' window for fertility is very promising, but you just have to wait and see.

As MamaBas says, do not let her eat any more than normal - not really until the last trimester.  Keep in mind that huge puppies are difficult to whelp and can result in C-sections, but also that birth weight is correlated with survival.  Difficult tightrope to walk.

thank you everyone, she was acting weird last night and will not leave me alone, maybe it's just me hoping that im seeing some behaviour changes, read so many things about bitches not being ready until  day 18  or so. it's a much wanted litter did over 3, 000 miles in the space of 3 days to get her to a good stud dog  but yes I suppose everyone is right about just waiting now, not the most patient person lol, and I will keep her food as normal till I know for sure

Wow, where did you travel from/to?

I'm from the highlands of Scotland.  ended up having to go to Shropshire..  with a few stops between Manchester and london. nightmare journey but will be all worth it if she caught

Wow, good luck!!!!  I love the Highlands of Scotland and keep wistfully looking at properties up there

Haha - if the dog is right, it's worth the trip.  Try going from Toronto to just outside Philadelphia in January, in a blizzard!  And going into the back of a snowplow making a left turn off the freeway, having polished the road behind, making it like a skating rink.   THAT's a nightmare journey.

And that first mating only produced 2 puppies, one DOA!!  Hum.

oh gosh that's mental mine dosent seem that bad now haha. yeah the highlands are beautiful but it makes trying to find anything decent a long way off lol ..

I often wish we could compile a book of everyone's crazy breeding experiences, including progesterone (if done) and challenges faced on the way etc etc, maybe we should start a thread!!!

that would be so good . keep praying for any little signs lol she never took last time so hoping this time was sucessful.

> did over 3, 000 miles in the space of 3 days

You take the record for detours then, John O'groats to Lands End is only 840 miles

Nitpicking and joking aside fingers crossed for you

ok here we go..... highlands to Manchester, Manchester
to  shropshire, Shropshire to Manchester, Manchester to London, London back to Manchester, manchester to shropshire again, Shropshire back to Manchester..  Manchester back to the highlands..  via Glasgow city centre  (took wrong turn) all in all just under 3, 000 and journey was horrendous lol .. oh lord me too I have literally everything crossed lol

Oh my goodness, why did you go back and forth?

OMG I shall stop whinging about how it takes ages to get anywhere from Suffolk!

We live in the Cotswolds (lovely and Central) and also have a static van on the suffolk Coast. Takes us about five hours to get there! We do tend to stay several weeks before the long drag back again

oh I had to pick my auntie up from London.  and take my bitch to Shropshire on the 11th and 13th day  . won't be doing it again lol .. pleaseeeeee let her be pregnant lol.