I just bred my female dog and everything went great! The dogs are both happy and seem perfectly normal. Here is my problem. While in the breeding room, the dogs were sniffing each other and were extremely interested. I gave them some assistance because the male dog kept mounting the wrong end of my female dog. This was a first time breeding for both dogs but was supervised, mind you. Anyways, the male dog was corrected and intercourse took place. But soon enough, the two dogs were tied. And my female dog was crying her head off and was trying to get away from the male. But I knew that if she struggled too much, she was going to hurt herself, the male dog, or both of them. So I held her steady and cooed and talked to her to calm her down. After she stopped struggling, she stopped crying and just stood normally. The male dog never uttered a word. Was my female dog just scared because she had never bred before or was she in pain? Or both maybe? I am very concerned about that because I plan to take her again, as the AKC recomends that a dog be bred several times every other day and that is the advice I am following. The female is perfect now, she's as hyper and wired and happy as ever. What was causing her to cry so much during the tie?

Hi,
A maiden bitch will often get scared during a mating and tie, no matter how flirty she may be beforehand. This is why it is essential that matings are supervised to ensure neither dog nor bitch is injured. If a good tie is achieved at the right time, there is theoretically little reason to repeat a mating, as the released sperm will survive long enough to fertilise all the eggs released over a few days. A second mating 48 hours later will make things certain, though.
:)

One of my girls screemed her head off both times that she was mated!! But as with yours a little reassurance etc. and she was quieter. I only have one mating each time with my dogs too.

i do not know of the akc making any such reccomendation about breeding several times...it only takes one well timed breeding.....

To mate twice, usually on consecutive days is considered advisable, but more than that would worry me. Remember every penetration is another chance for infection to be introduced deep into the bitch

I have always been told that two or three matings two days apart give the best chances of conception. Also most bitches will only stand for about 5-6 days during their season. From what I have read this is usually from around the LH surge (aprox 2 days before ovulation) to 4 days after ovulation.

This of course makes sense, as a healthy dogs sperm can live in the bitch for 5 to 7 days. So if mated at the start of the receptive phase the sperm should still be viable when the ova are mature (two days after ovulation). At the end of the receptive phase the ova will still be viable for about two days after maturation (4 days after ovulation).

Obviously the most fertile day to mate would be 2 days after ovulation.

My bitch who had blood tests to determine ovulation on day 10 and 11 showed signs of Ovulation being imminent, and on day 12 the test showed that she was ovulating. She was a maiden and refused to stand for her first chosen suitor (with whom I had tried her last season without success) and on day 16 (4days after ovulation) rather unenthusiastically stood for mating, but would not hear of it the next day.

Her mother for her first litter was mated on day 15, her second litter she was mated day 15 and 16. She was mated in between the two litteers to an old dog whose most recent litters had been two and a singleton. She stayed with him and was standing from day 11 to day 17, but no pups despite several matings, and the bitch that was in whelp to him at the time I used him also had just one pup.

So with a fertile young dog, and correct timing of mating, one mating is sufficient, but more matings help cover the bases in case there is variation in the actual fertile days as opposed to standing behaviour.

Bitches who havge been bred from previously will often stand for prolonged periods, and then the breeder could well mate the bitch much to early if relying on her receptiveness and just one mating.

Thanks everybody, your replies are greatly appreciated. I feel better about my girl and her first mating. I was honestly very stressed and didn't expect her to scream and cry like she did. But as I said before, she is normal and happy now. I read another post somewhere else on the board that confirmed my theory of her just hurting and being scared during her tie with the male dog. The post said that her bitch moved around during the tie, trying to walk forward, causing her to yelp. I plan on taking my bitch to mating tomorrow and will consider what you said about more than two matings. I just want to be sure she gets pregnant. Thank you so much again. =)