chihuahua hasnt gotten pregnant

Question
I have a 2 year old female chihuahua and a 1-1/2 year male chihuahua. I want to breed the dogs but as of yet she has not gotten pregnant.  Could something be wrong with one of the dogs that causes this.

Answer
Hi Leslie,

As the old saying goes: "If at first you don't succeed, try, try again".

Actually, it's to your benefit that your female didn't become pregnant yet, as it's recommended not to breed a female before she's two years old.

You didn't say how long you've been trying to breed the dogs. I'd give it another heat cycle, and if nothing happens have your veterinarian tested and examine your dogs any problems with disease or with bacterial infections. There are a lot of problems of the medical variety that will be an obstacle to the natural order of conception in your animals.

The major reason of dog infertility is the timing of the breeding. Just as with human breeding, you will have to do the act at the right time or pregnancy will not occur. Your dogs could be fine but, the period of ovulation was miscalculated. This means that you may just need to have the female and male dog try again on the next cycle. This problem attributes about eighty percent of the amount of female dogs that do not get pregnant. The second largest reason for dog infertility is that the male dog that the female is being bred with is infertile himself. In this case, you will not know until you have the male dog tested. This is usually not done until the breeder or owner has problems with them conceiving. Dog infertility in males is rather common.

Female cycles are just as important as a women cycle is. If the female dog is not coming into heat the way she should, she will also experience dog infertility. There are a few different other medical causes that lead to dog infertility problems. Some are structural in nature and some of them are bacterial. Whatever the problem is that is causing the dog infertility, your veterinarian can help you to decide how to best treat it.

The a female is usually ready to stand and hold for the male to breed to her about ten to twelve days into the heat cycle. Start counting days at the first sign of any blood discharge from the vulva. Just remember that every dog is different regarding when she will allow breeding, so keep good records of everything you note regarding dates of first bloody discharge, how much discharge is occurring, how much swelling of the vulva is noticed, and the bitch's attitude and temperament.  
And here's an important note: You should mark the day you first see any discharge "day one"...however, you may have missed a few light flow days. In these cases, what you are calling "day one" may really be day three, four or five!  So, when do you bring the male to her for breeding? Do not wait until the tenth day; bring the male to her a few days ahead of time because if she's ready you better breed her now!  She will let you know if your timing is right by her willingness or unwillingness to stand for the male. If she's ready, regardless of what number day it is, she will crook her tail off to one side, stand in front of the male, and even back into the male. Just because we think she should breed on a certain day has no influence on her hormonal levels. Try to get your female and male together a number of days and times earlier than that tenth day of bloody discharge. Another good guideline as to when to breed is that often the discharge will turn from a dark, bloody color to a more lighter, almost tan color.

Best of luck,
Patti