do they only need to tie once

Question
I have a jack Russell bitch who is 5 years old in excellent health. she came on heat and this is day 11, i have wanted to bred her and today my mums jack Russell dog of the same build has tied with her today. what is the possibility of her being pregnant from this 1 tie? or do they have to do the tie again? I'm confused as to how many times they need to tie. please help.

Answer
Hi Kelly.  As most "accidents" occur with only one tie, the answer to your questions is yes, it is possible for your dog to become pregnant from only one tie.

However, most breeders follow the a schedule as I am going to outline below.

The heat cycle in most dogs runs for approximately 21 days as follows:

Days 1 - 7:  The vaginal area swells noticeably and within a couple of days bleeding begins.  During this stage the female usually will not allow the male to mate with her, and she will actually growl and possible bite him if he tries.

Days 7 - 14:  It is during this stage, the female is in what is called Estrus, and will now allow the male to mate with her.  She will normally stand still and move her tail out of the way.

Days 14 - 21:  If successful mating occurred during days 7 - 14, this is the stage where the embryos are forming.  No external signs are present.

Based upon the above information, most breeders try to mate their dogs within the 7 day time period.  Because not all female dogs come in to Estrus on day 7 (some a little sooner, some a little later) this is not an exact science.  

Some breeders try to mate their dogs on days 14, 16, and 18 from the moment they discover the enlarged vaginal area (or) days 7, 9, and 11 during the Estrus stage.  Hope this is not too confusing.

If successful mating occurred, then the puppies should arrive in approximately 58 - 63 days from the date of matting.  Once the puppies are born, and you are ready to register them with the Kennel Club UK (both the mother and the father dogs must be registered, so make sure you get proof that the male is registered) you can do this online by using the following website address:
http://www.thekennelclub.org.uk/

Good luck, and please do not hesitate to contact me if you have additional questions.  

Sincerely,
Penny DiLoreto
www.puppies-dot-com.com