Trying to breed a Boston Terrier

Question
QUESTION: I have a registered Boston Terrier that will be 2 in 4 months.  She is in the very beginning of her heat cycle (from past experience with her) and has not yet begun the bleeding part.  We are trying to mate her and she has not been of the best attitude with the stud.  Is it possible it is too early in her cycle?  Today the stud's owner and myself tried to facilitate the mating by soothing both of them while he was trying and she was being pissy.  She's the alpha dog in our household of 3 dogs, but not when it comes to me.  She really didn't like that he had to dominate her to get the job done.  I think we may have to try again after the bleeding begins, but I'm getting mixed messages from friends that breed mini doxies.  Can you help? Also, he acheived penetration, but they did not tie.  It is the first time for both of them, so what are the chances that anything has been accomplished here.  Thank you for any help you can give me.

ANSWER: Hi Tammy:

The correct time to breed can be a tricky situation but usually, once her vaginal discharge becomes lighter in both flow & color, lightening to more of a light pink to straw color, she will be in estrus, which is the fertile portion of the cycle. On average, it begins around day 9 or 10 from the initial onset of the cycle(characterized by a bright/bloody in appearance vaginal discharge). Estrus lasts, on average, from 5 to 7 days. Generally speaking, once a female is in estrus she will 99% of the time not only allow the male to mount but will encourage him to do so. I think it's too early for your girl - if she hasn't even begun to bleed you still have a week or more to go. Some females, although quite dominant in day to day life, will do a 180 personality-wise once in estrus; however, a small number fight & refuse the male even though she's in full estrus. In my opinion & experience, bitches who won't willingly accept natural breedings tend to make less than desirable mothers, from neglecting the litter to the ultimate extreme of physically harming them. I've seen this scenario a number of times when artificial insemination is conducted on an uncooperative bitch only to have the whelping go smoothly but the new mother either refuses to care for them or tries to harm them.

This isn't a definite, just my opinion. I don't think any female with that type of personality shouldn't be forcibly bred & risk her rejecting the litter, leaving you to try to meet the needs of a newborn litter. It's an incredibly difficult situation.

So, from what I can tell from your info, it sounds as if she's not yet in estrus so once she is, hopefully her attitude toward the stud will change. Females in estrus will often "flag" for the male, which is a very slow yet deliberate wagging of the tail from one side to the other - kind of a "come hither" gesture for dogs! LOL Her response to the male will be your best indicator of when she's in estrus. It's good she's already met him & will be familiar with him when the time is right. Once you see the vaginal discharge become light in color, give them another try & if she's acceptive, the general rule is to attempt two to three successful matings, skipping a day in between so the male's sperm will be of optimum quality. Achieving a tie is usually normal but some dogs are able to breed successfully w/o a tie; however, I believe your chances of a positive pregnancy are greater if a tie is achieved.

I hope this helps & wish you the best of luck in your breeding endeavors!




---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: I really appreciate all the information you have shared.  Her heat cycles have been odd since the first one.  She bleeds (and I never looked for a difference in the color before but will now) for almost a month!  My vet was shocked, but I've spoken with many that say my vet just isn't used to small dogs and that it is normal for such a long period of messyness.  She's messy enough to require the use of a diaper, and she's indoor with us all the time so my home thanks us for that.  I will keep setting playdates with the stud and hope that when the time is right, she will willingly accept him.  Her personality to him was changed after what happened today with the attempt of him to tie with her.  She was instantly more calm toward him and she wiggled in the middle ( :) ).  Her tail unfortunatly is very short, but I love to see it waggle.  I'll take your advice and watch her body language closely.  Thank you and if you can think of anything else that might help us, please send it my way.

Answer
Hi Tammy:

You're very welcome. I'm including a few links to sites you should find helpful. Some may be more relevant than others but at least it may provide you with info I omitted.

http://www.dogbreedinfo.com/breedingheat.htm

http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=A&S=0&C=0&A=2084&EVetID=3001962

http://www.thepetcenter.com/gen/br.html

http://www.mydog8it.com/before_you_breed.htm

http://www.canismajor.com/dog/hvpup1.html