Dogs wont breed

Question
QUESTION: I have these two Australian Shepherds - a male and female (the male is a grandfather and the female has been in heat) and we know they are those genders. The female is a 4 year old and the male is about 7. When ever the female is in heat, we lock her in the garage with the male because we want them to have puppies. The last owner of the male has bred him many times and the female we got when she was almost 1. The female is in pretty strong heat, she shows all signs. The male dog mounts her all the time and tries it, but then he seems to forget and either gets off or just stops and sits there until the female gets bored and walks away. Also, we think that he is afraid of us watching. We've tried everything from holding them in place, to locking them in a small room together. Last time she was in heat, when she got out of it, she showed all the signs of pregnancy. But we found out it was only false pregnancy. We've read all the books, but we just can't find an answer...

ANSWER: Hi Natasha

Have you had your female tested?
Do you know when she ovulates?
Is the male the grandsire to the female? If so are there any undesirable traits in the line that you are aware (or unaware) of.
Do these two live together 24/7?
When the last owners "bred him many times" did an injury occur?


All these may explain why you are having some difficulty.


1. A progesterone test would be the order of the day, that way you aren't wasting anyone's time or energy.  If she's not ovulating, she can't catch. If she ovulates early/late you'll better know when to bring the two together;

2. Australian Shepherds have a multitude of health issues as well as the merle complication.  Studying the lines will help you determine if the pups that you DO produce will be healthy.

3. Separate them for a day or two and allow them only 15 - 30 minutes together (everyone gets frustrate and excited), then put them in their separate corners.  It's the excitement you need to generate to get the job done.

4.  If the male was injured in a breeding "accident"  a female attacked him, he injured his penis, this can mentally damage a male enough to not want anything more to do with the whole thing.

The alternative for you is A.I.



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

QUESTION: Thanks, she's never been  tested. I've had no time to keep track on when she ovulates. These two dogs are from two different bloodlines, I've searched their whole line. Yes, they are with each other 24/7 they go outside together, they both like chasing after horses, and we only have one garage - where we put them at night - but sometimes we do let them sleep in the house. I don't think he had any injuries, he was a Champion Show Dog - He's won every show he's been in - and I found he was bred at least 3 times. We got him for free because he had no white collar and was out of style. But our female will stand very still for him unless he sits there for too long, then she walks away. One thing I've been over thinking is that when we first got the female, she was too young to have puppies. When she was in heat, and when the male would mount, we yelled at him to get off, that might have frightened him. One other thing is that - when she's at the end of her heat - when ever he mounts, she turns and nips at him. He gets over hyper when she's in heat. He chases her everywhere and she doesn't care. Also, when she's not in heat, she beats him up. She grabs him by the collar and tosses him around. We have to yell at her to stop.

Answer
Sounds like you're giving them mixed messages.  

You need to separate them when she starts her heat, and only allow them 15 - 30 minutes together a day when you want them to mate, this will "add to the excitement".  

I've found that dogs that spend all that time together prefer not to mate.  But if they are separate (even as simply as sleeping in their own crate) when the females comes into heat, they are right on it.