follow up to previous breeding question

Question
I had the stud at my house from 5/23 to today 5/28 and they were together for long and short periods of time supervised and once or twice not watched so closely thinking that it might be interrupting them.  They were actually trying to "hump" each other and he would stay in place longer, but looked as if he was too far back to actually insert.  I know that "human conception" is possible even without penetration. I was just wondering if you have any experience with this in dogs?  They could have very well tied while un supervised and obviously I wouldn't know since I wasn't there, but what is the likelihood of that?  Thank you for any and help that you are able to provide.  I will keep you updated on her future behaviors if they are some what pertaining to her possibly being pregnant.  These would include loss of appetite, laziness, needing more attention and any "nesting behaviors"... can you think of anything else that I could look for in the earliest signs of the pregnancy?

Thank you again,
Aly

Answer
Hi again Aly:

It is entirely possible for a successful breeding to occur w/o a tie being achieved. Personally, none of my dogs has ever had this scenario but I know of other breeders who have & still do. If she was in estrus & enough sperm wound up in her vaginal canal even though a known tie wasn't achieved it can lead to a positive pregnancy although obviously, the odds are less likely than if several ties were completed. And as you stated, since they weren't supervised 100% of the time the possibility of any matings exists. Some dogs do seem to resent human interaction of any kind & maybe that's the case here. And yes, the earliest signs of pregnancy would include a marked change in behavior, seeming "clingy" and/or needy, seeking more attention from her human family, etc. Usually within a week or so from conception a pregnant female will urinate more frequently than before (she'll commonly drink more water thus the increased urination plus it's assumed it's linked to the increase & changing of hormone levels) and she may have a few days with sporadic bouts of "morning sickness" very similar to pregnant women. The earliest way to know for certain if she is indeed pregnant vs a false pregnancy would be to have your veterinarian palpate her abdomen & perhaps perform an ultrasound as that can detect fetal heartbeats as early as 25 days gestation. So for now, watch her closely to see if any of the early pregnancy signs appear & once she's at 25 days by your closest estimation have an ultrasound done to confirm it one way or the other. Bear in mind a false pregnancy can be a possibility so she may exhibit signs of pregnancy yet not be pregnant. The only way to know for sure is to wait, unfortunately! And I know how frustrating that can be so you have your work cut out for you, I'm sorry to say! I'm including a few links you may find helpful - false pregnancy & early pregnancy signs & info. I hope this helps!

http://www.marvistavet.com/html/body_canine_false_pregnancy.html

http://www.pets.ca/articles/article-dogpregnant.htm

http://www.marvistavet.com/html/body_care_of_the_pregnant_dog.html