stud used too frequently?

Question
This weekend I brought my 11 month old toy poodle to be bred to a show breeders champion dog.  I realize she's too young and have been regretting it ever since, but the breeder insisted she was "mature" enough.  When I arrived at the breeders, his stud seemed exhausted yet excited about my girl.  He never tied with her and only entered her once or twice. The breeder kept telling me my girl broke the tie.  After this I found out he had been using this same stud for 7 days in a row. I refuse to go back for a second mating.  Do you think he could have gotten her pregnant, or would his "count" be too low?
Thank you,
Andrea

Answer
Hello Andrea:

UGH! You poor thing! It's hard to believe this so called "show breeder" conducted himself in such a manner! There are so many atrocities committed by him it's difficult to know where to begin!

Don't blame yourself -- you were only relying on the advice of a supposed expert so please don't feel as if I am in any way holding you to blame. He should know 11 months is too young -- it sounds to me as if he may have just been after some quick cash, especially considering the extreme overuse of his stud. While it's still possible a positive pregnancy may have occurred, it's impossible to say for certain one way or the other. Depending on his male's health, how many matings occurred over the 7 days, etc -- I'd say the odds are less than 50-50 but you never know. If his dog was able to emit any semen during the few penetrations it's entirely likely enough sperm made its way into her. Some studs routinely manage positive pregnancies without achieving an actual tie although obviously the chances are higher if one is achieved. Considering his overuse, it's likely his sperm count was low and probably of poor quality, which would lessen the likelihood of success. For now you'll simply have to wait & see what develops. I would recommend having your vet examine her around 25 to 28 days from the mating --an experienced vet palpating the abdomen during this time can usually feel if any fetal sacs are present. I would also suggest having an ultrasound done as well, since fetal heartbeats can usually be detected around 25 days gestation. My best guess is that if she is pregnant, she may only have one or two puppies, which can often be a difficult scenario. Since having such a small number allows them to receive more than adequate nutrition plus no competition, small litters such as this often grow larger than normal which frequently results in problems with vaginal whelping. If this is the case, I would urge you to have an X-ray taken when she's at 50+ days gestation so that the number & size can be seen and then you'll know if a necessary C-section is likely.

I wish I could offer a more optimistic outlook but my greatest hope is that she won't be pregnant. Please let me know the results & if you have any additional questions & I'll be happy to help in any way I can.