how do I know if mating worked

Question
QUESTION: My Maltese has started her heat Sept 9th,My male has been trying to mount her since day 1,my question is,while doing reseach on mating ,on Sept 20th I noticed my female's back side was all wet,I had givien her a bath prior as she was lightly wet,then I bathed my male also same day,not much into researching what the process of mating would be,my female was drenched from behind,my male which shocked me ,was very inlarged,my qustion is had he penetrated or could it have been a miss,I was doing research so I didn't see if he actually did what he was suppose to,this is their first time ,and my first time,it took his private at least a good 10 min to go down,can this have worked,sorry for my ignorance,also I was told by the vets office that they would end up locked back to back,could I have missed this,or has my male missed it,he is still trying to mount her and she lets him for a bit,if done properly,once he mounts and she except,how long is the process,please help


ANSWER: According to your dates, she was on day 12 when this happened, which is a 'normal' time of the cycle when breeders try to breed their dogs. It's usually a good receptive date. They could've had an outside tie, it's when the swollen glans on the male's penis is on the outside of the vulva. It can cause some of the symptoms you described. If the male gets too excited, he can have premature ejaculation. That may be why your female's backside was wet. You female should stop standing for your male very soon. Usually, from the time the male actually penetrates the female, the process is over very quickly. It's the tie that may take so long. Sometimes up to an hour. Whatever you do, don't try to separate them. You could seriously hurt one of them. Just try to keep them calm, and from running all over the place. If the tie lasts that long, you may want to call your vet. And you want to make sure that your male dog tidy's himself up after the tie, and that his penis goes back into it's sheath pretty fast. If I can help with anything else, please let me know!

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

QUESTION: do you think that what happened to my Maltese Dogs,will infact have worked even though they never did the tie?.Can she get pregnant by the outside tie?I did notice my male was cleaning himself constantly till his penis went back in,I thank you so much for any answer you give me,I had been researching for months now if my female gets pregnant and what to do to help her,I have almost memorized what needs to be done during her whelping,and have printed it out to have by where she will be birthing her pups if and when it happens,
Again
Thank you
Mary
P.S I will  have an xray done if she is pregnant to make sure I know exactly home many puppies she will be having.LOla and Zucchero are the loves in mine  and my husbands life...

Answer
I'm sorry! I meant to say in my last answer that a dog can indeed get pregnant by an outside tie, although breeders prefer a normal tie. She very well could be pregnant. It sounds like you've done your homework! I wish you guys good luck, and if you need anything, don't hesitate to write! :-) P.S. You have to wait till the dog is atleast 40 days pregnant before you can do an x-ray.