First litters

Question
I have a 2 and a half year old Cavalier King Charles Spaniel Bitch who has just gone into her third season and a full male who is just under 2.

I have been planning to have them breed, and have had all of the necessary health checks, however, my male seems to be somewhat disinterested (this is day 3 of heat) - i don't know if I have discouraged him the past couple of days by not letting him actually mount her

she is letting him near her to clean her etc which he is doing rather a lot, but I'm really wary they don't perform together because I have so been looking forward to this and been preparing for this for years.

I am just slightly concerned because, as a male, he isn't particularly frisky and is really rather well behaved and always has been where sexual inclinations have been concerned.

I don't know whether to speak to my vet about AI - depending on the cost of it or not or to seek another stud dog.

Please help - what can you suggest?

Answer
Hi Linda:

First of all, let me say kudos to you for having pre-breeding health screening done -- so many people don't realize the value of this!

If your female is only on day 3 of her cycle, she's almost certainly not yet in estrus, which is the fertile portion of the cycle. On average, this occurs around day 9 or 10 from the onset of the cycle & generally lasts about a week or slightly less. The vaginal discharge will have lightened in flow & color, becoming more of a pale pink or straw color. The scent she'll emit during this phase will attract the male to breed. He may attempt to mount her prior but it's likely she'll refuse to stand for him & will only allow actual mating once she's in estrus -- in fact, she'll probably encourage & do all she can to entice him to do so. She will probably also "flag" at this point, which is typified by her placing her rear toward him & slowly waving or wagging her tail as if to say in doggie language "c'mere, big boy!" Both his & her reactions will be the best indication of when she's in estrus. I would wait until she's reached this portion before attempting AI since it may not be necessary. If he's still reluctant & you're quite sure she's in estrus then I would discuss AI with your vet. Best of luck to you!

Hi Linda:

Thank you so much for all your kind words. It's people like you who truly make volunteering here a worthwhile & positive experience. Please do keep me informed on the progress -- you can reach me here most anytime & I'd love to provide you with my personal email address but unfortunately the terms of service of the site prevent me from disclosing it. Perhaps once the litter arrives you can provide a link to the site you mentioned & then we'll be able to share more in depth. Thanks again for your feedback & let me know if you have any future questions.