still able to breed?

Question
QUESTION: We are at day 17 of our female labs cycle.  We brought her together again with her stud today for an hour.  The last three times we were unsuccessful... first two times he was not interested in mounting, she was!  Today he tried several times to mount her but was unsuccessful in finding the spot.  She in turn would mount him and hump like crazy.  He then would take another turn.  At times she would stand still and others she would fight him off. They never actually connected.  Should we try again tomorrow?  What is the sign that her time has ended.

ANSWER: Hi Margie

If you didn't do progesterone testing to see where she's at, I would keep trying.  You could be off by a few days on your counting.

You may need to hold her so the male can mount.   But if she's at the end of her season, she won't let the male mount at all.

Good luck

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

QUESTION: She is definitely a house dog and we have been watching closely since Thanksgiving and she showed her first sign of bleeding on Dec. 24th.  Is it normal for the female to grab the male and hump continuously?  She is a 65lb choc lab and he is a 115 lb choc lab. She's 3 yrs and he's 18 months...  How much should you assist?  It seemed as though today any time we touch either of them they stopped.

Answer
You may have to be an "active participant".  

Hold the female using a leash in place, bring the male around the business end and encourage him to mount her.  You may have to hold him in place until a tie occurs.

It is normal for the female to initiate breeding and encourage the male to mate.