How to Breed Dogs - Starting the Breeding Process

1. Wait for the dam to go into heat. Your dam needs to be in heat before she can be bred. The timing is not set in stone, so watch you dam to know when this happens. The dam's genital area will begin to swell and there may be a bloody discharge. If you have the stud in a nearby pen, he will get more excited and interested in the female.
- The dam will not accept the stud until she is ready to breed. She may even snap at him to keep him away until she is ready. Do not let your dogs get injured. Monitor them closely when they are together.
- Typically, the female will be receptive about 9-11 days into the heat cycle and allow the sire to mount and mate her.
- If you have difficulty getting your dam bred, your veterinarian can do Progesterone testing. This helps find out when she is in estrus and her body is ready to accept semen. Progesterone levels will rise 1-2 days before ovulation. Some dams will have silent heat cycles which make estrus difficult to detect and Progesterone testing will help pin down ovulation timing.[10]

2. Consider artificial insemination. Artificial insemination can help you breed your dog if you don't have a stud. Frozen dog semen can be shipped around the world stored in liquid nitrogen. Specific steps are taken to thaw it and inseminate the female dog. You may need to consider this if the pair you chose cannot seem to breed naturally.
- This can be problematic because It raises questions about the potential problems for the next generation’s breeding soundness.
- In really special cases, semen can be surgically implanted into the uterus by a veterinarian with the dam under anesthesia. Of course, these extra procedures increase the cost of each pregnancy and each puppy in the litter.[11]

3. Keep your dam healthy. When you are sure the dam has been bred, you can separate her from the stud. You need to feed her a balanced diet. You can also give her supplemental vitamins, such as calcium. These are typically recommended by your vet.
- This needs to happen over the course of the pregnancy. The gestation period for dogs is 58-68 days.
- Keep the dam's kennel free of infestations such as fleas. Clean it regularly and provide lots of fresh water and clean bedding.

4. Notice changes to your dam. The nipples and mammary glands undergo changes during pregnancy. Toward the end of pregnancy, the mammary glands will start to fill with milk. During the last three weeks of her pregnancy, she will require extra nutrition. Discuss proper nutrition with your veterinarian.
- Typically, the pregnant female is fed puppy food during the last three weeks of pregnancy. This provides her with adequate calories and nutrition for the growing fetuses and helps prepare her for lactation.