How to Breed your Dog

How to Breed your Dog
What every good owner should know upfront

Breeding your dog can be exciting, yet confusing. I will share the basics with you on how to breed your dog. I will assume your are at step one and want to know what is involved with breeding your dog, before you make that big decision.

Right now we have English Bulldogs who we have bred. I hate to call myself a breeder, because to me it sounds like I consider this a job and have dogs to make money. If you knew me you would understand nothing is further from the truth. My 4 dogs are our family. They are treated like my kids. We love each of them unconditionally and to breed them is just a bonus. I have been told many times that people decided to buy our puppies because of the way I treat our dogs, how clean I keep the puppies and the home and how picky I am about where the puppies go. If you are wanting to breed your dog just for the money, you should stop reading. I plan on putting my normal job on hold when the puppies come and being available to our dogs and puppies 24/7 and I do mean that. If I am going to breed my dog I am going to give it 110% of my time and not do it half ass. Sometimes you get lucky and your female may have a litter of 4 and all puppies are gaining weight. You usually do not need to step in too much for the first couple weeks. But other things come up when you do need to step in. Our Jordin had a litter of 9 recently and I slept in the bed next to her and her puppies for the first 4 weeks. I woke up every 2 hours. There were so many puppies she could not feed them all at once. I had to make what I call baa baa groups, aka feeding groups and I had to keep rotating the puppies. I had to weigh them twice a day so I could see who needed more attention that day. It was a big job from birth until they left here, but I am happy to say because of my efforts we did not lose one puppy. They are all in wonderful homes.

I am not to go into how you should only breed dogs that will better the dog breed, you have probably already read that and to me it is common sense.

How to Breed your Dog


I will save the details for another posting, but I will write all of the basics you need to know.

First you will need to establish the first day of her heat. That is the first day she starts bleeding. When my females get close, I grab a toilet paper and wipe to check for blood everyday, so I do not miss day one. If you want to successfully breed your dog it is important to catch the first day of bleeding.

Now, just like women, every dog is different. You may want to breed your dog on day 9, 11 and day 13 or you may breed your dog on day 10, 12 and 14. It just depends on your dog and when she is ready. We can tell by the color of the blood. It usually starts getting a bit pink and we know they are ready. If you have a male dog he will be a good indicator.

If you are one of the lucky ones, you have the male and female and they will breed on their own. We actually have our male, but being that they are English Bulldogs, we need to artificially inseminate.

Let's assume you do not have the male to breed with, you can call local vets and see if they have a list of male studs for your breed. Nowadays with the internet you can even do your own search. Stud owners sometimes advertise in newspapers or even on Ebay. You can even post your own ad that you are looking for a stud. Post the flier in your local newspaper, on Ebay and even at grocery stores on bulletins. You are looking to breed with a proven stud, a dog that has breed before.

Let me save you some money, in the beginning we let the vet run extra tests to tell us the best days to breed, waste of money. We now know our Madison needs to breed on day 13, 15 and day 17 and Jordin breeds on day 10, 12 and 14. It is a guessing game at first.

If you will be going to the veterinarian to have your dog artificially inseminated, breath easy knowing you are in and out in ten minutes. Your female is awake. They just get the semen from the male (from almost like masturbating him) and use a long tube to insert the semen into the female. The cost depends on the vet. We had paid about $100 per visit. We now do the artificial inseminating ourselves with a kit. We have had more luck with our girls getting pregnant this way.

How to breed your dog..... when is her due date?


Now you will count 63 days after the first breeding. If the dogs bred today, you would count 63 days from now. She could go as early as 58 days from now.

How to breed your dog....Is she pregnant?


Be patient. You should be able to tell in about 3 weeks. At that point you will notice a larger tummy.


How to breed your dog...... Is she in labor?


Starting day 58 you will need to take her temperature morning and night. You will notice her temperature range from 99.2 to 101.2. This is normal. Once her temperature drops to 98 you will know she will have her first puppy within 12 to 24 hours. Although this method is not 100% accurate, it has been 100% accurate for my females and our shih tzu females we bred in the past.

When taking your females temperature have your spouse hold her still from under so she can not sit on the thermometer. Use a digital thermometer and dip it in Vaseline, then slowly insert it into her rectum.  It should slide in easy, if not, stop and try again.


How to breed your dog......delivery


How to deliver puppies is a whole separate article I will write soon. Make sure you have help and have the vet on call for any emergencies.

How to breed your dog, weighing the pups


We had to learn everything we now know by trial and error. It seemed like breeders did not want to give out and help or advice. We lost a couple puppies way back in the day, I am sure we could have saved, looking back. You need to make sure all puppies are eating. To do so, you need to weigh them twice a day. I got a food scale at Walmart, I still use today for the puppies. If you notice a puppy is not gaining weight, you need to step in by putting him on the nipple more often, make sure he is sucking and if need be, stepping in with formula. I have an article here on how to make puppy formula for a puppy struggling.


How to breed your dog, extra advice


The first day and night puppies are born is the time you are most likely to lose one or two. Your female is very tired from being up in labor and the delivery. Even dogs with C-sections need to be watched closely. They can easily lay on one and kill it. We have had that happen, trust me. Especially on large litters. Not to mention, with big litters Mom is less likely to keep track of all the puppies. One can squirm behind her and she may not notice.

Now, we plan on sleeping opposite hours, especially the first few days. Someone is always up with our female and the puppies. As I mentioned above, Madisons last litter did great, there were 4 and everyone gained weight like crazy. Jordin had 9 and I did nothing but help her from the day they were born.

How to breed your dog, parting words


I hope this article was helpful. I am planning on building this site to be of help to responsible owners who want all the information they can gather to breed their dog the best they can, with love heart and all the knowledge in the world. Anyone can tell you the hardest part for me is selling the puppies. I have tears in my eyes as each one leaves. I have learned that you as a breeder must be very picky as to who you sell your puppies to. Money should be secondary. Making sure the puppies go to a great home should be your utmost concern.

Is breeding your dog for everyone? Absolutely not. To do it right, you need to make sure this is your job. Everything else must be on hold when you have puppies. Plan on spending every second of the day dedicated to taking care of the puppies and their Mom. It is alot of work. But if you have a huge heart and a ton of love and patience and are ready to give 100% effort, it can be exciting and rewarding.

How to know when your dog is ready to breed

How to know when your dog is ready to breed- Plain and simple terms

Every female dog goes into her heat about every 6 months. She may start her first heat at about 8 months. This is too early to breed your dog. My suggestion is that your female is atleast two years old or older.

Once she has her first heat, she should come into heat about every 6 months, some dogs every 8 months. Every female dog is different so this varies. You want to catch the first day she bleeds. This is day one. If you are going to have your dog artificially inseminated, the vet will want to see your female on day 8. He will run tests to see if this would be a good day to artificially inseminate, or he may have you come back in a couple more days. So you may go back to the vet at day 10 and he may artificially inseminate her. Then he will have you come back in about 2 days, and have your bring your dog back once more in 2 more days. So she was insemintaed 3 times, every other day starting on day 10. This is just average. Maybe your dog will be on days 9 11 and 14. It is just a ballbark idea of averages.

If you will be breeding your dog, the same holds true. Counting her first day of blood seen, you may breed on days 10, 12 and 14.

How to know when your dog is ready to breed, More Ways To Tell

Other ways to tell your female is ready. If you have a proven stud, he will typically KNOW when the right time to breed is, and you probably not even need to see the vet. He may be comfortable breeding with her every day and not leave a day off in between, so if he breed with your dog on day 9, day 10 keep them apart.
When the two dogs have intercourse, they will be "Locked up afterwards" do not try to pull them apart. Try to keep the male dog from running around, try to keep them fairly still, and do not run water on them. Just simply have patience. It may take 10 to 20 minutes and his swelling will go down and they will once again be separate. You be calm. This is all normal.

How to know when your dog is ready to breed, how I tell

Watch the color of the blood carefully. When the bright red color turn a bit pinky, we know it is time. 

Your female dog will flg, also called flagging. This simply means your dog will lift her tail or butt, and usually do this right in front of the males face. You can also run your finger down her back and see she is "Flagging." This is typically a sign she is ready to breed, however is not always completely accurate. The time frame a dog can get pregnant is about a 5 day window, my dogs typically flag quit a bit longer.

How to decide whether to Breed Your Dog

How to decide whether to Breed Your Dog

You have probably read enough on the subject and seen all the reasons not to breed your dog. The main reason being, there are so many dogs in need of a home already, and that is so true and something to take into consideration. There are definitely pros and cons and after reading this article, hopefully your final decision will be clear.
Take into consideration the economy. As you know is not the greatest. Do some research on your breed of dog and see what the current asking price is, and see that the dogs puppies are actually selling. You can look in your local newspaper for puppies for sale (or even online in the classified ads.) Find your breed of dog and read the ads. If the puppies are 3 months old, they may have not been selling. If the price is low, they may not be selling. Feel free to call ads if you want to.

Make sure your dog is healthy and mating her would better the breed.

How to decide whether to Breed Your Dog, Finding a stud

Find a stud.
You can call your local vet and ask if they know of any Stud services for your breed of dog. They normally keep a list. If our vet does not know of any, call all the vets near you.
Call the stud owners.
See what their policy is and what their fee is. Ask what happens if your female does not get pregnant.
For the most part, you will bring your female dog to them 8 days after they start bleeding. This is on average, they may have you bring your dog to the vet for a test and an exact day to bring your dog to them. They may breed on that day, skip a day, breed again the next day, skip another day, and then breed one more time. Again this is just an idea for you. All dogs are different, and the days they can get pregnant vary. The test at the vet is a good indicator of when to breed, and if you have a good stud, he will breed when the female is "ready."

How to decide whether to Breed Your Dog, artificial inseminating

Your other option is to artificially inseminate.
This is alot easier than you may imagine. The vet does this at his office and extracts the semen from the male and simply puts it in the female, she is awake and it is not painful at all. Simply done is 5 minutes.
Prepare for the puppies. Approximately 60 days after her first breeding you can expect puppies.
You may choose a C section or deliver puppies on your own.
If you deliver puppies on your own, please have two of you there and atleast one of you with experience. The female dog sometimes needs help and you want to be prepared for any problem or issue that may arise.

After delivery, you will want to take Mom dog in that day for a shot to expel any afterbirth left in her still. This is a must do, you do not want her to get an infection.
Taking care of the newborn puppies.
You want to weigh the puppies 2 times a day to make sure everyone is gaining weight. If a puppy is not gaining weight properly, you will know immediately and be able to make sure the puppy is nursing correctly and not getting pushed off by other puppies.

How to decide whether to Breed Your Dog, The Big Question
Do you have time? 


We have English Bulldogs we breed. I work from home, so when we have puppies, I put my work to the side and focus all my attention on the puppies. If your female has a small litter and the puppies are all well besides cleaning the area, you should not have to do too much the first couple weeks. Everything does not always go that easy. Our Jordin has big litters. I actually sleep in a bed right by them and get up every two hours to make sure everyone is eating.

If you have a large litter of puppies, you may want to do groups. Separate the puppies into 2 groups. Make sure you remember who is in which group so no-one gets left out. Maybe Girls are group 1 and Boys are group 2.
 You may also have a sick puppy you need to nurse. If you are not home and have 24 hours a day to take care of puppies, do not breed.

How to decide whether to Breed Your Dog, The work begins
At about 4 weeks (depending on your breed of dog) you will start introducing food. If you will be using Puppy Chow, Mix Puppy chow with nursery water in your blender. At first you will need more water than puppy chow. Mix well so there are no lumps at all.
To begin, you may need to put the puppy chow on a very flat dish, maybe a plate, and put it on your finger. It is a gradually process, but in a few days they will be eating on their own and not off of your finger. You can also introduce water in a separate dish. All puppies are ready for this step at different times, so you may find half of your puppies are ready and the other need a few more days of just Mom's nursing. Gradually as the weeks go on you can add less water. You will soon be able to put Puppy Chow just soaked in water and not mixed, and by 7 1/2 weeks they should be able to eat the puppy chow on their own.

How to decide whether to Breed Your Dog, Keeping the area always clean!

Along with the feedings comes the POTTY! Yes, as should be feeding the puppies 4 times a day, spread out, every 3 to 4 hours, you will also have to clean their bedding and all their potties 4 times a day. It is a job in it's own. At about 7 weeks you will take all the puppies in for their first round of shots and deworming.

Selling the puppies.
You can place an ad in your local newspaper or make a website. Print up a receipt for the new owners and sell your puppies to local folks only, do not ship. Unfortunately, this day and age their are many scams. DO NOT accept any form of payment other then cash. Meet the new families and be choosy. You have raised these puppies with complete love and chances are you may get attached to them. make it clear in your ads you prefer to sell your puppies to families without small children, that may be too rough with puppies. Also prefer that someone will be home and both parents will not be working. A dog should be part of one's family and tending to NOT locked up all day long and NOT left outside. Be strict! Send the new owner with a receipt and a bag of Puppy Chow. If your dog is AKC, make sure to send them with their AKC registration. (If your dog is AKC, 2 weeks prior to them ready to leave, go online and fill out the paperwork. they should get mailed to you in 5 to 7 days.)