The female dog
Getting ready to mate
The heat
Everyone’s heard about a “bitch in heat”, but what is that and what does it mean? It’s the process where a female dog’s body prepares itself to have puppies. First it starts with bleeding, which is, in essence, the wolf/dog version of a human “period”. This usually lasts 10 to 14 days, and is the body’s way of preparing the uterus to receive fertilised eggs and to grow a litter of puppies. In some rare cases a bitch will be fertile during this time, but usually it’s when the bleeding STOPS that they ovulate. After ovulation the bitch/she-wolf will be fertile for approximately 36 to 48 hours and, if they’re mated during this time, they can become pregnant.
In the case of the wolf and many dogs the hormonal changes are extreme during this time. This is where the “bitch in heat” part comes in.
A normally placid and gentle female dog will turn into a sex craved fiend, intent on finding any male to mate with her. They will dig, jump, chew or climb their way out in order to find a boy.
The female has all the power
Mating
We would like to clarify one thing about the mating process, though. There is no such thing in the dog world as “rape”. During the mating process, it is the female dog who has ALL THE POWER. In order for her to be mated, she has to stand rock still for the male, put her tail to the side, tilt her vulva into the perfect position for mating, and remain still during the mating process until he has “tied” with her. If any one of these elements isn’t perfect, there will be no mating.
If the bitch isn’t ready, then watch out any male who tries mating her! She will usually just sit or lay down, but if the boy is persistent then she’ll growl, and fight, and bite. No mating will happen unless the girl is TOTALLY compliant and willing.
Dogs will often muck around in their everyday lives and will “mount” one another, but this is different to “mating”. No dog mating has been successful without a “tie”, where the male and female become stuck together for at least 7 minutes. Then it’s a mating. Mounting and thrusting behaviour is commonplace and doesn’t mean they’re trying to have sex.
Getting pregnant
It is not forced
A bitch’s heat will usually come once every 6 to 12 months. In the wolf this is normally just once a year, in mid-winter, ensuring her puppies are born in spring, when game is more plentiful, and it means the pups are as old as possible before they must endure a winter. In the dog, though, this cycle has been altered, and there’s no real rhyme nor rhythm to when they come into heat, and they will cycle all seasons of the year.
Some people who meet with us are concerned that, as professional breeders, we “force” our bitches to have puppies, then force them to immediately run with a male dog again so they can get pregnant, and that it’s a constant cycle of puppies, pregnant, puppies, and so on. It’s just simply not that way. There is, literally, only a 48 hour window once or twice a year when a bitch can become pregnant. Puppy farms are so successful because they rely on the hormonal changes in the bitch to ensure they get pregnant on every heat, even if this is twice a year, every year, for the whole of their adult lives.
6 litters in their lifetime
Max of 2 litters every 18 months
A bitch’s heat will usually come once every 6 to 12 months. In the wolf this is normally just once a year, in mid-winter, ensuring her puppies are born in spring, when game is more plentiful, and it means the pups are as old as possible before they must endure a winter. In the dog, though, this cycle has been altered, and there’s no real rhyme nor rhythm to when they come into heat, and they will cycle all seasons of the year.
Some people who meet with us are concerned that, as professional breeders, we “force” our bitches to have puppies, then force them to immediately run with a male dog again so they can get pregnant, and that it’s a constant cycle of puppies, pregnant, puppies, and so on. It’s just simply not that way. There is, literally, only a 48 hour window once or twice a year when a bitch can become pregnant. Puppy farms are so successful because they rely on the hormonal changes in the bitch to ensure they get pregnant on every heat, even if this is twice a year, every year, for the whole of their adult lives.
Get in touch
Contact us
Address
A. 82 Peters Road, Muchea, 6501
(Prideland Kennels and Cattery)
M. PO Box 237, Muchea, 6501
Phone or email
P. (08) 9571 0677
M. +61 414 898 236