How to determine an optimal mating date for a bitch?
In bitches, the time of ovulation varies significantly from breed to breed. Many dog breeders frequently do not understand this, so they impose standard mating regimes on their bitches, without knowing when to use what. These regimens typically include a breeding strategy that begins a predetermined or defined number of days after the onset of vulval “bleeding,” i.e., serosanguinous discharge. As a result, many bitches are frequently mated at the wrong time, which is the most common cause of apparent infertility in bitches. However, it is often necessary to schedule planned mating several days in anticipation so that you can accommodate the transport of the bitch to the intended stud dog’s location.
This article will tell you how to determine an optimal mating date for a bitch.
Can artificial insemination be used for all dog breeds?
Keeping a check on the fertile period of the bitch
The fertile period is the time between mating and insemination that can lead to a pregnancy. Because dog sperm can stay fertile for a few days within the female reproductive tract, this phase entails the fertilization period and the previous few days. Sperm can stay alive in the tract for up to 5 or 6 days before the estrous cycle and have the chance to penetrate a newly ovulated single oocyte, likely to result in fertilization 7 or 8 days after dog semen deposition. The fertile period can be presumed to last from three days before the preovulatory LH surge to seven days after the preovulatory LH surge. It may last even longer while using stud dogs with incredible sperm quality.
Clinical Assessment to determine an optimal date for mating a bitch.
Successful use of clinical assessments in breeding management necessitates understanding the standard transformation from proestrus to estrus. Many dog owners and breeders have inaccurate beliefs about the day of the cycle and the normal changes in sexual behaviour.
Acknowledging the constraints as well as the worth of accessible techniques – vaginal cytology, the extent of vulval tumescence, and vagino-scopic assessments, as well as peak serum assays – in calculating the date of ovulation and associated treatments in which fertilization can occur is also required. In such times, clinical assessment of the bitch can also help the breeders chart out the entire cycle for a year, so they know when to take her to the stud dogs.
Estrus behaviour to determine the breeding date.
In certain species, the initiation of estrus behavioural signs may be used to pick the best time to reproduce. Moreover, in the bitch, there seems to be a poor correlation between endocrine and behavioural events. These can be duly analyzed by the breeders to identify signs that the bitch is now ready to mate and is fertile for the dog’s semen to be impregnated and conceive a litter.
Behavioural changes in the bitch
Besides changes in the vulva’s presentation, owners may observe a significant alteration in the bitch’s attitude. Flagging is a distinguishable behaviour observed during the LH surge. If the bitch is the sole resident pet, owners may notice her bitching and moaning as she strolls around or flagging if anybody bumps into her. Other animals in the house may begin mounting the bitch, but males are commonly uninterested in the female (at that time). The male dog’s interest in mounting the bitch increases on days 5 and 6 after the LH surge. Males may lose the desire to eat and openly express themselves at this time.
Conclusion
The fertility of the bitch means a lot to breeders as that is the time that decides whether the body of the bitch is ready to mate or not. If the breeders successfully keep a note of that, it becomes easy to get the bitch to the studs and make mating possible. Dog sperm does its magic, and the bitch can easily conceive a litter if she is ovulating at that time.
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