Female Dog Heat Cycle

Female Heat time: A bitch is on heat twice a year. The first time can be when they are 6 months old, even though large dogs tend to be sexually mature when they're a year old.The female dog heat cycle lasts 2-3 weeks. 10 days before it, a bitch is distraught and blood flows out of her vagina. After these 10 days, the bitch is ready for mating: she does not reject males, allows them to get closer and moves her tail aside when a "pretender" approaches. Males are always willing to mate, though, and when they smell a bitch on heat they will not be able to think about anything else.

Choosing a parent for the pups: In theory you can choose any kind of dog to be the partner of yours. But, you surely have some favorite characteristics in dogs, which means that you will have to choose one that has these characteristic to increase the possibility for the pups to inherit them. Before choosing a partner for your dog, think about the size you want the pups to be, and then start searching for an appropriate candidate.

Dog Mating: Be prepared for all kinds of surprises when two dogs of different breed mate. According to Mendel, you can deduce half the litter will be similar to the mother and the other half will look like the father, but these is only useful if the parents are pure-breed. The best thing to do is to let oneself be surprised and be glad nature can be so creative. But, for health reasons, we recommend you to take the following into account:

• Muzzle: Never breed from two short-muzzle dogs: Their heads might be too big and there will probably be problems when giving birth. A short muzzle also brings complications for breathing and in the eyes, as there is not enough place for the skin between the nose and the eyes. Short lower jaw is problematic too.
• Back and legs: Never pair up two dogs with long back and short legs: first, because these could bring ligament problems, and second, because it does not look good at all.
• Ears: Long hairy ears tend to be problematic. Otitis Media is common in this type of ears (like Setters and Spaniels), because of the lack of ventilation.
• Eyes: Be careful about these. Dogs that have large eyelids tend to suffer from chronic conjunctivitis.

Dog Personality: Be honest to yourself and answer these questions: What are your dog's qualities? Which ones do you like? Which ones do you dislike? You can compensate the ones you do not like finding a partner that is totally the opposite of your dog.

Deciding not to breed your dog for health reasons?
If your dog has an hereditary disease it is advisable not to let them breed. These could be allergies, diabetes or epilepsy. You obviously don't want the partner of your dog to suffer from any of these.