23.03.2024

After months of deliberation, comparing profiles and analysing pedigrees, we had our stud dogs together at the end of January 2024. Apollo vom Vilsfeld as the first stud dog and Django von der Sachsenperle as the second stud dog. We had calculated Diara's heat for mid/end February, so we had to wait. And wait. And wait some more...

Diara took almost a month longer than we had calculated. We were getting a bit anxious in the meantime - is everything OK? Is there something wrong with her cycle? Was there a silent heat and the window of opportunity is already over? All these thoughts are really persistent when you're planning a litter and the bitch simply doesn't go into heat.

When the doubts really started to set in as to whether the whole thing should be cancelled, the time had finally come.

On Monday 11 March 2024, we found the first drops of blood. 

Diara was actually quite accommodating in choosing this date, as we had planned to go on holiday on the Friday of the same week and therefore had just the last chance to cancel everything😅

On average, a bitch is ready to mate between the 10-14th day of her heat. However, this value varies greatly from dog to dog. In addition, she can also show tolerant behaviour early on, but not actually be fertile yet. We therefore carried out a progesterone test on the 9th and 11th day (the advantages of being a vet and breeder at the same time: you can do these things very easily yourself).

On the 9th day she was already standing, she turned her tail to the side and accepted the sniffing, but: progesterone still completely down!

Then two days later: values of over 26nmol/l! In comparison: the normal value is less than 3nmol/L!

From about 15.8nmol/L the value indicates ovulation.

Diara was now on day 11, so most probably in the middle of ovulation. We did the test in the morning and on the same day in the evening we went to see our first male Apollo for the first time.

Both of them immediately liked each other and knew what their job was. But it didn't really work out yet. 

It didn't come to hanging although Apollo had probably found the right spot for a short time, which is why it was entered in the papers as a "mating without hanging". 

The next day, the 12th day of heat, we were with Apollo again in the morning. However, it was the same game again. Both dogs did their best but somehow it didn't really work out. Again, there was a brief intrusion without hanging. 

Statistically speaking and based on experience, the probability of puppies being born if the male didn't hang is close to zero, so we decided to take the 3.5 hour drive to our second male. 

Django and Diara also clicked quickly and on the second attempt we had a textbook mating with 20 minutes of hanging.

 

However, as both males penetrated, our A-litter will be double mated and we will carry out a paternity test on all of them (should puppies be born). 

 

After the successful mating with Django, we were very hospitably entertained at the RZV dog park in Delmenhorst-Adelheide and then made our way back. 

We decided against mating the next day, even though this was actually the normal procedure. 

But we simply had the feeling that Diara was getting fed up with males, even if her hormones were of a different opinion. In order to avoid unnecessary stress for her and to avoid "messing up" the bitch with too many attempts at mating, we set off on the 4-hour journey back to the Eifel at 7 o'clock in the evening.

All three of us were bloody exhausted, after all we had been travelling for about 800km with just under 1.5 hours of mating attempts for Diara.

 

Now we'll see in a month's time whether we've got the timing right for mating. In breeding, this is actually THE reason why a bitch remains empty: too early or too late to the male dog. 

Of course, health factors can also prevent a successful conception. For example, the first bitch my mother wanted to start breeding with had resorbed her foetuses due to persistent corpus luteum and therefore remained empty.

 

We'll see how things look with Diara in 30 days. Until then, we'll give her a (hopefully) optimal supply of nutrients, lots of exercise and 2 weeks holiday on the Costa Brave.

 

As soon as there is anything new, we will post it here in "News" and on Instagram!

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