Female dogs can go into heat every 6-12 months after their first heat, depending on the individual dog, and can conceive during this time. If you have a female dog and are planning to breed her, you may have wondered: Why do female dogs cry when mating?
In this article, we will answer questions that you may have when it comes to breeding and mating your female canine, as well as helpful information about male-mating behavior.
Why Do Female Dogs Cry When Mating?
Female dogs cry when mating because they want to grab the attention of a male. If a female is successful in this act, she will be able to fulfill her innate need to mate, breed, and conceive.
Male dogs may also cry, whine, or howl during the mating process, and if they are just able to scent a female in heat. This is because an unfixed male will quite literally do anything they can to gain access to a breed-able female.
You may notice the male cleaning the female prior to the mating process, this is because he is trying to win her over. A female dog’s gestation period is 58-68 days, and you can generally confirm pregnancy around the 22-day mark.
How Do Females Dogs Act After Mating?
A female’s overall behavior may completely change after she has mated. She may become lethargic or less enthused, but don’t worry about this, as a female in heat will generally behave differently as compared to how she behaves when she is not in heat.
After mating with a male, she may want nothing to do with him after the act, which is fairly normal as well. If your female seems to be having pain or discomfort after mating, this is because the act of the mating itself may have been painful.
If your female is acting like she is in extreme pain or discomfort, we recommend bringing her to a licensed veterinarian as soon as possible to verify that there are no underlying conditions that need medical treatment.
We recommend having a safe and comfortable area for your female dog to rest in alone during her heat, but especially after mating with a male. Doing this will help her recoup as mating can drain your dog by a great deal both mentally and physically.
Do Female Dogs Bleed After Mating?
Because of the fact that females can only mate when they are in heat, females do bleed after mating because she is still on her heat cycle. Generally, a female will bleed for the first 10 days of her heat and will start to slow down on the bleeding during the last 10 days of her heat.
As we mentioned previously, bleeding is normal in females, but especially after breeding. Some female dogs will have a heavier flow of blood than others, but you can generally get an idea of your female’s blood flow after her first heat.
A female’s heat cycle will typically last 3 weeks, give or take some time for individual females. It generally takes about 22 days after the day of mating for a veterinarian to be able to confirm pregnancy.
A female will bleed for different reasons, but if you start to notice increased bleeding past the 10-day mark, we highly recommend bringing your female to the vet for an examination.
You may notice the female’s genitals red, swollen, and bleeding after mating which is perfectly normal, so try not to worry too much about these symptoms.
What to Do With Your Dogs After Mating
When dogs mate, they go through a unique process and end up in a position some refer to as the mates becoming ‘stuck’. This process includes a copulatory tie, which is what allows the female to potentially become pregnant.
It is important to never separate your dogs from this position, as it can cause them severe pain or injury, and will not stop a potential pregnancy. After your dogs separate themselves, your female may want to be alone to tend to herself, which is completely normal.
Food and water should be offered to both the male and female, but try not to be surprised if they don’t show much interest, as their behavior may change temporarily after the mating process.
We do recommend bringing your female to the veterinarian about 30 days after the mating has taken place to determine if she is pregnant.
How Many Days Will a Female Dog Let a Male Mate?
The time frame of a female letting a male mate with her is completely dependent on the female. Some females may let males mate for about a week, but some have been known to allow this for a longer period of time.
The time varies for females due to their age, emotional state, and temperament. Your female may let a male mate with her up to 3 times a day, every other day, but any more than this can result in reduced efficacy of the male’s sperm.
A female will absolutely not let a male mate with her when she is not in heat, so if you notice a male trying to mount a female at an unacceptable time, it is important to put a stop to the behavior as soon as possible to avoid dealing with any behavioral issues in both dogs.
Males will typically hump other dogs to display their dominance, but this action will not always go over smoothly with females. We urge you to keep in mind that a dog who is spayed or neutered does not have reproductive organs, thus they cannot conceive.
A spayed female will no longer have a heat cycle, and a neutered male will not be able to produce sperm but he may still try to exhibit dominance over other dogs.
Conclusion
In this article, we discussed a wide range of topics about mating in female dogs, and answered the question: why do female dogs cry when mating? We recommend bringing your female dog to a licensed veterinarian before allowing her to breed, to verify that she is healthy enough to conceive.