Mating

Mating Rough Collies

I have been asked to describe the actual process of mating a Rough Collie dog to a Rough Collie bitch. I stress the naming of the breed as there are difficulties in this process regarding Rough Collies that are not necessarily present when mating dogs and bitches in other breeds.
Before you even start the process of mating a dog to a bitch make sure that both are in good condition. We have had far too many bitches turn up for mating who I can only describe as being far too fat. They are difficult to get mated and if they have puppies they are generally very small with many not surviving. Makes no sense to mate a fat bitch, pay a big stud fee and get poor puppies. I like the bitch to look in very good hard
condition. She can have plenty of food once the mating is successful, and is proved to be in whelp. Using the Artificial Insemination method of getting a bitch in pup is gaining popularity, but it is basically a lazy way of accomplishing this task. It also does
away with the pleasure that the animals get from a natural mating.
I remember our Corydon Rio Rita used to scream with pleasure the whole time she was tied to the dog. The first time she was especially loud and I feared that our neighbours would think we were trying to kill her. She had a good 15 minute orgasm each time she was mated. She was also a wonderful brood bitch. Her last litter of 8 all arrived within one and a half hours.
Having had the experience of trying to naturally mate a dog who had always been used to AI mating’s, I know that it can have a detrimental effect on the dog. Once I successfully got a natural mating with the dog and a proper tie, he spent the next few minutes in a raging temper as he tried to extricate himself from the bitch. Even with further mating’s on different bitches he still would not settle. He obviously thought that he was not intended to be attached to the bitch. It made for very difficult ties and is probably the main reason we only managed to get one surviving puppy from several mating’s. AI is not a method I want to try for my own stud dogs.
From my experience, bitches who come here to be mated from a kennel environment are much easier to handle and get mated than those bitches who are single pets reared in a house. Some of these are so frightened by the whole experience that they are sometimes almost impossible to get mated by the dog. I even had one bitch collapse many years ago. In these cases AI might well have a place, but should these pet bitches
be allowed to have puppies anyway? Most are not going to improve the breed and they can often be very bad whelper’s. In my opinion these bitches should be sterilised at an early age.
So, why do we need the bitch to tie the dog? The simple answer is that we do not, but the proper answer would be, because unlike any other animal, the bitch’s eggs are fertilised in the ovary. For almost all other animals the eggs are released into the uterus before they are fertilised by the male sperm. Hence the tie which enables the bitch to use her muscles to drag the sperm towards the ovaries.
A side story here, many years ago we took a bitch to be mated . The dog entered but was frightened by someone coming into the room just at the point when he entered. He broke from the bitch immediately and would not come near her again. We gave up, but
weeks later she produced 8 puppies. Proving a tie is not always necessary. We do not ask for a stud fee if there is no tie. The stud fee is paid if there are puppies born from the mating.
The bitch is mated when she has stopped showing colour, or in other words her uterus has been cleaned out ready for the next batch of eggs which will be released once they have been fertilised. Other animals showing colour from the vulva means that they are not going to have babies as this shows their uterus being cleaned out with unfertilised eggs being discarded.
Dogs are also different from many other animals in that they only come into season at the best every six months and very often only once a year. Cows for instant come into season every 3 weeks when they have a colourless discharge. And of course for humans it is every four weeks. Horses are different as they come into season in the Spring.
The vagina on the bitch is closed tight until she is actually ready for the mating. It is not possible to mate a bitch, either with a dog or by AI at any other time.
Now for the actual mating. As I have stated the bitch can only be mated when she is ready, which is usually 10 to 13 days after she has started to discharge the red mucus. Unfortunately bitches cannot read and so this period can be one day or up to 42 days. I have had both with my bitches over the years. So be prepared to act once you have noticed that the bitch is in season. Helpful if you have a dog as she will try and present herself to the dog when the time is right. If you do not have a dog a useful tip that often works very well is to put your hand on the top of the tail. When the bitch is ready she will flick her tail to one side so exposing herself.
Rough Collies are difficult because of the amount of hair that gets in the way when the dog mounts the bitch. This is why I always try to handle the dog and guide him into the bitch. I remember John Parrott would never handle his stud dogs. He believed that
they should do the job naturally. As he had one of the most popular stud dogs of his time in Ch Larkena Vanara Golden Victor I was always amazed that this dog managed to mate most of the bitches sent to him. But the amount of time that was spent at his kennels while this process was taking place was truly a great deal.
I also remember taking a bitch to his friend Ralph Fendley, who also believed in this time consuming method. After taking a bitch to his kennels 6 days on the trot without any success I suggested that he went round the corner, when I managed to handle the dog and effect a successful mating. The bitch had eight puppies.
Occasionally a dog will refuse to be handled. He thinks that he can do the job best. Ch Corydon Handsome Hotspur was one of these awkward animals. He just would not come near the bitch if she was being held. Fortunately he was rather good at doing the job on his own, until a bitch with a really very heavy long coat came to him. There was no way that he could get past this coat, but I had a brainwave and tied up her skirts with strong rubber bands. You need two strong, long rubber bands. I put one leg through the band and drag it up the leg as far as I can while dragging the coat through the band as I pull it up the leg. I repeat for the other leg. Once I had done this he mated her first time.
So strong, long rubber bands are part of my equipment..
Another dog to have a problem was Ch Little Caesar at Corydon. I am left handed and always work on the right hand side of the bitch. This worked fine until he went to Australia where his new owner was right handed and wanted to work on the other side of the bitch. He absolutely refused to go near this bitch until his owners went onto the other side. Must have worked because he sired a huge number of Champion in Australia. Did him no harm either as he lived to 16 years of age. But while he was with me he had a very naughty habit, when after being in a tie for ten minutes he would go down on his front legs and pull himself out of the bitch. The bitch usually screamed in pain, but he never seemed to do any damage to himself. Interestingly he never did this once he was in Australia. I knew he would try to do this trick and attempted to
anticipate when it was about to happen, but he always beat me to it.
Now for the nitty gritty part. Those of a squeamish nature look away now. To establish that the bitch is ready for mating I put a good dollop of Vaseline on
my left forefinger (I did say I am left handed). I smear this round the outside of the bitches vulva, then I very gently put this finger into the vagina. If the bitch is ready for mating my finger will penetrate easily. Do not push your finger in if you feel resistance. Wait another day. One bitch I took to a stud dog was seriously damaged when the stud dog owner pushed his finger in too vigorously. The bitch let out a blood curdling scream. She had no puppies but needed a hysterectomy afterwards because of the damage. This person is well known in dogs who should have known a lot better. We learnt the hard way from this experience as the stud fee was £500 and the operation
was a further £800. The stud dog owner ignored us. I do not like people who are cruel to animals.
Having assured yourself that the bitch is now fully open and is ready to be mated. Kneel down by the bitches side having made sure that someone else is holding her head. (you do not want to be bitten at this stage as you are rather vulnerable). With one hand under the bitch put your fingers either side of the vulva. This is to help you guide the dogs penis into the vagina. Allow the dog to mount the bitch and start to work. As you feel his penis between your fingers, spread them slightly, so that the vulva is more open and the dog will enter easily. As soon as he has entered and begins to work seriously put your other arm round the back of him so that he cannot slip out of the bitch.
Now the hand that was guiding him in can feel to find if he has swollen inside the bitch. This means that there is a proper tie and you can now relax the arm holding
him on so that he can then turn. The dog will slip to one side with both front legs on one side of the bitch. Lift one of his hind legs over the bitch so that he can face the opposite direction to the bitch. He will do this himself but he can overbalance, which could cause some damage.. This is why I lift the leg myself. I hold the root of both tails until the bitch releases the dog. It is she who does the releasing. The tie can last from 5
minutes to 90 minutes. I have had both, but it is normal for a tie to last between 10 and 20 minutes. I hold the tails of both as it can be very dangerous if either one is frightened and tries to separate before the correct time. I remember Sandra Wigglesworth telling me that her Sandiacre Softly Softly was severely damaged when a bitch took fright and got away from him during the tie. He was a very popular stud dog in his day, but had to be rested for over a year before he could be used again. Once the bitch has released the dog I lift the hindlegs of the bitch off the ground. Just for luck. I am convinced this helps the sperm to reach the ovaries!!!!!
During the tie if the bitch is going to be a good brood you will notice her back wrinkling as her muscles pull the sperm forward. I like to see this because I know that the bitch will be an easy whelper.
Useful Tip 1: Put a muzzle on the bitches head. Some bitches get overexcited and will start snapping. Always keep her on a leash.
Useful Tip 2: Have a chair handy for your helper. A tie can last a long time and it is no fun bending over a bitch during a long tie.
Useful Tip 3: Have a chair for you as well.
Useful Tip 4: Do the job under cover. I remember one mating that went on for ever, and a very violent thunderstorm became very much closer. The bitch must have realised because after a hour and a half tie she decided to release the dog just as the first rain drops came down. We did not get too wet, but it was close. She had 6 puppies if my memory is right.
Unfortunately maiden bitches have often not read the book where it says that the bitch will immediately grip the dogs penis causing it to swell inside her. This
is why I put my arm round the back of the dog to hold him in place. Some bitches do take some minutes to tie the dog, especially young maiden bitches. Just the other day I had to hang onto the dog for at least 5minutes before I could feel him swollen inside the
bitch. On the other hand some bitches are very quick and tie instantly. Reminds me of the first mating we did with our first bitch Chuckalucks That’s My girl. We went to use the well known Ch Jefsfire Strollaway. Alan Jefferies the handler of the dog put a muzzle on the bitch. Sat me down on a chair with me holding the head of the bitch. He opened a door and this thing flew in, landed on the bitch, then turned away. I said to Alan
“He does not seem to be interested”. Alan replied “He is tied”. I have to admit that I have never had a dogthis quick. Riff was good in his early days, but not like that.
From my experience the dogs with most libido are the tricolour’s, second are the sables and a lot of Blue Merles just not interested at all. I have one blue who mated every bitch that was not in season, but runs a mile if I want him to mate a bitch who is in season. This reminds me yet again of the problem with Blue Merles. Many years ago we had a blue merle dog called Barnville Blue Barnet at Corydon. He was an unusually keen stud dog for his colour, which meant that he had many more studs than he was
really worthy of. As the blue merle stud dog of the breeders choice would not mate their bitch, they came to Barnet as a last resort. Good for us, but not necessarily for the breed. Although he did win a Junior Warrant, he was not good enough to win a Champion title. We used him ourselves but did not keep any of
his puppies.
Some dogs do need quite a lot of encouragement. Corydon King Hector sired over 80 litters, but I really had to gee him up before he would even mount a bitch. I used to pull his coat so that he got angry, then he would perform.
As an afterthought give the participants a treat once
the job is over and done with.
I hope that this little effort helps to get good mating’s and plenty of healthy puppies.
Lastly: Essential equipment for mating:
1 Strong Dog Lead which must be kept on the bitch at all times.
1 Good Muzzle for the bitch.
1 Jar of Vaseline
2 Big Strong Rubber Bands
1 Pair Scissors for use in case of too much hair round the vulva.
2 Chairs.
1 Kneeling Mat for you.
And finally, lots of spare time. This is not a job that can be rushed.