The Rut and Coupling

The female puppy reaches the sexual maturity (when she starts to produce fertile eggs) between the seventh and tenth months. This period is called "the rut", each period lasts between ten or twelve days.

The first sign which indicate this stage is the bleeding which can be observed during ten days. It is usually compared with the menstrual period of women. Even though there is a bleeding, the process is the complete opposite to what happens during the period of women or of the female chimpanzee, which are the only species that menstruate.

Another sign is the swelling vulva that increases its size until it reaches twice the normal size. In each animal this period occurs in different moments, what implies that there is no specific time during the year in which all female dogs are in rut. Undoubtedly, the clearest sing that the female dog is in rut, is the presence of one or some male "candidates" of different size, color, aspect, and coat whose instincts make them appear mysteriously.

Once the nine to eleven days of blood loss had past, it starts the period of heat (estrus) that it is characterized because during it ovules are produced (the descent of the eggs from the ovary to the fallopian tube). During the seventh to the ninth days the female dog accepts the male.

We have to bear in mind that not always the female dog accepts the male dog that we have selected in order to coupling. Most of the time, she chooses the thinnest, colorless dog which has a bent tail, etc. in other words, she would chooses the one we don't like for her because he does not require all the appropriate and suitable characteristics we want for the couple of our puppy. It is rather advisable to mate animals of the same breed or unless the same size. 

Mating animals of the same breed, we will contribute to reduce the proliferation of cross bred dog, those which are frequently abandon even if they are puppies or adults.

When the female is ready for the mate, she keeps calm with her tail upwards and with the expectative of meeting her lover that is rounding with other dogs waiting hopefully the meeting. The dogs will try to meet as soon as possible and in order to meet the female; they will use all the possible method. We have to bear in mind that there are more male dogs than females so the possibilities that the coupling realized are rather high.

The male dog marks its territory by little spurts of urine next to the place where the female in heat is located, the following he will do is several movements with his hind legs leaving tracks in the ground or in the beautiful garden of our neighbor.  We have to take into account that this is another reason of why we must not let our friends, the dogs, to wander around the public thoroughfare. In spite of that, this street courtship is completely natural for them.

While the loving meeting is taking place, the male dogs, at first, makes some movements so as to introduce him into the female and then the animals stay "fasten together" one to the other and remain (apparently) stuck during half an hour of more time. The male dog has a slowly ejaculation, it is precisely in that moment when the spermatozoids which travel through the seminal fluid. This fluid contains the food necessary for the spermatozoids to stay alive and it helps them to displace to the uterus and the fallopian tube. This coupling must not be interrupt for any way neither in a way punishment for the reason that this is a natural phenomenon and behaving like that it is probably to cause serious traumatism to both animals.

In many of homes, since there are different types of problems, the owners of the female dogs, don not want them to have offspring. There are drugs that can be given orally or in a parenteral way (injections) but it is advisable not to administrate this method as a routine during all the female life because it can sometimes causes complications.
In many of the cases, it is better to realize the method of sterilization or castration, which is a simple surgical procedure with a quick recovery.

 

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