Dog Mating Naturally - Golden Retrievers achieve Breeding Tie

We highly recommend progesterone testing with a veterinarian who uses an IDEXX or MiniVidas machine. While IDEXX seem to be more popular, we have found MiniVidas to be more accurate. Using progesterone numbers to determine LH surge and ovulation in your girl will give you the best information for determining the optimal time to breed.

Our girl Pepper (who is featured in this video) followed the following schedule for this breeding cycle:
Day 4, progesterone 0.7 minividas (0.2 IDEXX)
Day 8, progesterone 0.7 minividas (0.2 IDEXX)
Day 10, likely LH surge
Day 11, progesterone 3.65 minividas (2.5 IDEXX)
Day 12, likely ovulation
Day 14, tied naturally
Day 15, 21 on miniVidas (11.5 IDEXX)
Day 16, tied naturally

(Great MiniVidas / IDEXX numbers comparison chart from ICSB: https://www.coloradoicsb.com/storage/...)

In this case, "day" is referencing from first day we saw blood. We also had a longer than usual gap than we would have preferred between the second and last tests due to the Christmas holiday.

When breeding naturally, it is not necessary for an actual tie to produce puppies (a "slip tie" can also get the job done), but 1-3 ties per breeding cycle is ideal. A breeding tie between dogs can last anywhere from a few minutes to an hour, with the average being 10-30 minutes. In this case, Jack and Pepper were tied for 21 minutes.

DO NOT attempt to separate dogs who are tied. This can cause injury to the male or female, or both. Additionally, if your dogs are tied for more than an hour, or if you have any other questions or concerns regarding the breeding tie, please contact your veterinarian (or a reproductive vet if you have one - we highly recommend having a reproductive veterinarian if you plan on having puppies).

Puppies coming soon! Visit our website for more information: https://www.libertygoldenretrievers.com and be sure to follow us on Facebook and/or Instagram @LibertyGoldenRetrievers for more great content!