My dog won't mount female in heat. Is he too inexperienced to mate?

Hi and thanks for your post. If Murci is not standing for the male, she is likely still in proestrus and not in estrus. Proestrus can last for a couple weeks and is marked with vaginal swelling and vaginal bleeding. You may need to wait a few more days until she will be behaviorally receptive to the male. I hope this helps! Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach!

The male dogs most likely are just trying to dominate her. Mounting isn't always an attempt at coitus. Another possibility is that she is about to go into heat and is already giving off pheromones to attract the males. If you don't want puppies this is probably a good time to get Cheeko fixed. It is also much better for their health as they get older.

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Marley could have felt subordinate to the other dog. Who gets to mate with females in the wild depends on who is the pack leader or the dominant dog. Marley could also be generally intimated or anxious around this other dog. I am glad you figured out what worked for Marley. Good luck!

If two pets aren't interested in mating, you can try pheromones such as the Adaptil diffuser. However, in most situations you will have to resort to artificial insemination through your specialized veterinarian if you want to get the female pregnant. Ask your vet if this is something they specialize in, or if they have a referral vet for you to seek help from. Best of luck with those two! Take care.

It sounds like she may not be ready to breed yet - the male dog generally knows. Usually, females are ready for breeding somewhere around day 12-15 of their heat cycle, but this will vary depending on the individual female. If you want to know for sure, you can talk to your veterinarian about progesterone testing so that you'll know when she ovulates, and can time your breeding dates appropriately from there.

It may be that your male is still very young and doesn't know what to do yet. Keeping them together during your female's heat may help get him interested in trying to figure it out. However if he still doesn't show any interest, having both him and your female examined by a vet or theriogenologist (reproductive specialist) to make sure everything is OK is best.

The most common reason why dogs refuse to mate is that it is the wrong time in the estrous cycle. If mating is attempted too early in the cycle, the bitch may not be receptive. A female raised as a house pet may be a shy breeder because of inadequate social contact with members of her own species. Mate preference, too, can be a determining factor. A bitch may refuse one male dog but may like another. I suggest you give her more time. Make sure you introduce her to the male at the right time in her cycle or, better yet, keep the two together throughout her entire cycle. If she hasn't been well socialized with other dogs then work on that. That may be why she doesn't know how to act around the male. If all else fails you can resort to artificial insemination. You can speak to your vet about how to get that done.