Mating of the dogs: What happens during the mating act?
When a bitch is in heat, her fertility phase begins. If mating occurs during the peak heat phase, she can become pregnant. You can find out exactly how mating happens in dogs here.
The heat of the bitch reaches its peak in the phase of readiness for mating (estrus): The animal is fertile. If a potent male dog is nearby, the dogs meet for mating. But how exactly does the mating act take place in dogs?
Foreplay before the mating act
Dogs, like humans, perform a kind of foreplay before the actual mating act. The duration of the foreplay is not always the same. It depends on how temperamental or persistent the love-loving four-legged friends are.
The dogs sniff each other, mount each other from all sides, and get to know each other better. Shortly before the mating, the bitch stands still, presents her bottom to the male, and sticks her tail out to the side so that he can penetrate her.
Mating act in the dog: What is the procedure?
The male dog climbs up behind the bitch and holds onto her loins with his front paws. The hind feet are on the ground in front of the hind paws of the bitch.
While performing the mating act, the male dog often prances on the ground with his hind paws. In addition, he remains to lie on the bitch’s back.
At first, the male’s penis is only partially erect to insert it more easily. If the penetration has worked, it comes to the full erection, in which the glans of the dog penis unfolds entirely.
At the same time, the so-called vein pads in the bitch’s vagina swell. Penis and vagina “wedge” tightly into each other, and the “knot” ensures that the vaginal entrance of the bitch is tightly closed.
How long does the mating act last in dogs, and how does it end?
Once the dog and bitch are firmly joined, the male gets off the side of the bitch and turns his butt toward her. The animals remain “knotted” in each other.
This process is called “hanging.” The mating act is complete when the canine penis and vein pads in the bitch’s vagina begin to decongest and the dogs separate.
Hanging lasts about 15 minutes on average, but sometimes it is over after just a few minutes. It can take nearly an hour for the animals to separate again in some cases.
In total, the mating act in dogs can take more than an hour. Here it depends not only on how long the animals remain knotted in each other. The foreplay is also counted. Some males and females get right down to business; others take their time.
Why do dogs get stuck during mating?
The so-called hanging during the mating act increases the probability of fertilization. The male dog emits three different fluids during the mating act:
The pre-mating secretion: this watery fluid is secreted partly before the mating act, otherwise between the male’s mounting and the penetration of his penis. It contains hardly any sperm.
The ejaculate: As soon as the male’s penis thoroughly penetrates the bitch’s vagina and becomes erect, he squirts out the sperm-rich ejaculate.
The prostatic secretion: During hanging – shortly before the end of the mating act – the male’s prostatic secretion still follows. Although it contains little or no sperm, it flushes the sperm from the ejaculate further into the bitch’s uterus.
Thus, on the one hand, hanging ensures that the sperm cannot flow out of the bitch’s vaginal opening during mating. On the other hand, the sperm penetrate deeper into the uterus during this time and thus have a greater chance of fertilizing eggs.
Can fertilization also occur during the mating act without hanging?
Sometimes the mating act in dogs lasts only a short time without the animals getting stuck in each other. Does fertilization still occur? The probability of this is much lower if there is no hanging.
There can be various reasons why hanging fails. Sometimes the bitch or the male are inexperienced and clumsy during the mating. Then, for example, the penis does not penetrate deep enough into the vagina and slides out again too soon.
It is also possible that a long journey or the circumstances make one of the animals nervous. Finally, anatomical conditions can also make mating difficult: For example, if the bitch’s vagina is too narrow or the vein pads of her vagina do not swell sufficiently.
The veterinarian can check whether the bitch is pregnant at the earliest three weeks after mating. He measures the hormone level in the blood or examines the bitch by ultrasound. It remains uncertain whether the mating act was crowned with success until then.
Can dogs injure themselves during mating?
The mating act in dogs is not without danger. Especially inexperienced bitches can get scared when hanging and try to escape. There is a bone in the dog’s penis, which can break in such a case.
In addition, male dogs sometimes do not retract their penis after mating, and penis pain occurs, i.e., extreme pain on the limb.
During the mating act, it can also happen that the bitch feels the pressure as uncomfortable and bends away with the front legs downwards. Here, too, there is a risk of injury.
Therefore, as a dog owner, take the precaution of staying close by when you mate your dog. This way, you can reassure your pet and support it if problems arise.
