The American Beagler Forum

I've always been told that the heat cycle for females was seven days coming in and seven days going out.

I want to take one of my females to a different state and have her bred, just trying to make sure I don't miss the correct time to breed her.

I've always thought it was 7 in, 7 able to be bred, and 7 out(21 total). Thats kinda the way mine cycle. There all different, but thats the guideline I use.

Thanks for the information

Some bitches are different. I always figure the "prime" time to be the 11th to the 14th day for breeding. BUT! The best producing bitch I ever owned would never stand for a male and would eat him & me up for 21 days strait! Once the "tie" was made she was fine. Never trust the rule of thumb.

best way is try her on a leash with any male when she will hold her tail to side is a good sign. i dont think there is any rule. i think the rule is they are all different. one rule is the more you want pups the harder it is to get them together. . if i knew and trusted stud owner id leave her with him the whole time she was in season. will mean two trips but if you dont you may still make two trips and wait another 6 months to a year.

The 7, 7, 7 is a good general rule, but should not be set in stone. My brother seems to think that if you wait until the latter part of the second 7 you will get more females. If you breed right away in the second 7, you will get more males. I guess that I just added another twist to the post. It seems to be the case in my last litter. I don't remember where I bred her in the first one...

Emery

It seems like every female is just a little different, some bleed a lot, some don't, some are ready about the 8th day, some arent ready until about the 15th. What's worked best for me is similar to what SNOWSHOEHAREGUIDE said - If you've got a male handy, you can check the female each day BUT YOU HAVE TO BE CAREFUL. By that I mean having both dogs on leads and as soon as you see that the female will stand and curl her tail(flagging) for the male, quickly pull them apart. Then get her to the intended stud about 3-4 days later. Don't worry, this won't be too late. If you don't have a teaser male handy, wait 2-3 days after her bloody discharge turns clear. Hope this helps.