If you’re thinking about putting your dog out to stud, you might wonder how many times can a male dog mate in a day?
Typically, as the dog owner, it’s up to you, but there are some considerations you might need to note.
A highly regarded male stud dog can be in constant demand, so it’s a pretty valid question. Plus, there’s quite a lot of money made when a dog has ‘earned’ his reputation. Especially if the dog’s owners keep him healthy and regularly performs the relevant health checks.
Although, I cannot see why the owner of a female would want to breed with a male that hasn’t been looked after well.
But money and reputation are not the best way to look at this.
When Can Male Dogs Start Breeding?
Male dogs become fertile when they attain the age of 6 months. Ethical dog breeders do not consider it the done thing to mate a dog at that age. They are still babies in reality, and may not know or understand what they expect of them.
A dog really isn’t an adult until he reaches 18 months old. Even then reputable breeders may wait for another 6 to 12 months, how soon can a male dog breed after they reach this age, well, that’s up to the dog’s owner. There are two reasons the dog breeder will wait, 1) by this time the dog is fully matured and at the peak of his powers, so to speak, and 2) any adverse medical condition will have shown itself by this time.
The dog’s semen has to be tested before they can mate him. The owners of the female will definitely want to see the results of the semen test.
Dog Mating Twice On The Same Day?
I guess if the dog could talk, he would say as many times as they allowed him. But dog owners, at least responsible dog owners, apply limits. Biologically the more times each day he mates the less effective his sperm will be. Although, sometimes, the third female of the day has become impregnated by a very healthy male.
To maintain consistent quality, they should mate the male every other day. This will mean his sperm will replenish and be back up to the quality and quantity needed. And the dog has maintained his energy levels.
When needed, the male can mate every day for 5 straight days, this shouldn’t affect the quality or volume of sperm. The size of the dog’s scrotum will dictate just how many days this can continue. Generally, the bigger the dog, the more days he can ‘perform’.
The success rate of male dogs that mate too frequently will rapidly diminish, so unless it’s absolutely essential to mate them this often, it really becomes the law of diminishing returns.
Do Male Dogs Lose Interest After Mating?
If he does, then there are a few reasons it might happen.
Age, of course, is one factor, the older a stud dog gets, then perhaps his libido might not be what it once was. Sometimes it’s the dog’s personality. He might just not have such a high sex drive.
Has he been ill in the two to three weeks before you tried to mate him? If so, he might not have regained his full strength.
Is It Bad For The Male To Mate Too Often?
A stud dog is looked after exceptionally well. He has to be because the dog owners rely on him for income. Now if it’s just a part-time or a one-off mating, then it’s not much of an issue. But if the dog owner is a professional breeder then yes, it directly ties the health and welfare of the stud dog to the financial success of the breeder.
So no ethical or responsible breeder will mate their dog more than once a day. It’s not worth it for the health and quality of the dog’s sperm. More than likely, as we mentioned earlier, it would be three to four times a week, at the most.
The chances of a successful pregnancy reduce considerably the more times a dog mates. That’s not good for the reputation of the dog or the breeder.
How Many Times Does A Dog Have To Mate To Get Pregnant?
If the female is in the oestrus stage, then it’s highly likely just one mating will make her pregnant, if the male dog is fertile.
Dogs have developed a system to make sure the first dog that makes her pregnant recognizes the puppies as his. They call this the ‘Tie’. After the act, the couple is locked together for the next 30 minutes to 40 minutes.
It effectively gives his sperm the opportunity to fertilize her before another dog comes along. However, if they were somehow disturbed, and they never made it to the ‘Tie’ she could still have been fertilized.
If the male dog has not been active for some time it’s best to collect his sperm before you mate him with a female. This will ensure the removal of any dead sperm and only live, strong sperm remain.
It’s possible to increase the number of fertilized eggs by the two dogs mating a few times. Each time they mate, he will fertilize more eggs.
The age of the male dog does not have a direct effect on the number of puppies. This solely depends on the number of eggs the female releases.
A healthy dog with strong, active sperm can sire many large litters throughout his lifetime.
Summary – How Many Times Can A Male Dog Mate In A Day?
If a male dog mates too frequently, then his sperm count will diminish, and that’s self-defeating for the breeder. Weak or immobile sperm is not likely to impregnate a female. For the male to remain strong and his sperm active, then the maximum number of matings should be only every other day.
You need to keep your stud dog healthy and strong. But you can check his semen if you have any doubts. Semen evaluation should happen every 6-8 weeks.
