Is your Male / Female breed quality?
(Breed quality dogs, fit the standard. Not every dog is prefect, but need to have the basic standard qualities that make this breed the Neapolitan Mastiff.)
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| Before its time to bred your male or female these
things need to be thought about:
Is your Male / Female breed quality? (Breed quality dogs, fit the standard. Not every dog is prefect, but need to have the basic standard qualities that make this breed the Neapolitan Mastiff.) |
| Now that you have determined if your dog is breed
quality:
A series of test should be run on the male / female before breeding. The Female: It is common to run a cycle of antibiotics on a female, to make sure any vaginal infection on the bitch is cleared up before she is bred. It is also common to continue another 10-14 days of antibiotics after the breeding is done. Using antibiotics the month previous to your bitches heat will help clear up any vaginal infections that is tested for before breeding and at the beginning of her heat. (In the case of doing an Artificial Insemination on your female, any time, any thing foreign is inserted internally into such areas, antibiotics should be cycled.) At first signs of heat the bitch should be taken down to your vet for these test: Bacterial Culture Cytology of the deep vagina Brucellosis (blood sample) ( Brucellosis is a contagious venereal disease ) The Male:
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| Heat Cycle / Estrus / Ovulation in the Neapolitan
Mastiff:
Neo Females usually fall into heat every 3-6 months. The heat is very obvious because the whole vulva swells up and becomes floppy.  some heats are shorter (as little as 4-10 days), others are longer (4 weeks or more). Average times between heat periods is seven months but some dogs can cycle as early as every 4 months, some once a year. Lengths of heat cycles and intervals between cycles are different for each dog but most dogs hit somewhere close to the averages. The first part of heat you will notice bleeding from the vulva, swelling of the vulva, possible increase in urination and the most noticeable, male dogs hanging around the house. During this period (proestrus), females will not allow the males to breed with them although the males will be very persistent. The second part or estrus is the time in which the female will allow the male to breed her and this can last anywhere from 4-21 days. A female, most of the time, will allow most any male to breed during this time. As the female starts to go out of heat or enter distress, she will be less willing to breed. Again this stage can last 4-14 days but averages approximately 7 days. The next cycle usually begins about 7 months from the start of the last heat cycle, not the end of that cycle but again this varies from dog to dog. The interval stays the same even if she becomes pregnant. |
| When will she be ready?
Once your female has come into heat, and you have tested her for the above mentioned test, and you understand how the females heat cycle goes, you must choose which day to bred on. The Neapolitan Mastiff is a difficult breed to successfully breed. In the past dog breeders would breed on the day the bitch starts "flagging", breeding every other day until she no longer accepts a breeding from the male. Many breeders use the "counting" method. Breeding the bitch on day 9 , 11 & 13. Where as many others will bred as early as day 7. And breeders have even let the dogs together freely for the breeding to take, the problem with this is, that not knowing when they bred, or when exactly your bitch is due. But canine reproduction has gotten to be a science, We now can order PREMATETM. test kits from Camelot Farms for less then $10.00 a kit. You can also take your bitch into your vet and have them do the test for about $17.00 ( + or - ) A progesterone test should be done starting on day 7 of her heat cycle and done every other day until it indicates that the bitch is ovulating and is ready to be bred. (You may run several of these test during this time.) |
| Now that you have determined when you will bred:
How will you bred Natural or Artificial Insemination?  The males are usually alot bigger and heavier, They are exhausted after 5 -10 minutes of trying to hit the right spot. Although males often have a hard time getting her penetrated. Even if he can penetrate the female, the females some times have problems holding him up during a natural breeding. Females often choose who they will bred with, and who they wont bred with. They tend to be picky when being around other male dogs. You may have one male picked to bred her, and she wont let him and there could be a serious fight on your hands. With all these factors the chances of your bitch taking in her pregnancy is very small. There are tricks to successfully bred your Neo's naturally. But these are secrets, Almost all breeders will keep to themselves. |
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| If you do not intend to breed her, you really should consider spaying her. There are many health benefits associated with spaying such as decreased chance of mammary tumors and you will not have to worry about pyometra, metritis or unwanted litters (overpopulation is a big problem - just take a trip to a humane shelter). If you elect to spay her, this can be done during heat but it may be best to wait until the heat cycle is over to decrease the chance of complications. |
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