Maui's heat started on May 7th. Thursday we went to the repro vet. Maui's progesterone was 1.4 on Day 8 so we waited on our planned weekend breeding and retested Monday. Her levels only rose to 2.3 so she is most likely about to ovulate today or tomorrow. I am so glad we went in and checked it. Other wise we were planning to tie last weekend and then again Tuesday. We would have been off by a couple of days. We went back in on Wednesday and her progesterone rose to 6.9! The rise is in full swing. Our vet said we could drive to the stud immediately or wait till Thursday. We choose to load up and make the drive. Maui and Beasley met in Lonestar Bernedoodle's back yard and immediately went to sniffing, checking each other out, and playing. They got along great, but after a few hours didn't tie. A few humps, but nothing else. It was a bit hot outside and there was a lot of commotion and excitement around with the other dogs. We decided it would be best to bring Beasley home with us for a few days.
The dogs settled in with each other on the ride home. There were times I thought that we were going to have some back seat action! We got home and they continued this playful behavior all night. It was quite the entertainment for the entire neighborhood, but they just could not figure it out. We called it a night around 11pm and separated them for some much needed rest.
The next morning (Maui's day 15), I let them outside. Within, 5 minutes they tied! Guess the rest and separation helped. Beasley was all over her all day. We tried to keep them separate for a few hours at a time to allow them rest and recharge time. They ended up tieing at 12pm and 11pm. Day 16 they tied at 8am, 2pm, and 11pm. Day 17 they tied one last time at 7am and then we drove Beasley home.
In hindsight, I think I will always request to bring the stud with us for a few reasons. It allows both of the dogs to get comfortable with each other. Our vet said some believe that stressful or anxious tie may not be ideal for hormone and cortisol levels. This also allows them to tie more times, seems nature and instincts kick in to know when is best. Also, and possibly most important to me, it allowed our family and Maui to get to know Beasley's sweet personality. We can accurately speak to his nature if future families want to know more about him. He was such a well behaved, sweet, affectionate, and personable guy!
