And why “guesswork” is costing breeders litters In modern canine breeding, success shouldn’t rely on hope or guesswork. Yet surprisingly, many breeders still assess semen quality by eye alone — a quick look down a microscope, a rough estimate of movement, and a “that looks fine” decision. The problem? Subjective assessment is unreliable. And when you’re working with valuable stud dogs, frozen semen, travelling bitches, or tight progesterone timing… “looks fine” simply isn’t g

EDUCATIONAL POST Understanding Vulval Changes During the Canine Heat Cycle During the canine oestrous cycle, changes in the vulva are driven by hormonal fluctuations — not guesswork, myths, or “rules of thumb”. In pro-oestrus, rising oestrogen causes increased blood flow and fluid retention, resulting in a vulva that appears swollen, smooth, firm, and shiny. Despite the obvious physical changes, the bitch is not yet fertile at this stage. As the cycle progresses into oestrus,

I’m seeing more of these “automatic ovulation detectors” being advertised for dogs, so I want to clear up some confusion before anyone wastes money or misses a mating. These handheld probes do not detect ovulation. Ovulation in the bitch is driven by hormonal changes (progesterone rise). It cannot be accurately identified by measuring vaginal moisture, conductivity, resistance, or “numbers on a screen”. Those values can change for many reasons — discharge, irritation, probe p