If you are a new dog owner or new to breeding dogs, it is natural for you to get concerned when your male (stud) and female (bitch) dogs get “stuck” after mating.
You may be wondering how to get your dogs unstuck fast after mating?
Before you get overly concerned or afraid that they might get hurt, know that this is a common and natural process, referred to as a “tie”, and you don’t have to be worried about it.
While this natural occurrence needs no human intervention, there are some things you can do to make sure that the dogs remain calm and comfortable during the process.
In this piece, you will learn:
- Simple steps to help dogs get unstuck fast after mating
- How to keep the dogs calm, so they don’t get hurt in the ‘tie’ process
- And more…
How To Get Dogs Unstuck Fast After Mating?
The best way to get dogs unstuck fast after mating is to let the process happen naturally after their “tie” releases on its own. Though the sight might concern you, it is important that you stay calm and wait it out and don’t act out of anxiety, which could possibly hurt both the male and female dogs.
5 Steps To Get Dogs Unstuck Fast After Mating
Following are a few steps you can take to get your dogs unstuck fast after mating:
1. Leave Them Alone
Yes, no matter how concerned, embarrassed, or anxious you are, the first and best thing to do about your breeding dogs being “stuck” is to leave them alone.
The process of a male dog and a female dog getting stuck or tied during mating is called a copulatory tie.
This is an entirely natural event in dog breeding, where the ‘bulbus glandis’ located on the rear end of the male’s penis swells and enlarges in the female’s vagina.
Since her vagina’s passage gets narrow, it becomes difficult for the male dog to withdraw his penis after mating, and therefore gets stuck.
It is before or during this copulatory tie that the male dog will ejaculate sperm to impregnate the female.
Let’s face it, dogs have been mating without human help for centuries together; so, all you need to do is stay calm and let nature play its part; the dogs will get unstuck on their own.
2. Keep The Environment Peaceful
When the stud and bitch are in a copulatory tie, the dogs need to remain calm, and the first step to achieve this is to keep the environment around them quiet and peaceful.
If the dogs get nervous or agitated by loud noises, sudden shouting, etc., they will become anxious and their tie could become painful when one dog ejects from the other, breaking the tie and hurting both the dogs.
To avoid stressing the dogs, you need to make sure that there is no loud noise in their surroundings and do nothing to startle them. Keep them calm and stress-free from the start to finish.
3. If They Are In Pain, Stay Calm
If the two dogs have been tied together for a long time now and you can sense that they are in pain, try and calm the female dog down.
Gently pat her head to bring her anxiety level down.
But, before trying to make the dogs calm, it is vital that you calm down yourself. This is because dogs can easily sense your anxiety; knowing their owner is anxious will automatically make them nervous, and they wouldn’t calm down.
So, before you touch the female, get to a relaxed mindset yourself, and pass on the energy to her. Pet her head, and give her a few gentle strokes and ear stretches. Talk to her for reassurance.
When the female dog calms down, her vaginal muscles will automatically relax, and this could help separate the copulatory tie.
4. Calm The Male Dog
It is equally important to relax the senses of the male dog as well.
Again, keep calm and talk to him to calm him down. Avoid any sudden or large movements that could startle him. Give him a few strokes and ear stretches, so he can relax until the tie is over.
5. Be Patient
Understand that there is no shortcut to making two mating dogs get unstuck fast after mating. Your patience is key here.
Whether you’re worried about your dogs experiencing pain, or you just wish to avoid pregnancy, DO NOT try to separate them from the tie forcefully.
No matter how good you think the idea is, you will only end up hurting the dogs, causing them more pain and agony. Also, intervening will make them more stressed.
So, when the dogs you breed get stuck after mating, sit back and let nature take its course. Be patient and give them time to get unstuck on their own.
How Long Do Dogs Stay Stuck For?
In most cases, the dogs need around 10 minutes to finish their copulatory tie and unstick themselves. But, it could also take up to an hour for dogs to separate from their tie after mating.
Your dogs might look like they are in pain (sometimes, they really could be in pain!) and many dogs also tend to whine during this time. Understand that all of this is normal and let them get unstuck in their own time.
DO NOT INTERVENE at any stage during the copulatory tie.
It could be because the male dog, female dog, or both the dogs are new to mating; or, because they are nervous about their environment; or because they are stressed and panicked for some reason. Whatever the reason might be, let them be, try to make them calm and relaxed, and they will separate on their own.
My Dogs Have Been Stuck Together For Over An Hour – What Should I Do?
Sometimes, there is a chance that your dogs could remain in a copulatory tie for more than an hour. While the occurrence is rare, it certainly is not unheard of.
However, in this case, the first thing you should do is call your vet, rather than trying something yourself.
As mentioned before, if one or both the dogs are new to mating, they could get stuck for a longer period, because they are nervous and stressed, in which case all you can do is try and keep them calm.
But, make sure that they don’t remain stuck for over a day, as it could be excruciatingly painful for both the stud and the bitch. Get your vet’s advice at the earliest and do not try to separate them.
How Long Do Dogs Have To Be Stuck Together To Get Pregnant?
Dogs don’t necessarily have to be stuck together for the female to get pregnant.
Yes, the male dog doesn’t have to be tied to the female, if he had already ejaculated. However, a copulatory tie is known to increase the chances of the female dog getting pregnant, especially when compared to slip mating.
Slip mating occurs when the male dog’s bulbus glandis swells outside of the female dog rather than inside her vulva. This is also a normal condition in mating dogs.
In comparison with copular tie mating, the fertility rate of slip mating is quite low but certainly does not represent unsuccessful mating.
Therefore, if ejaculation takes place before the dogs separate, conception is still possible.
Read more on Slip Mating Success Rate
Can You Pull Apart Stuck Dogs?
NO! As we’ve been discussing throughout this article, trying to pull apart or separating stuck or tied dogs is not recommended.
Getting stuck or tied is a natural mating process of dogs, and occurs for anywhere between 10 minutes and an hour.
Pulling the dogs apart will cause too much stress, anxiety, and not to mention, pain in the dogs, and it can also cause organ damage.
Does Hot Water Get Dogs Unstuck?
NO! When dogs get stuck, the best thing to do is leave them alone and let them get unstuck on their own.
According to Dr. Ryan Llera and Dr. Ernest Ward from the VCA Hospital, throwing hot or hot water, cold water, water pistols, cap guns etc on the dogs will only startle them, making them try to run away, which in turn will injure their organs and cause them more pain.
Keep them in a relaxed atmosphere and do what you can to keep the dogs, especially the female, relaxed and calm. This will help loosen her vaginal muscles, which will then make it easy for the male to get his penis out.
What Happens If You Pull Dogs Apart When Mating?
While trying to pull the dogs apart might seem like a good idea, it is not the right solution for the situation.
Pulling the male and female dogs apart will only injure them physically, causing them more pain, and making them more nervous and stressed. And getting stressed will prolong the period of the copulatory tie.
So, no matter what your reasoning is, never pull two mating dogs apart.
