Using Blood Progesterone Levels to Determine the Day to Breed

By Ed Frawley  |  Last modified: April 5, 2022

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The following information is for the serious breeder. Some dogs have a problem breeding. To help determine the exact day a bitch should be bred, the following chart may be referred to. This is information that was developed by Shirley Johnston while she taught at the University of Minnesota.

The system requires blood to be drawn from the bitch and sent to a lab that can check the progesterone level of the blood. For this to be effective, the breeder needs to find a lab that can give the results of the test back the day after the blood is drawn. This is not a cheap process. It can cost up to $85.00 per test at the vet and you may need several tests.

You can purchase your own test kits from a company called Camelot Farms. They sell a product called "PreMate" test kits. It comes from a company called BioVet in Canada that distributes it but Camelot Farms and Pinnacle Pet Supply sell it in the US. Years ago, these kits were not very good. But from what I understand, the current tests are very good.

I have talked to some vet friends and this PreMate is supposed to be right on. It's 10 tests for $99.99 plus a free instructional video with the first order.

This does not include the vet's time.

Blood Levels

In our kennel, we draw the blood ourselves. If you are going to do any amount of breeding, I recommend that you ask your vet to show you how to do this.

The early readings are: .1 - .2 .3

Start to draw blood on the 7th day.

They can go back down to .2 or even .1. This depends on the time of day the blood was drawn.

When the LH surge goes over 1.0 to 1.9, you breed in 5 to 6 days.

If the 5th day seems a little early, you breed on the 6th and 7th day, then skip a day and breed again.

If you draw blood and the level is .2 or .3, then wait 3 days and draw blood again.

If you draw blood and the level is .7 or .8, then you do it every other day

Once you start to see the level at:

2.0 to 2.9 ng/ml = breed in 4 to 5 days

3.0 to 3.9 ng/ml = breed in 3 to 4 days

4.0 to 8 .0 ng/ml = breed today or tomorrow - this is where the LH Surge Occurs.

Over 8.0 ng/ml with no white cells - then the bitch has ovulated

When you hit the level above 4.0 ng/mL, this is day 1 of ovulation. Then it takes approximately 48 hours for the ovas to mature enough to be fertilized, then they can be fertilized for approximately another 48 hours.

When you breed, you breed 2 days in a row, then skip a day and breed another time.

When you have bitches that do not swell up or have a lot of discharge, then check their thyroid level, and they may have to go on thyroid pills.

I would be interested in hearing from any vet that does not agree with these numbers or from people that have used this system and what the results were.

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About Author

Ed Frawley

Ed Frawley is the founder and owner of Leerburg.com and has been producing professional dog training videos since 1982. Over the years, he has collaborated with some of the most respected dog trainers in the country. His body of work includes 194 full-length training DVDs and 95 comprehensive online courses. In addition to these, he has produced and published over 4,000 short training videos available free of charge on Leerburg.com and across the company's social media platforms.

Ed and his wife, Cindy—also a professional dog trainer—bred working-line German Shepherds and Belgian Malinois for more than 35 years. Although they retired from breeding in 2009, they had produced over 300 litters by that time.

Ed also served as a K9 handler for the local sheriff's department for 10 years, working in partnership with the West Central Drug Task Force. During his time in law enforcement, he handled multiple narcotics and patrol dogs and conducted more than 1,000 K9 searches. If you want to learn more about Ed, read about his history here.

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