Natural breedings don't always occur. Timing is critical. Even when you think the time is right, the female may refuse to stand for the male or the male may not be interested in the female.

If nature proceeds normally, the female's vulva will enlarge and soften as the time nears to breed. She may begin to tease or "flag" the male that the time is right and the time is now or never....The male and female will engage in a period of play and foreplay. The male will attempt to mount the female within minutes of this foreplay. If the female is ready, she will whip her tail aside, presenting her rear to the male, and stand steady awaiting the male to penetrate her. This is an assertive invitation of the female toward the male to begin the mating process. Not all females, especially a first time female, will remain in a ready position once the male attempts to mount. She may slip out from under him and run in another direction. This oftentimes frustrates the male, but he will chase after her and try it again. For some matings, it may be necessary to assist. You might have to hold the female for the male to get his job done. More often than not, however, nature does take its course and the mating is done quite naturally. Some females never make a sound. Other females, especially a first time female, may scream a blood-curling scream, but do not be alarmed. This usually subsides and by the end of the procedure/mating period, she is laughing and holding her tongue out as if to say: "Well, that was not so bad after all. I just thought it might not be a good idea there in the beginning, and I thought Mommy might have to rescue me or something." If the female is violent and struggles or fights to get away from the male, the male can become injured. You might need to softly talk to your female and keep her calm so as not to pull and jerk the male into an injury. Females can also injure themselves if they decide to be "stubborn." The actual mating period can last as long as two weeks in the Shih Tzu. Mating should be attempted every two days to allow the male to recuperate.

You might try breeding small dogs on a large table covered with a nonslip surface. A stair riser can be used when the male is smaller and being mated to a larger female. Females can surprise you. They may be an absolute sweet pee otherwise until mating begins and then they can turn into a wild cat. You might need to muzzel the female to keep her from biting the male. And visa-versa, you might need to muzzel the male to keep him from biting the female to rebuke her resistance toward him. Muzzling the male and female or both can also prevent them from biting you during the assistance of a mating. When females become more experienced, the blood-curling screams diminish and she sometimes is even more flirtatious than the male, and engaging much more in a foreplay period with the male. I think she starts to enjoy the mating period more as she matures.

When the male mounts the female he will normally grab and hold her rear quarters, his forelegs wraped around her waist. He will balance himself on his hind legs and pull the female into him. Once the male enters the female his penis will engorge and create a "tie." The large and rigidly swollen "knob" of the penis keeps the coupling pair connected. The female's vaginal wall muscles automatically contract in response to the penile engorgement, thus they are "locked" together. A tie is not absolutely critical for conception, but it is nature's way of helping to ensure the female will become impregnated.

On the average, a "tie" will last from 10 to as long as 45 minutes. A brief tie could be indicative of an incomplete ejaculation of the male, but does not mean there will be no resulting puppies, nor does a longer tie insure a greater coneption rate. It is rare that the couple's tie will last longer than 45 minutes and would be a vet emergency. The male will determine the sex of your puppies. The female will determine how many puppies by the number of ova ripened to accept fertilization.

Artificial insemination is a practice now more common than before. As a result breeding to a "superstud," that would otherwsie be unaccessible because of geographic location or whatever is now possible. Artificial insemination is the introduction of sperm into a female's genital tract by instruments.

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