METHODS TO UNSTUCK THE TIE KNOT AFTER MATING IN DOGS : TIPS FOR DOG OWNERS
When two dogs become stuck together during mating, it can be a strange sight for humans. Their form of copulation can even look painful to the initiated. This is especially because the male and female will turn away from each other and even make movements to separate. Since they are stuck, it can make a dog guardian want to how to get dogs unstuck after mating? The answer is not that you can’t, but that you should never do it.
A tie is a natural phenomenon of dog breeding in which the bulbus glandis of the male’s penis swells inside the bitch’s vagina. The dogs are virtually locked together for 15-20 minutes (two to 30 minutes is also normal), during which time ejaculation has taken place. The sperm is released at the beginning of the tie, during the happy feet dance . During the tie, he is releasing prostatic fluid.
As soon as the dogs lock the male usually moves his leg over her back, turns butt to butt and they remain locked. Tied. Getting stuck together is normal. Do NOT ice them to get them apart. The male is supposed to swell up and get stuck inside the female for two to 30 minutes. At this time if you feel the sire and dam in this area you will feel pulsating. When you hear someone say they got a 13-minute tie, this means they were locked together for 13 minutes.
Should you get dogs unstuck after mating?
To understand why dogs become stuck together when mating, we need to know a little about canine anatomy. The male dog’s reproductive system is made up of several parts common to most mammals:
- Penis
- Scrotum
- Testicles
- Foreskin
- Prostate
- Urethra
It is the penis itself which determines how and why a dog will become stuck when mating. The prepuce of the penis (foreskin) hides the penis when it is not engorged due to sexual arousal. Once aroused, we can see the red tip of the penis exposes itself outside of the foreskin, something which is important for copulation with a female.
Looking closely at the penis itself, we can see that it has different parts which include:
- Root (cura penis): the root of the penis affixes it to the area of the pelvis.
- Body (corpus penis): this is the main shaft of the dog’s penis which is divided into the corpus cavernosum (largest part which fills with blood during erection) and the corpus spongiosum (tissue surrounding the urethra inside the penis).
- Glans (glans penis): this is the end of the penis where the urethra finishes.
- Bulb (bulbus glandis): not common to all mammals, but common in canids like the domestic dog, is the bulbis glandis. This is a piece of erectile tissues located at the base of the penis which can only be seen when the penis is fully erect.
The female dog’s reproductive organs also play a part in getting stuck when mating they include:
- Vulva: the exterior part of the sex organ which can enlarge during sexual arousal.
- Clitoris: used to stimulate sexual arousal and encourage copulation with the male.
- Vagina: the internal part of the sex organ which lies between the uterus and the vaginal vestibule. This is where the penis is inserted during mating.
- Uterus: where fertilization occurs if the mating is successful and where the embryos of new puppies will develop and gestate.
When dogs mate, the erect penis of the male is inserted into the female. They move back and forth to stimulate ejaculation so the male’s sperm can meet the egg of the females. Immediately before ejaculation, the bulb penis of the male will swell up so that it becomes larger in size. The female’s vagina has muscles which will also swell during copulation, resulting in the penis becoming locked in the vagina.
The purpose of this ‘locking’ or ‘tying’ is to ensure as much fluid as possible reaches the uterus so that embryonic development can happen. This is a natural process which the dog has evolved to help ensure the survival of their species through reproduction of individuals. Locking after copulation can last for up to a half hour in some cases, although it is usually much less time.
Part of the reason for the dogs becoming stuck when mating is that ejaculation takes a longer time than in many other mammals. Copulation itself can be a long process, made longer by the period of being tied. A myth surrounding dog copulation is that the thickness of the ejaculate causes the dogs to become stuck, but this is not true
When dogs mate there are three phases, the final phase being unique to their mating process.
- In the first phase, the male produces a clear fluid that has very little or no sperm in it. This usually takes place when the male is beginning to mount the female.
- In the second phase, when the male dog has penetrated and is engaged in vigorous thrusting, the male is producing sperm filled ejaculate. At the end of this phase, immediately before the final “tie”, the most sperm filled ejaculate is produced.
- In the third phase, a portion of the male’s penis, called the bulbus glandis, enlarges (called a knot), and prostatic fluid with some sperm in it is released. This phase typically lasts about 15 minutes, although it can last anywhere from a few minutes to up to an hour, during which time the male and female remain “tied” or “locked”. Physically separating them can result in injury to either the male or female dog’s genitalia. The dogs may rest, stand, or attempt to move around during this time. They may also change positions, with the male swinging his leg over the female so they are back end to back end. Breeders usually try to discourage dogs from moving around too much during this phase, so that injury does not occur.
If the male dog withdraws before the enlargement or knot forms on his penis, the breeding is referred to as a slip mating. This may occur because the female, or male, move prior to the formation of a knot on the male’s penis. When a slip mating occurs, ejaculate that would be released into the female in the third phase of mating does not occur and some leakage of 2nd phase ejaculate may occur. This can result in a lower fertility rate with incidence of slip mating, however, pregnancy is still possible.
How to prevent two dogs from mating
If we are guardian to a female dog and we don’t want them to become pregnant, trying to get them unstuck when mating is too little too late. The best way to prevent unwanted pregnancy in dogs is to spaying them. This is a form of sterilization which will also have many physical and behavioral benefits for the dog. It will also eliminate common uterine issues which can be fatal for dogs.
For male dogs, sterilization in the form of castration will also provide many benefits. This will include physical health benefits, but it is also important in regard to being around other dogs. An unsterilized male will try to mate with a female dog in heat and become quite agitated in the process. Sterilizing them will reduce the likelihood of this happening.
However, some sterilized males may still want to mate. We can even see sterilized males carry out mounting behavior on male dogs or inanimate objects. In this case, letting the copulation complete will be the same expect no fertilization will take place.
If your dog has not yet been sterilized or (in the rare occasion) that sterilization is not appropriate, we can do the following to prevent dogs mating:
- Avoid any contact of a female in heat with males and vice versa.
- Control the dogs at all times during walks with a leash and be particularly careful when two dogs meet.
- Draw the dog’s attention away to divert it elsewhere and prevent mating. This can be through loud sounds, a simple call, games, food, etc.
- In female dogs in heat, it is recommended to walk on a leash until it the heat period is over. Likewise, in our article ” How to scare dogs away from a bitch in heat ” we offer more recommendations.
The 2 Methods to Get Dogs Unstuck After Mating:
1.Leave Them Be
This may seem like a bad idea, especially since seeing your dog stuck to another can be alarming. But dogs have been mating for centuries without human intervention, and given time, they will naturally become unstuck.
A tie, in general, lasts anywhere between 5 to 20 minutes. For dogs that are breeding for the first time, it may take a little longer for them to separate, but there’s no reason to be alarmed. Anxiety can actually be a reason that a tie lasts for a while.
2.Calm Anxious Nerves
If neither dog is familiar with the breeding process, gently patting the female on the head should help soothe her anxiety. You have to be careful to calm your concerns too. Dogs are notoriously good at picking up on our inner turmoil and won’t relax at all if they know that you’re panicking.Stay calm and soothe your dog with a few ear scratches. This will help them relax enough to become unstuck.
Never Forcefully Separate Tied Dogs
It can be easy to assume that separating your dogs as fast as possible is the best thing to do when they’re stuck together, whether you want to prevent pregnancy or because you’re worried about your dog being in pain. Regardless of the reasoning, physically separating your dogs by forcing them apart or startling them is never the right answer.
Not only can interfering cause more stress for the dogs, especially if they’ve never mated before, but you could also hurt them in the process, even if you don’t intend to.
Why you shouldn’t separate dog stuck together after mating
When we see two dogs mating, the tying period can be quite surprising. It may even look like the dogs are not enjoying the experience, especially if they are inexperienced or start to move away from each other. It is understandable that guardians might want to intervene and remove the dogs.
Firstly, we should not move the dog because they are not in any danger. Due to sexual arousal, the dogs may even be enjoying themselves and will not want to be separated for that reason. However, the female is more likely to be in discomfort than the male. Much more importantly is that trying to get dogs unstuck after mating can cause some serious damage to the reproductive organs of either dog. Specially, it can lead to the following problems:
- Vaginal tear
- Vaginal prolapse
- Hemorrhage
- Penile tear
- Fracture of the penis
- Internal injuries
Nature is making the dog’s penis and vagina stuck together for a reason. We need to let nature take its course, otherwise we can cause some serious harm to the dog. If we try to separated dogs tied after mating, the damage can be severe and any broken tissue is also subject to bacterial infection. If we leave them alone, they will eventually separate, the male’s penis will go back into the foreskin and both dogs will lick their private area.
How long are dogs tied together after mating?
As stated above, some dogs can be tied together for a half hour, although it is possible it can take up to one hour of being stuck together. Even in this case, we should not be alarmed unless there is an injury or some other complication. It is rare for tying together to take this long and in most cases, the dog’s will usually separated after around 10 to 20 minutes.
What to do when two dogs are stuck together
The answer to this question is very simple. We should do nothing. As explained above, separating the dogs will like result in serious injury to very vulnerable parts of a dog’s anatomy. There are reasons we may want to get dogs unstuck after mating, with pregnancy being an issue for some. Although we may not want our dog to become pregnant, we still should not separate them as the risk to their health is too great.
Another important factor is the response of the dogs. In particular, the female dog may be in distress just after mating. This may be exacerbated if there is a significant size difference in the dogs. While you should not do anything to separate them, it may be helpful to try to calm them down. This may be patting them on the head or simply giving reassuring words.
However, not every case is the same. Some dogs may think you may be trying to separate them if you approach, especially the male. If you don’t know the dog, it is possible they may even try to become aggressive. Generally speaking, the best thing you should do is give them privacy and prevent other dogs or people trying to approach them.
Symptoms:
A Dog penis knot which is stuck is an abnormality in a normal act of dog breeding. It is generally indicated in cases where the tying persists after 45 – 60 minutes of copulation. Symptoms of discomfort, torsion (twisted), pain, blood discharge and aggression in both the male and female surely represents a serious dog knot stuck problem requiring a veterinarian’s attention. Complications from injuries on and in the reproductive tract, high blood loss, self injury due to discomfort and secondary infections are common due to a stuck dog knot.
Management and Treatment:
Dog knot stuck usually occurs due to anatomical defects in the reproductive tract of either male, female or both dogs. Females, when at a younger age, may more commonly experience the condition, therefore immature females should never be preferred for breeding. Similarly, male dogs with health problems related to hypertension and the cardiovascular system may more often experience a dog knot problem due to prolonged swelling of the knot or bulbus on the ventral side of the penis.
Some breeds and middle aged dogs may have characteristics such as a prolonged ejaculation of the third fraction of semen, therefore tying may persist for more than an hour. During this, both male and female may feel discomfort due to the long duration and pretend to be experiencing a dog knot stuck. Such cases of dog knot stuck usually resolve on their own.
The normal act of breeding involves excessive thrusting, pressure, swinging of the body and a fair amount of action and changes in posture. Sudden swinging of the body, pressurized thrusting and an abnormal change in posture may cause torsion twisting) in and/or injury to the canine penis, leaving the couple with a dog knot stuck, which cannot be resolved on its own and which may require minor to major medical and surgical attention.
Precautions:
Some normal acts of dog breeding may appear to be a dog knot stuck problem, which is why any reproduction issue should be carefully examined. Sometimes blood discharge that occurs during copulation may be misunderstood, but mostly these blood fractions are shed by the female reproductive tract, which is a normal mechanism. Similarly, cases of dog knot stuck should be attended to by a veterinarian for proper handling. Forceful pulling apart the male and female or throwing water on the female or both during copulation can lead to a dog knot stuck problem and serious complications. However, an owner should only interfere or call a veterinarian if the time of tie is extended well above the norm.
Both male and female should be checked after the act of mating for any injuries and complications that affect the reproductive organs. Minor injuries and bruises are normal over the female vulva and the male penis may become inflamed and sore for a few hours after copulation due to intense tying. Other symptoms, except the minor inflammations and bruising described should be immediately reported to a veterinarian and proper treatment/management should be done.
Compiled & Shared by- This paper is a compilation of groupwork provided by the Team, LITD (Livestock Institute of Training & Development)
Image-Courtesy-Google
Reference-On Request.
