Breeding Methods
There are four breeding methods used by the greyhound racing industry. Which method is used will depend on the facility and the veterinarian. It’s important to consider timing, availability and cost when deciding which method to choose.
 | Artificial Insemination – the majority of greyhound breeding is now done with AI, using either fresh or frozen semen. A stud dog may have frozen ‘breeding units’ of semen located at a number of Greyhounds Australasia approved facilities. When applying to the Studmaster the breeder needs to arrange to have one of these units transferred into their name and transported to their clinic of choice. Forms for registering transfer of ownership of units are available on the Greyhounds Australasia website. |
 | Natural Matings - Some Studmasters will allow their stud dogs to perform natural matings, although the more popular sires are more likely to be mated using artificial means due to the high demand for their services. |
 | Surgical Insemination - involves anaesthetising the bitch and making a small incision in her abdomen so that her uterus can be gently lifted out. The semen is then injected directly into the uterus via a fine catheter with half of the semen being injected into each side (called ‘horns’) of the uterus. The uterus is then placed back, and the surgery site is closed. |
 | Trans-cervical insemination - this is preferred by some artificial insemination facilities as it does not require the bitch to have a general anaesthetic or surgery. With the bitch awake and standing, a fibre-optic scope is used to guide a special catheter through the cervix, and the semen is deposited inside the uterus. Done by an experienced and proficient person, this method can be completed quite quickly, and the results are thought to be similar or superior to the surgical method. |
Timing the mating of a female is very important. If the timing is wrong, the female is likely to have either a very small litter or not become pregnant at all (‘misses’). Greyhound fertility cycles can be anything from 6 to 12 months but each female tends to have a constant interval between fertile periods, so it’s important to keep accurate records of when she comes into season.
By taking repeated blood tests over several days, the rise in the progesterone level that is associated with ovulation can be detected. This is essential if you are using frozen semen, as it can be much weaker than the fresh variety. Frozen semen does not remain viable for very long after insemination (12-24 hours), meaning the timing has to be accurate. On the other hand, fresh semen can survive a few (3-4) days, which increases the chances of viable semen being present when the eggs are ready to be fertilised.
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