How do dogs mate?

There are four ways dogs mate: forced mating, assisted mating, natural mating, and artificial insemination, with natural mating being the most common and best method. When a female in heat is willing, she turns her tail to one side while the male mounts and ejaculates, a process generally lasting about 20 minutes. During this period, the owner must not forcibly separate the two dogs, or the male’s reproductive organ may get stuck. The best time to breed a female dog is around day 9–11 of heat; placing the male and female together then will trigger the male’s mating desire as he smells her heat.