No, your dog can not become pregnant at just any old time when she's in heat. Just like in humans, there is a short period of time during her cycle when she can become pregnant (though the period of time that your dog is "fertile" and able to conceive is much longer than it is for a woman).
Here's the deal, there are four stages to your dog's heat cycle:
1) Proestrus - your dog's reproductive tract is preparing itself for reproduction; usually lasts about 10 days but can last between 3 days and 3 weeks; this is the stage where you notice swelling in her special spot and bleeding
2) Estrus - this is the period when she can actually conceive; it, obviously, follows the proestrus stage and usually lasts between 9 and 11 days but can last between 3 days and 3 weeks. Again, THIS IS THE TIME DURING WHICH SHE CAN CONCEIVE. You may still notice some discharge/blood during this period, so its important to note when your dog first started bleeding so you can approximate when this stage will begin.
3) Diestrus - last 60 to 90 days in dogs that did not become pregnant, 63 days in dogs that do become pregnant; in the case of the former, the reproductive tract is just returning to normal while in the latter she is carrying/nourishing her pups
4) Anestrus - lasts 4-5 months; this is the the time when things are just building up and preparing to begin the whole cycle over again.
Typically, a female dog will not "accept" (i.e., let a male mount her) until the second phase of her cycle (when she can actually get pregnant) anyway.
I hope this helps - Good luck!
Here's the deal, there are four stages to your dog's heat cycle:
1) Proestrus - your dog's reproductive tract is preparing itself for reproduction; usually lasts about 10 days but can last between 3 days and 3 weeks; this is the stage where you notice swelling in her special spot and bleeding
2) Estrus - this is the period when she can actually conceive; it, obviously, follows the proestrus stage and usually lasts between 9 and 11 days but can last between 3 days and 3 weeks. Again, THIS IS THE TIME DURING WHICH SHE CAN CONCEIVE. You may still notice some discharge/blood during this period, so its important to note when your dog first started bleeding so you can approximate when this stage will begin.
3) Diestrus - last 60 to 90 days in dogs that did not become pregnant, 63 days in dogs that do become pregnant; in the case of the former, the reproductive tract is just returning to normal while in the latter she is carrying/nourishing her pups
4) Anestrus - lasts 4-5 months; this is the the time when things are just building up and preparing to begin the whole cycle over again.
Typically, a female dog will not "accept" (i.e., let a male mount her) until the second phase of her cycle (when she can actually get pregnant) anyway.
I hope this helps - Good luck!
