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My 9-month dog was mounted at the park. Is she too young for pups?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | Mixed Breed Medium (23 - 60lb) | Female | unspayed | 8 months and 20 days old | 40 lbs

My 9 month dog accidentally got mounted while I wasn't looking at dog park and I'm so sad lol. Will she be okay if she gets pregnant this young?!?! I feel like such a bad dog mom.

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2 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By Mariya Gugel, DVM

Veterinarian

Published on December 5th, 2017

Thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Rain is so adorable! Dogs go through a heat cycle only twice a year or so, so the chances that Rain got pregnant from one incident at the dog park are rather slim. Mating in dogs takes about 20 minutes, and typically involves a "tie" which includes the dogs standing with their rear ends together. If Rain were to be pregnant, 9 months is not too young and she can very well have an absolutely normal pregnancy. I hope this helps and am happy to answer any other questions you may have!

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6Pet Parents found this answer helpful

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    Answered By Kevin Sanada, DVM

    Veterinarian

    Published on

    It can be concerning for her to get pregnant and carry pups to term at this age. It could affect her growth and it may be more likely for her to have complications like low blood sugar, or calcium. There is always a risk of life-threatening complications with any pregnancy and then there is the issue of what to do with her puppies if she actually has them. Considering there is already a major dog overpopulation problem in the U.S., allowing more to be born would not be responsible from an ethical point of view. For these reasons, I recommend scheduling an appointment to have her spayed as soon as possible. This is much safer to do early in the pregnancy (if she actually is pregnant) rather than later. I hope that helps and all is well with Rain.

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    3Pet Parents found this answer helpful

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