Canine transcervical insemination: history and technique

Artificial insemination in the dog was first described nearly 250 years ago. Until the 1970s, the process remained predominantly in depositing semen in the cranial vagina. Initially, surgery was required to successfully deposit frozen–thawed semen in uterus. However, societal demands to eliminate the need for general anesthesia and surgery for breeding have led to development of reliable and successful transcervical insemination procedures. Common barriers to perform successful transcervical inseminations include equipment expense and developing skills. In addition to practice, adopting suggestions provided by the author will improve practitioner’s success.