What should I know before the first heat?

DreamValley

Well-Known Member
Geezzz... girls are troubles!
I have never owned a female before.
That's the totally new world for me.

I get goose bumps when thinking about her first heat http://www."another board"/images/smilies/help_up_2bigmove.gif

What should I know about? Do you have good links to find the information?

She is only 11 weeks. I have time to make a right decision.
Asha has a show potential. So does Gino. His hygroma is almost gone and I am going to evaluate him soon.

Asha is my sexy bomb but I don't want puppies! How to keep them separated?
Please share your experience. Thanks!
 
DV - keep watch for when she starts to look a bit puffy behind - usually anytime after 6 or 7 months. Once you see her looking a little puffy, start blotting every morning with a tissue - once you see a straw/salmon/pinky color - then you count day 1 of her heat cycle.

First time bitches often will not bleed as much, nor as long as they will with subsequent heats. This cycle is usually a 21 day cycle, a week of "coming in" or getting ready "a week or 10 days of fertility" with days 10 through 16 optimum for breeding resulting in a preganacy. HOWEVER each bitch is different, just like us ladies, so I count day 1 through day 30 as the time frame to keep an in heat female separated.

You can order chlorofil (sp?) pills which are supposed to help mask the smell the bitch gives off to other male dogs, and its not just Gino you need to worry about - she can NEVER be let outside unsupervised for a second, I would keep her on a leash or long line during this 30 days, I just read on one of my lists today about a pair of poodles that bred through a 6' chain link fence!! dogs can dig under and go over any fence to get to to a female.

You can also use Vicks Vapor Rub on Gino's nose to help with the oder she will send off too. The heat cycle will be much worse on Gino than on you guys or your little girl.

You can get bitches britches which keep them from spotting blood, but you have to watch as some bitches will eat the absorbant pads out the britches and they can cause an obstruction *yikes* thank fully none of my girls do that, but I have heard of it.

be sure and mark on the calendar Day 1 so you will know when it is safe to let Gino have play time with his baby sister again. I think that about covers it, but if I forgot anything, I am sure someone will add to the info.
 
:ty:Gail you are awesome!

Do you know about any pants I can use for her to walk in the house?

Poor Gino... I may not take a challenge and make a decision to neuter him. How does neutered dog behave when a bitch in the heat?
 
I am going to kennel Teufel if I even think I might have difficulty keeping them separated. I plan to keep one crated behind two doors whenever the other is free. I have had one intact female before for a short time and this worked with her until she came out of heat and was spayed. I had a male at the time that had been neutered a week prior to her showing the first signs... I didn't want to chance it. ;)

I am very torn about what age to spay Jasmine. I worry about spay incontinence if I do it too soon and pyometria If I wait too long.

Asha will probably go into heat between seven and ten months. Your breeder may be able to make a close prediction based on related bitch's cycles. I plan to watch Jasmine like a hawk after six months. I don't expect her to come into estrus until nine months or so. Gino will be a good indicator that she is coming into heat even if it's a blind heat (no outward signs). Asha may become VERY short-tempered with him for nosing around her backside, that is another clue. Some girls vacillate between flirting and trying to bite the male's face off. Teufel let a couple of GSD owners know when their adolescent bitches were coming into heat at my Sch club... ;)
 
dv we got cayden an injection at the vet. It lasts for roughly 6 months. It takes around 6 weeks to take full effect and I got it 3 months before cass went into heat.

The only side effects where his balls shrunk slightly but come back as it wears off LOL

No problems using it at all. I know a lot of breeders over here use this too.

the one we used is called superlorin male hormone implant

heres a link
http://www.emea.europa.eu/docs/en_G..._the_public/veterinary/000109/WC500068830.pdf
 
there are several websites for really cute Bitches Britches *LOL* we kidded Tina about putting her tomboy Aesa in a cute polk-a-dot pair with bows :rofl:to wear to the training field *LOL*

Usually neutered males, who have not been previously bred, do not act like an entire male. It does take some weeks or even months for the testosterone to fade from the males once neutered, and even once neutered for a period of several weeks they still have a live "bullet" in the chamber, so-to-speak *lol* so a just neutered male would still have one fertile shot left where he could impregnate a female.

Its not so hard to keep them separate and rotate - the first 2 weeks is the hardest as most females want to be bred - however, once they have ovulated and gone out of season they can be very ... uh.... FIRM in telling the males to go jump in a lake and stay the heck away from their private parts :rofl:
 
dv we got cayden an injection at the vet. It lasts for roughly 6 months. It takes around 6 weeks to take full effect and I got it 3 months before cass went into heat.

The only side effects where his balls shrunk slightly but come back as it wears off LOL

No problems using it at all. I know a lot of breeders over here use this too.

the one we used is called superlorin male hormone implant

heres a link
http://www.emea.europa.eu/docs/en_G..._the_public/veterinary/000109/WC500068830.pdf

That is a very interesting link lynz and your posting is the first I have heard of it, I thank you for sharing it. For me, the statement that "If a dog under treatment with Suprelorin were to mate with a bitch in heat, the chance of the bitch becoming pregnant would be extremely low." is just not "good enough" for me.

If you are diligent in keeping them separated, there will be 100% chance that the bitch will not get pregnant
 
That is a very interesting link lynz and your posting is the first I have heard of it, I thank you for sharing it. For me, the statement that "If a dog under treatment with Suprelorin were to mate with a bitch in heat, the chance of the bitch becoming pregnant would be extremely low." is just not "good enough" for me.

If you are diligent in keeping them separated, there will be 100% chance that the bitch will not get pregnant
yes Gail i totally agree and I would never leave them alone or unsupervised but with Cayden and others with males they have shown no interest in bitches at all and are happy to run about with them with no problem. However I do agree with your statement here. :)
 
:ty:Gail you are awesome!

Do you know about any pants I can use for her to walk in the house?

Poor Gino... I may not take a challenge and make a decision to neuter him. How does neutered dog behave when a bitch in the heat?

They still will be after her, i have to neutered males here and i always had to yell to get of off her. But sure you want have to worry about puppies when they are neutered.
 
When my schnauzer is in heat I use toddler training pants for her. Just cut a hole for the tail and viola! lol

IDK if its something that happens regularly but when my APBT Nala came into her first heat in November she developed a vaginal hyperplasia. It was icky to look at and I had to clean her two to three times a day (as well as give her antibiotics).
I am hopeful it doesn't happen her next heat or she will have to be spayed.
 
I just have to echo what Tina said about the neutered males, and when Della had her first heat it was 2 years after Boris was neutered, but he was still all over her. I'm sure not as heavy as it would have been if he would have been intact, but it was still stronger than I thought it would be. :shock:
 
I just had Samson neutered (Feb 24th) so I am just waiting for one of the girls to come back in to see how he acts. The DAY he went to be neutered Daphne went into heat (she is such a bitch!lol) so he was defiantly kept away from her.
It would be my luck Gail......me and her co-owner/breeder/my BFF have already talked about if she has another one her next heat having her spayed. She is SUCH a beautifully put together dog though...it would be a shame. The vet didn't mention anything about it being genetic....just said it is caused by a surge of hormones.
 
I have intact male and female. When Ruby came in heat 1st time Jackson was too young to care. This past time I have to say he really wasnt so interested but I kept them in separate parts of the house during the ENTIRE time. I probably went overboard but better safe you know. Now Ruby is old enough, and I will get her spayed before next heat. If you choose between the two I would spay the female and leave the male intact. Someone has posted some very educational articles and papers on the subject here on the forum and the research clearly shows that to be a better choice. For panties I just got some mens briefs put them on backward so I could put her little stub through the back and secured the waist with a diaper pin and attached a pad. It works out pretty good if you get a package of 3-6 briefs and that way you can change out the pad periodically through the day and put a clean pair of briefs on each morning. Be sure to remove them before you let her out, we forgot once and it wasnt pretty. Also we went out with her while she was in heat just to be cautious since there are alot of dogs in our area. You just dont know.
 
A neutered male may act EXACTLY like an intact one except there won't be any resulting puppies. I got tired of yelling at poor Pullo, especially when I was down in the field with horse. He comes from a very horny family. At least they won't die virgins.

Fei started just before her 11 month b-day, bled for 20 days. I used the pads with wings.
 

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