# Coming into Heat - what to expect?



## Otter (Feb 23, 2011)

Hello all.

Pebbles will be coming into heat for the first time in the near future. She'll be 6 months old pretty soon (already!).

What should we expect? I'm aware of neighborhood dogs, the pro's and con's of spaying vs. not spaying, and so on, but don't know about the cleanliness and/or hygiene side of things. 

Yes, we've had this conversation with the breeder, but would like to hear other input as well. The breeders' dogs, for the most part, don't live in their regular part of the house so they don't have the same concerns we have.

Pebbles lives in our house. The breeder and/or stud owner plans to show Pebbles and maybe breed her someday. That is why, for now, she is not going to be spayed. Of course, as she continues to mature and grow, those plans could change.

Thanks for any advice on what to expect.


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## Pixie (Jun 13, 2012)

Pixie is now 4 and growing fast! Any comments are welcome for me too


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## Suni52 (Jan 18, 2012)

It wasn't as bad as I thought it was going to be. She kept herself pretty clean (and I have all light beige carpets). The first few days I didn't need to put anything on her, but then the bleeding got a little heavier. I tried the bitch briches and didn't like them. I couldn't find the velcro ones which would have worked much better. I ended up buying medium sized men's tightly whities and using a large safety pin on top to keep it in place. She tolerated that much better. Her bleeding lasted abut 10 days, and then subsided. That's when you have to be most careful because she's most fertile then. I kept her confined to my house and yard for a full month because I could never get her to do the flagging reflex for me, so I wasn't positive when she ended her heat. 
When she is finished with her heat, make sure you give her a good bath to get the smell off of her before you take her out in public. That is one thing I wasn't prepared for was the smell. The smell of blood was kind of sickening for a little while there.


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## Shalva (Jul 16, 2008)

I have never had a girl come into season at 6 mos. Most of my girls are close to a year before coming into season. My Natalie is in season now for the first time and she is 15 mos. My dogs all live in the house. I would find out how old your girls mother was the first time she came into season and that will give you a good idea when your girl will come in... My first question is whether you have other dogs in your house??? if you don't have any intact boys your life will be much easier than mine is at the moment.... 

You will want to get some seasonal panties... boys tighty whiteys work well if you want to use those put the tail through the opening in the front and attach a sanitary napkin to them... you can also buy bitch pants on the web... I had three pairs custom made for my Natalie (she is big) .... but you can buy them for about 20-25 bucks a pair for golden size. 

You might find that your girl gets a bit cranky. Natalie came into season on Sunday but on Saturday we took her to the farmers market where she goes every weekend and she growled at every dog that came near her to the point that I took her to an area where there were no dogs... so you may notice crankiness.... some girls are very neat and clean and some are not... I have both here... I have girls that are such a mess that I keep them on hard floors even with the pants... and some are so clean that I would never now they were in season if my boys didn't let me know. 

Then there is the obvious... keep her away from other dogs for a solid month... mark it on your calendar when she comes in and you want to track that... I have some girls that come in every six months like clockwork and some that are every 10-12 mos. A cycle is usually around 3 weeks but if you are inexperienced then a solid month is safer... once you know your girls you will be better able to say ok she is out of season and not worry but that takes time. You will notice swelling of the vulva going down but again if you are new to all of this a solid month is safer. I have known girls that have been ready to breed at day 20 so a month is safer... did I say that already lolol... a month is safer. You will have blood roughly the first week.... then the discharge will change to a straw colored discharge that is when she is most fertile and you have to be the most careful until the end.... no playing outside unsupervised... be careful on walks where you may encounter other dogs... remember even neutered males can get a tie... they are just shooting blanks. Think Rapunzel.... 

hope this helps


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## Otter (Feb 23, 2011)

Thanks a lot Shalva and Suni52. Good info.



Shalva said:


> My first question is whether you have other dogs in your house??? if you don't have any intact boys your life will be much easier than mine is at the moment....


Well, we do have Barkley. He is almost 4 and not intact. Hopefully he will be okay. 

Thanks again.


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## MikaTallulah (Jul 19, 2006)

Lucky was intact when my yorkie, Cozy, went into heat the first time at 6 months of age. The poor guy was miserable. She would not leave him alone. He ended up deciding he would rather be outside that stuck with her. Poor guy tossed from his own house by a girl . I hope you have sturdy crates to separate the 2 when she does go into heat. I have a friend who actually sends her male to dad's when her girl goes into heat because she drives him nuts. An oops litter would not be a good thing for them since they are father and daughter.


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## Sally's Mom (Sep 20, 2010)

My Emmie came into heat twice before she was one year.... Most of my girls are 9-11 months. And my neutered boys, neutered before one year of age, do "breed" my girls, they just do not be them pregnant.


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## Otter (Feb 23, 2011)

Thanks for the advice and suggestions.


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