# Is my dog in heat?



## Swampcollie (Sep 6, 2007)

She's in season, lock her up!


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## primetime34 (Apr 20, 2016)

Swampcollie said:


> She's in season, lock her up!


So I should just put her in the kennel for how long? And the pants thing that I've read about won't stop neighboring farm dogs from coming over?


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## Aislinn (Nov 13, 2010)

Nothing will keep the other dogs from coming over. Only let her out on a leash with you. The diapers you're referring to are more for keeping her from staining or making a mess from the blood. I don't use them, most, not all, will keep themselves clean.


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## primetime34 (Apr 20, 2016)

Aislinn said:


> Nothing will keep the other dogs from coming over. Only let her out on a leash with you. The diapers you're referring to are more for keeping her from staining or making a mess from the blood. I don't use them, most, not all, will keep themselves clean.


How long will she be in heat?? In other words, how long do I need to keep her locked up? I assume her vulva won't be as swollen when she's out of heat, but just curious how long that'll be.

Thanks.


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## Swampcollie (Sep 6, 2007)

rule of thumb....

10 days coming in

10 days standing

10 days going out


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## mylissyk (Feb 25, 2007)

Be aware she can't be outside unsupervised while she is in season, so if your "kennel" is an outdoor run it will NOT keep the male dogs away from her. Determined dogs have been known to mate through chain link fencing, dig under, go over, and through fencing to get to females in heat. Males from miles around will be attracted to her.


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## Prism Goldens (May 27, 2011)

primetime34 said:


> So my 7 month old (Pretzel) is attracting a dog from a nearby farm (we don't really have close neighbors). We think she might be in heat. Reading online, a swollen vulva is a sign of being in heat. Is this swollen? Is she in heat?
> 
> If she is what can we do about it besides leave her locked up for 3 weeks? Are there some underwear she could wear that would keep the male dogs off her? Any other tips or tricks that we should be aware of?
> 
> Thanks!


wipe her vulva with a tissue- if there is color of any sort and most especially blood, she is in season. Her vulva looks like she will be soon if she's not already. I'd start wiping her every morning till you see color (sometimes it is not bright red) and start that as day one of her 3-4week isolation. If she's already attracting males, I hope that she has not been out without a human to control her instinct to be bred by neighbor boy courting her. There's nothing you can do to lessen the impact her scent is having on the dogs from anywhere they can smell her from.


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## primetime34 (Apr 20, 2016)

Follow-up...is she still in heat? Here is a picture I took this morning. I have wiped her and didn't see any sort of color there...


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## Piper_the_goldenpuppy (Aug 26, 2016)

Others here can post more about this than I know, but I have read that dogs don't always have discharge the whole time they are in heat--sometimes in their estrus period (when they are actually fertile), the discharge goes away or becomes yellowish in color. Her vulva still looks swollen to me. 

Your original post was only 10 days ago. A heat cycle lasts around 30. If you first noticed the discharge 10 days ago, then you start 3-4 week count from day 1 that she had discharge. So assuming that was 10 days ago, she still has 20 days to go.


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## Prism Goldens (May 27, 2011)

I didn't see where you said she had any discharge- and she would have discharge with color to it. I think you are still not 'in'.
Just keep an eye out, wipe her daily, watch for blood on the floor or her licking unusually diligently and let us know, we can time her out this way.


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## bixx (Sep 8, 2015)

Looks like it's very very early phase. If you allow her on the couch, now is the time to get her used to being ordered off it, and stay off it. 

As for pads -- it's more work imo. When they do get the bloody discharge, they clean themselves very well though there will be drops (when the bloody discharge begins) when they walk. You just need to call their attention to it and they will lick it up. Female dogs are constantly licking themselves clean during this period.

I have a fully carpeted living room (treated, so stains could not be an issue). I've had two major spots on it which she tried to clean, and which I later sprayed with a carpet cleaner. The whole experience was not as messy as I thought it would be. You might need to have some baby wipes on hand. The blood does tend to get caught in their fur especially the first two-three days, especially after sleeping or lying down.

As for walking her out -- I didn't let her off leash for a full month after the end of her bloody discharge. Also, we didn't go out the week that she did have bloody discharge. I avoided all areas where dogs are allowed off leash.

Hope the info helps!


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