Female dog in heat

lisar201 · 08-10-2010 8:52pm #1

my lady went in to heat 2 wks ago and stopped spotting yesterday. I realise she still needs to be kept apart from uneutred male dogs for a while still but just how long?I was going to keep her away for another wk is this long enough?i have been trying to find some info on this and I am finding it difficult as it just talks about spotting.Shes the first female dog i've had so this is all new to me!!cheers

andreac · 08-10-2010 8:57pm

Females are in heat for 3 weeks. A week coming in, a wekk in and a week going out.
So if shes 2 weeks in heat then she will still be in heat for another week so just make sure to keep her away from dogs for at least another week and maybe bit more just to be safe.

convert · 09-10-2010 12:27am

I'd leave it for two weeks, just to be safe.

lrushe · 09-10-2010 11:33am

Always 3 weeks, I've know dogs to be bred on day 20 and go on to have a litter so just to be safe always keep her isolated from males for 3 weeks.

lisar201 · 09-10-2010 4:53pm

thanks everyone i'll leave her another wk defo and mayb take her out to my mams next weekend!i feel so sorry for her she seems really lonely!! all my friends and relatives all have male dogs so she has had no friends for the last 2 wks poor thing!!I have been spoiling her rotten with toys and treats for the last fourthnight and i know i shouldn't but i cant help it when those sad eyes look at me

:(:(

danger mouse · 10-10-2010 1:33pm

lisar201 wrote: »

thanks everyone i'll leave her another wk defo and mayb take her out to my mams next weekend!i feel so sorry for her she seems really lonely!! all my friends and relatives all have male dogs so she has had no friends for the last 2 wks poor thing!!I have been spoiling her rotten with toys and treats for the last fourthnight and i know i shouldn't but i cant help it when those sad eyes look at me :(:(

Let her socialize with the males just keep her on a lead so she cant get away from you to try and mate.

andreac · 10-10-2010 2:26pm

danger mouse wrote: »

Let her socialize with the males just keep her on a lead so she cant get away from you to try and mate.

Sorry but do not do this, very bad idea.
Have you ever seen a male try to mate with a bitch? You will find it very hard to get him away from her and if he mounts her he could have a tie within seconds and she will get pregnant so absol do not do this.

I own a male who has been used for stud before and you would find it extremely difficult to get him off the bitch if he wanted to mate her, plus it could be dangerous as both dog and bitch could turn on you, so a very irresponsible thing to advise in my opinion.

Sigma Force · 10-10-2010 3:55pm

I'd just keep her away from them for 2 weeks after by then everything should of settled down and then have her booked in for spaying that way you won't have to worry about her coming in to heat and getting caught out.
The fact your friends/rellies have male dogs it's even more important to have her spayed, you don't want them fighting with each other over her either if they happen to hang out together plus unwanted litters.

She'll be ok and you can make it up to her after she's had her stitches out she can play away with no worries.

lisar201 · 10-10-2010 11:28pm

i will defo b keeping her away from males until the weekend at least.

danger mouse · 12-10-2010 2:26pm

andreac wrote: »

Sorry but do not do this, very bad idea.
Have you ever seen a male try to mate with a bitch? You will find it very hard to get him away from her and if he mounts her he could have a tie within seconds and she will get pregnant so absol do not do this.

I own a male who has been used for stud before and you would find it extremely difficult to get him off the bitch if he wanted to mate her, plus it could be dangerous as both dog and bitch could turn on you, so a very irresponsible thing to advise in my opinion.

Im sorry but i'm able to keep control of my dogs so don't need to worry about the things that you mentioned. A male will only try mate a bitch when she is ready to be mated, from day 10 to day 16. it would be very safe to bring your bitch around before or after these times if she's on a lead...I have 7 German Shepherd dogs and practice this all the time when bitches are in heat. you just have to be very firm with dogs and silly things wont happen.

andreac · 12-10-2010 2:34pm

danger mouse wrote: »

Im sorry but i'm able to keep control of my dogs so don't need to worry about the things that you mentioned. A male will only try mate a bitch when she is ready to be mated, from day 10 to day 16. it would be very safe to bring your bitch around before or after these times if she's on a lead...I have 7 German Shepherd dogs and practice this all the time when bitches are in heat. you just have to be very firm with dogs and silly things wont happen.

Sorry, but your information is wrong. Bitches can get pregnant and have done being mated well after day 16 so, no, it is not safe to have a bitch in heat around any entire male in the space of those dates.

Not all dogs are like yours and not everyone will be able to keep control. If a dog wants to mate with your bitch or whoever's bitch, you will find it almost impossible to get him off, trust me ,i know, ive been there.

Plus, an entire male, can get confused and will still try and mate a bitch if shes not ready so please, dont encourage people to have their in season bitches around entire male dogs, as theres enough unwanted litters of pups around as it is.

lrushe · 12-10-2010 9:11pm

andreac wrote: »

Sorry, but your information is wrong. Bitches can get pregnant and have done being mated well after day 16 so, no, it is not safe to have a bitch in heat around any entire male in the space of those dates.

I would agree, as I've said above I've known bitches (German Shephards also incidentially) to be bred on day 20 of their heat cycle and go on to produce a litter, it's never safe to have an entire dog around a bitch in season, you'd be surprised the lengths they are willing to go to to mate.

danger mouse · 12-10-2010 10:11pm

andreac wrote: »

Sorry, but your information is wrong. Bitches can get pregnant and have done being mated well after day 16 so, no, it is not safe to have a bitch in heat around any entire male in the space of those dates.

Not all dogs are like yours and not everyone will be able to keep control. If a dog wants to mate with your bitch or whoever's bitch, you will find it almost impossible to get him off, trust me ,i know, ive been there.

Plus, an entire male, can get confused and will still try and mate a bitch if shes not ready so please, dont encourage people to have their in season bitches around entire male dogs, as theres enough unwanted litters of pups around as it is.

I feel sorry for people who cant keep control of their dogs. Dogs on leads under a firm hand will not cause problems. I think it is unfair to keep an animal locked up for 3 weeks every 6 months, and in some cases every 4 months. Everybody i know practices this method...If you cant control your dogs spay or neuter them simple as.

danger mouse · 12-10-2010 10:16pm

lrushe wrote: »

I would agree, as I've said above I've known bitches (German Shephards also incidentially) to be bred on day 20 of their heat cycle and go on to produce a litter, it's never safe to have an entire dog around a bitch in season, you'd be surprised the lengths they are willing to go to to mate.

Im not saying dogs cant get caught after day 16 or 17 but most of the time the progesterone levels after this time go through the roof signaling the end of a heat and the bitch stops giving off the signals and the males become easier to handle. IN MY OPINION

lrushe · 12-10-2010 10:18pm

danger mouse wrote: »

I feel sorry for people who cant keep control of their dogs. Dogs on leads under a firm hand will not cause problems. I think it is unfair to keep an animal locked up for 3 weeks every 6 months, and in some cases every 4 months. Everybody i know practices this method...If you cant control your dogs spay or neuter them simple as.

You can have all the control you want over your dog but how do you handle the gang of dogs you're bitch will undoubtedly attract.
Also I do spay and neuter my animals but not until they are fully grown, until then they are kept under lock and key when in season, better to be safe than sorry imo.

danger mouse · 12-10-2010 10:26pm

lrushe wrote: »

You can have all the control you want over your dog but how do you handle the gang of dogs you're bitch will undoubtedly attract.
Also I do spay and neuter my animals but not until they are fully grown, until then they are kept under lock and key when in season, better to be safe than sorry imo.

I think your slightly exaggerating the whole thing. "the gangs of dogs" what a load of dogs queuing up in the park snarling at you to get hold of your bitch...lol Never happens. I have dogs of all ages and happily bring them out around other dogs when they're in heat yeah a male may sniff around but thats about it, hardly gangs of them lining up for a shot.

Look owners should do what they feel comfortable with and go with their gut feeling and thats the safest thing for them.

lrushe · 12-10-2010 10:34pm

danger mouse wrote: »

I think your slightly exaggerating the whole thing. "the gangs of dogs" what a load of dogs queuing up.

You've never seen 3 or more dogs following around a bitch in heat??? I think you're under estimating the danger. Even the most placid dogs' temperament will change around a bitch in heat, indeed there is even the danger of the bitch being attacked if she is not willing to mate. If you're willing to take the risk with your dogs that's up to you but I would never advise anyone to do this.

Cherry Blossom · 12-10-2010 10:49pm

danger mouse wrote: »

I think your slightly exaggerating the whole thing. "the gangs of dogs" what a load of dogs queuing up in the park snarling at you to get hold of your bitch...lol Never happens. I have dogs of all ages and happily bring them out around other dogs when they're in heat yeah a male may sniff around but thats about it, hardly gangs of them lining up for a shot.

Look owners should do what they feel comfortable with and go with their gut feeling and thats the safest thing for them.

Personally I've witnessed 10-15 loose dogs in a housing estate trying to get to a bitch in heat behind a fence, there was no queueing up that's for sure, they were tearing each other to shreads :eek:

danger mouse · 12-10-2010 10:53pm

adrenalinjunkie wrote: »

Personally I've witnessed 10-15 loose dogs in a housing estate trying to get to a bitch in heat behind a fence, there was no queueing up that's for sure, they were tearing each other to shreads :eek:

Really 10 or 15 or maybe even 30... omg it was hell on earth. Sounds more like a bleeding safari park, then a housing estate.

Cherry Blossom · 12-10-2010 11:02pm

At a rough estimate I'd say 12, seeing how I wasn't too concerned about standing there counting them I might have been a couple out on either side of 12 :mad:

Jennyfer · 13-10-2010 12:45am

My bitch was in heat for almost 5 weeks, was her first heat and at the time she had a broken leg so bringing her outside wasnt an issue anyway BUT on week 4 there was a male dog that hung around out in front garden waiting and waiting, had never seen him before and have never seen him since but I have no doubt in my mind that he picked up her scent. Its up to any individual if they want to take a chance with something like this but if asked my opinion I would say keep your bitch safe inside and sit it out. I know its tough and they get so fed up, mine had to be kept in for nearly 3 months with her broken leg but in the long run you might just save yourself and her from a tricky situation! And no matter how much in control of your own dog you are, there are plenty loose ones around and once animal instinct takes over it'd be pretty tough to chase them off.

Female dog in heat

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