Signs when a dog is coming into heat?? Advice needed please.

Miss_Ellie

Hi,

I have a 5 month old female puppy - she's a collie/lab cross and is as cute as a button.

However, I noticed this morning, as I took her for her walk, that there were 2 local dogs trying to get up-close and personal with her!

Maybe it was because she is such a cutie......:D
Maybe it was a male thing when one shows a little bit of interest the other one had to show interest also.......:rolleyes:

But, what I'd really like to know, is how do I know when she's coming into heat??
I want to get her spayed - should I do it now or is it too soon???

Thanks.

Wisco

If she's a collie/lab x it'd be common for her to come into season after 6 mo of age, but that's not to say it can't happen sooner! General advice is neuter at 6 months (if she's not in heat at that age). As for physical signs, you may see her vulva swell (depending how closely you look!) and blood coloured discharge from the vulva as well (often noticed as spots on floor).
If dogs were noticing her today, it could just be that they haven't met before and were being friendly. If in doubt, keep her on a lead at all times and don't leave her unsupervised outside (even in your yard) as dogs will do amazing things (scale tall fences, dig under them, etc) to have a little fling with the ladies :rolleyes: and it only takes a few seconds before you have a pregnant puppy!

CreedonsDogDayc

dogs are usually really sniffy to unneutered pups, male or female. She may be coming into heat, but she may not, these pups smell funny to dogs, so they usually follow them around sniffing the whole time.

Kya1976

There are loads of different signs, she might go off her food, her mood might change and as the previous posters said, she might bleed.

Be careful not to have her off the lead if she is in heat:)

moving_home

my 5.5mth old cocker is in heat at the moment.

first signs were she was off her food and more whiny/clingy than usual. then she started licking down below more than usual. After about a week of this male dogs started coming around our house (they came from really far away)

I rang the vets (I tried checking the vulva myself for swelling but I didn't know) and they said to bring her in and they confirmed that she was in heat.

At this stage we are about a week and half in and she has just started to bleed.
Another 3 weeks to go apparently.

My vet told me not to spay for three months after she comes out of heat as it will take that long for the hormones to come back to normal. Spaying before 6mths after coming out of heat could cause a phantom pregnancy.

andreac

moving_home wrote: »

my 5.5mth old cocker is in heat at the moment.

first signs were she was off her food and more whiny/clingy than usual. then she started licking down below more than usual. After about a week of this male dogs started coming around our house (they came from really far away)

I rang the vets (I tried checking the vulva myself for swelling but I didn't know) and they said to bring her in and they confirmed that she was in heat.

At this stage we are about a week and half in and she has just started to bleed.
Another 3 weeks to go apparently.

My vet told me not to spay for three months after she comes out of heat as it will take that long for the hormones to come back to normal. Spaying before 6mths after coming out of heat could cause a phantom pregnancy.

They bleed from the first day of the season not the the second week. So they are only officially in heat from first day of bleeding.

Miss_Ellie

Hi Folks,
Thanks for all the advice.....it has really helped.

I don't acutally think she's in heat - yet. But I know she's coming near the age when it happens - so I'm watching her like a hawk.....I just wasn't sure what I was looking for!!

Cute and all as she is I really don't want a whole litter of puppies running around the place.........;)