Tips for dealing with a dog in heat?

adser53

Hi folks,
Kai, our 11 month old akita has just come into heat and I've a few questions. First off we've no intention of breeding but wanted her to have her first heat before she gets spayed. We've a 2.5 year old intact make akita too.
So first off, we're obviously keeping them seperated. Kai is inside and has a pair of my boxers on her with a "lady pad" in them to keep things tidy. Loki is out in his dog run. I know its early stages yet so she wont let him near her for any saucy antics but he has virtually no interest in her. In a few days will this change? Should I house him elsewhere for a while cos I dont want to put the neighbours through the noise of him howling for her? Or will that even happen? Really how bad do things get in these situations and how did other members here deal with it? Any other tips?

lorebringer

Firstly, well done for not wanting to breed her until she is a good age for it!

Once she gets into the middle of her heat your male will want to get to her come hell or high water. Many times people who have a bitch in heat initially talk about how it isn't that big a deal and not causing too much inconvenience but after a while things do change. You will have males hanging around your property. His behaviour all depends on him - every dog is different - he may go mad digging, howling, barking trying to escape from his run etc. or he may be not too bad. He will get aggressive with other dogs so be wary of that. Her behaviour may also change - she will want to get to the boys to just be careful and aware of where she is at all times. Some bitches turn into, well, bitches while others are not too bad at all. Because this is her first heat she may be a bit all over the place or she may be totally fine, just keep a close eye on her and observe her for temperament changes etc (so you'll know for the next time!). If she is in and out to the garden where he is kept to go to the toilet, it is fuel for the fire and he will be driven crazy. Even the calmest dogs, once they get the smell of a bitch in heat, can be very unpredictable and suddenly become Houdini in their abilities to escape. Be very aware that they will mate through a fence so don't let her near the run that he is in.

If he is going to be a nightmare to deal with (thinking of your neighbours and your sanity here!), you'll know soon enough, the best thing to do is kennel him or get someone to mind him for about 10 days/2 weeks until she is fully out of heat. It's not fair on the poor chap if he is stressed and really put out by the whole thing.

Good luck (hopefully you don't need it!)!

lrushe

adser53 wrote: »

Hi folks,
Kai, our 11 month old akita has just come into heat and I've a few questions. First off we've no intention of breeding but wanted her to have her first heat before she gets spayed. We've a 2.5 year old intact make akita too.
So first off, we're obviously keeping them seperated. Kai is inside and has a pair of my boxers on her with a "lady pad" in them to keep things tidy. Loki is out in his dog run. I know its early stages yet so she wont let him near her for any saucy antics but he has virtually no interest in her. In a few days will this change? Should I house him elsewhere for a while cos I dont want to put the neighbours through the noise of him howling for her? Or will that even happen? Really how bad do things get in these situations and how did other members here deal with it? Any other tips?

From my experience you're male will v.quickly become interested in her. When my Spitz and Chihuahua were intact my Spitz who is normally an v.obedient, happy-go-lucky type of dog would become an absolute nightmare, he only had one thing on his mind and nothing I said or did would make any difference. He'd literally follow her non-stop when I let her out to go to the toilet ( he was only allowed around her at all because of the size difference and constant supervision, I wouldn't normally allow a female in heat around an intact dog) and when I took her inside he would cry at the back door, scratch and jump up on it.
Basically the only way I found to deal with it was to keep them separated at all times then spay or neuter when appropriate, unfortunately there is no quick fix to it, you just really have to ride it out.
The relief when they were spayed and neutered, it makes life so much easier!!!

adser53

Thanks for the tips folks. I guess this is the calm before the storm eh?
And just to clarify lorebringer, we won't be breeding at all. We wanted to let her have one heat before we spay so that she developes fully. That may be an old wives tale but I have heard that an early spay can have negative effects on physical and mental development so didnt want to take that chance. I may be wrong but a month of inconvenience is a small price to pay to ensure she develops fully. She's gas looking in the boxers tho!

lorebringer

adser53 wrote: »

And just to clarify lorebringer, we won't be breeding at all. We wanted to let her have one heat before we spay so that she developes fully. That may be an old wives tale but I have heard that an early spay can have negative effects on physical and mental development so didnt want to take that chance. I may be wrong but a month of inconvenience is a small price to pay to ensure she develops fully. She's gas looking in the boxers tho!

My bad - got wrong impression! Even more well done deserved getting her spayed

adser53

Here she is last night in my boxers :D:D

The blurry tail shows that she doesn't seem to mind too much

lorebringer

Very sexy - you'll def have to keep your male away from her in those! :D

andreac

Omg the size of her now!! Last pics i saw she was so small, shes matured lovely.
Regarding the in heat thing, ive all this to look forward to as well:eek: Cooper has been used for stud so he will tell me the minute she comes into heat.

Im hoping the fact that he has been used for stud before, that he wont be really interested in her until the days when she would be ready for mating as he knows now when a female is full on in season, so wont be too bad until then, but it will be a case of him sleeping in the van at night or going on his holidays for a while i think.:D

adser53

lorebringer wrote: »

Very sexy - you'll def have to keep your male away from her in those! :D

:D

andreac wrote: »

Omg the size of her now!! Last pics i saw she was so small, shes matured lovely.
Regarding the in heat thing, ive all this to look forward to as well:eek: Cooper has been used for stud so he will tell me the minute she comes into heat.

Im hoping the fact that he has been used for stud before, that he wont be really interested in her until the days when she would be ready for mating as he knows now when a female is full on in season, so wont be too bad until then, but it will be a case of him sleeping in the van at night or going on his holidays for a while i think.:D

Thanks Andrea She's turning out lovely. Definitely going to be bigger than Loki and better looking too (no offence to himself, she's just more in proportion and how an Akita "should be") She still has a lot of growing to do though. I must get a good picture to put up on ID, that one makes her nose look huge
I'll let you know how we get on with our two. Hopefully Cooper won't be bad but Loki doesn't know what he's missing, Cooper on the other hand might fency a bit o' luvin'
I wouldn't advise him sleeping in the van either. I did that when Loki was nearly a year old. We went to a friends in Portlaoise for the weekend before we moved down and he was sleeping in the van with Eddie & Lola. I awoke the next morning to find half the passenger seat had been eaten :eek::mad: The feckin van was only 6 months old! I wasn't impressed

andreac

Ah hes used to the van, its like his 2nd home, lol. He comes to work with me everyday and when im on over nights at shows he sleeps in there, loves the van, but you never know how they could react when theres a bitch in season so watch this space....:D

adser53

andreac wrote: »

Ah hes used to the van, its like his 2nd home, lol. He comes to work with me everyday and when im on over nights at shows he sleeps in there, loves the van, but you never know how they could react when theres a bitch in season so watch this space....:D

I can see a rottie sized hole in the side of the van in 5 months time, or worse, he gets amorous with the driver seat lol :D (hopefully not;))