AIBu to take my dog for a walk when she’s in heat?

[berryfull]

Obviously on the lead, we’ll controlled. Obviously trying to avoid busy dog places where possible. But a walk a couple of times a day.

I’ve had several owners of entire make dogs give me a mouthful this week, when they’ve had to come and forceably remove their intact off lead dog from following me. Even went so far tonight that the dog that was following us had no owner anywhere visible, so I had to phone them from the number on the collar. When they arrived to get the dog (having delayed me 20 mins or so) they decided to tell me off !!

Flabbergasted! Surely if you have an entire make dog, then you should be keeping it in the lead or under supervision. Why should my dog get no excersize ? I’m keeping my dog under control. Why should I have to lock her away while male dogs roam free?

Dog patriarchy anyone?

Unfortunately, given that many people recently have paid thousands of pounds for dogs, I think we shall see a glut of amateur breeders with pound signs in their eyes - so more unspayed bitches.

There are also some batshit owners who don’t get that DOGS ARE NOT HUMAN BEINGS (well, apart from mine, of course ). A male dog is incapable of walking past a female and having a surreptitious look, but thinking to himself, “Mustn’t be inappropriate, it’s 2021, I’ll quickly look the other way and no harm done.”

There was a woman at dog training who brought her in-season dog and then started screaming at everyone that their dogs (puppies, actually) were “rapists” . Bizarre.

YABVU! You can’t take an in season bitch to somewhere where people are likely to have dogs off lead. It’s complete madness. No one will be expecting the possibility, that there will be a dog in season nearby, because it’s just not the “done thing” and completely lacking in common sense. So they’ll be caught off guard when their usually obedient dog suddenly races off when they catch the scent.

You’re putting both your and their dog at risk. You won’t be able to separate dogs intent on mating and someone could get hurt.

And the argument that entire males shouldn’t be off lead at all is completely stupid. They don’t put out a scent that attracts all dogs in a 2 mile area! And bitches are only in season for a short period of time so are only confined for short periods at a time.

You need to stick to short pavement walks at unsociable hours.

There was a woman at dog training who brought her in-season dog and then started screaming at everyone that their dogs (puppies, actually) were “rapists” . Bizarre. We had one of those

That's how I became an instant expert on how my dog reacts to a bitch in season!!!

I haven't read every post, so apologies in advance if this has already been mentioned, but...
The only responsible way to walk an in-season dog is very early or late, and having used Bitch Spray all over her vulva to mask her smell

www.petsathome.com/shop/en/pets/bitch-spray-150ml

@CuriousaboutSamphire

To all those saying why isn't she spayed, it's her first season and it's recommended to wait at least one season before spaying to allow them to mature. Not according to the Royal Veterinary College!

The general consensus (scientifically based) is to spay at 6 months or 3/4 months after first seasaon. There are pros and cons to both.

RVC are weighing up irresponsible owners resulting in litters if dogs are not spayed before their first season. As this OP shows, some people aren't careful enough with a bitch in season.

But there's plenty of scientifically backed up research that indicates it's best to wait for them to mature first, as it can affect their growth, increase the risks of developing disorders and cause reactivity and aggression.

There was a woman at dog training who brought her in-season dog and then started screaming at everyone that their dogs (puppies, actually) were “rapists” . Bizarre.

She'd clearly never met a randy in heat bitch . I was once pestered all the way home with my dog while a saucy escaped terrier tried desperately to entice him.

If anyone thinks it's hard to keep an on lead bitch safe while an off lead dog pays attention - they ought to try it the other way round . The lady kept running in front of us and - ur - presenting her back side while my dog cried and strained and whipped and went frantic to get at her. It was exhausting for all of us, I think. And a loooong mile walk home where my dog was dropped off and then his lead used to catch and return the horny girl (to owners that could not have given less of a shit).

@CuriousaboutSamphire

Dog period pants save your carpets and upholstery but have zero effect as chastity belts.

@SlothMama the point is that the science is balanced. For every reason, health or behavioural for waiting for a season there is another for spaying pre season.

It's just habit/erring on the side of caution/ imposing human feelings on the dog that makes the one season advice more common.

[quote wetotter]@CuriousaboutSamphire

Dog period pants save your carpets and upholstery but have zero effect as chastity belts.[/quote]
Why aim that at me? I haven't mentioned period pants!

I did suggest bitch deodorant to help OP walk her dog without attracting dogs from across the beach!

My dog is an elderly, male rescue and we've only had him just over a year. He cannot be let off lead on the beach or in the park because he's deaf and cannot now be recall trained

There are always off-lead dogs when we take him on our enormous beach and he doesn't like it if some of them approach him. We have to deal with this and we do - but this is very different from taking an in-season bitch to an area where off-lead male dogs are running.

You don't take her there till she's spayed. It's that simple.

When my small female dog is in heat I don't walk her out just throw sticks in our large garden got her to chase after. If you take a female in heat out you are asking for trouble. It is irresponsible.

The fact the vote is so close just shows how little knowledge or understanding the YANBUs have of dogs.

It's startling how much people project their own attitudes and entitlements down the lead these days.

I wouldn't normally say this, because where it concerns a dog-related issue you'll usually end up in a wormhole of differing opinions, but: just Google it!

Google 'How to care for a bitch in heat'. Because that's what you should be doing: caring for your bitch while showing consideration to other dog owners (and their dogs). It's not purdah, you're not 'unclean'.

Of course, anyone has the 'right' to walk their in-season bitch wherever and whenever it's allowed to walk any dog, but people don't, if it's an area where there are loose dogs about. You just don't.

When you end up at the vet with your bitch for a misalliance injection, the vet will tell you that, too.

@berryfull

She’s not going to be mounted unless I let her be ffs! I can prevent a dog mounting her until it’s hapless owner arrives!

Selfish??? Really? For having my dog under control when others don’t?

I think you vastly underestimate the keenness of some dogs and your ability to stop them, particularly if they are large, if you think you could stop a proficient stud dog mating her if you walk her at the optimum time ...

I would certainly say she should not be anywhere that other dogs are likely to be off lead. I would suggest road walking bitches at quiet times, nowhere near parks etc. Industrial estates and the like are often useful.

Tablets like this are likely to help in masking her scent:

www.dorwest.com/product/neutradog-tablets/

(Do not use 'Antimate' if it's still available, most dogs think it is an aphrodisiac!)

My MIL got up at 4am to walk her bitch when she was in season and still kept her on a lead even though there was no one else around. My cousin used to rent a private field for hers.

You don’t take bitches in season anywhere you’re likely to encounter other dogs. Neutered, in tact or female it makes no odds, shouldn’t be near them.

I’m going to try to be not drawn into continuing to comment, but ...

I did not bloody drip feed. I said in my first OST that we were avoiding busy times/areas . Which we were! Because that is the advise I had been given by vet, and Books I have read and websites I have researched. The beach is the quietest space here at the moment, as I keep saying (due to weather/lockdown). But I’ve acknowledged that I hadn’t thought about the fact that dogs are more likely to be off lead there. So fair enough, glad to realise that now. Vast Majority of off lead dogs we’ve encountered have been put on leads by nice owners without a fuss. Just two grumpy nasty shouty ones, which is a better ratio than on here, but then this is the internet and AIBU is a grumpy shouty corner of the internet. So blah.

@Shambolical1 Absolutely!

I've just had to drag my dog away from a bloody good play because the male owner of the other dog didn't want his dog being gay!!

Both dogs were attempting a bit of mutual humping. Mine's 2 years old, I'm in the middle of traning him out of it... a long and very slow process as he still finds absolutely everything around him exciting

The "spay at 6 months vs at 9 months" debate is an interesting one.

Curious is right that the absolute no-brainer is the spay-no spay decision. Quite aside from the unwanted puppies, spayed bitches live on average 15 to 20% longer than unspayed bitches, because by spaying you pretty much completely remove the risk of breast and reproductive cancers.

The "6 month versus 9 month" decision is less clear-cut and is a distinctly "second-order" effect in that compared to the massive advantage of spaying the precise timing has much less obvious health advantages/disadvantages.

However, as far as I can see, the research-based evidence suggests that spaying 3 months after the first season: reduces the risk of urinary incontinence in later life; reduces the risk of anterior cruciate ligament problems and hip dysplasia; reduces the risk of some (admittedly very rare) cancers (albeit this may be breed-dependent).

For these reasons (and obviously my vet's opinion is going to be the deciding factor) I will probably opt to spay after the first season. And it will be hell - DDog is a cross that needs a lot of exercise (I had to keep her in for 10 days with kennel cough and it was a bloody nightmare - there's a limit to how much of a knackering effect you can produce with fetch the length of the sitting room/snuffle games/learning new tricks, no matter how hard you try). We will be doing early morning/late night pavement walks on leads because if we don't we'll both go bonkers.

But "just spay at 6 months before the first season" isn't blanket advice or set in stone. It used to be standard in the US, but then so did de-clawing cats and de-dew-clawing dogs! "Standard practice" isn't always best practice, and it's worth having a dig around of the actual evidence-based research in the veterinary literature.

@berryfull You can get Bitch Spray from Amazon for less than £10.00

It should make quite dfference to the range her scent travels! That might make it easier for you and her!

We are in the same situation, first season, walking her on the lead. Of course male dogs are reacting by instincts and hormones, not by bad behaviour, so when we take our dogs out, it should be on the understanding that she is going to get some interest. We also just do pavement walks so that other dogs we come across are more likely to be on a lead and we can pass them quickly. I do think you’re being a bit naive expecting male dogs to just keep away. We haven’t found it to be too bad. She’s obviously not as attractive as yours 😜😂

When you end up at the vet with your bitch for a misalliance injection, the vet will tell you that, too.

And those injections aren't cheap - you are looking at well in excess of £200.

Plus, shoving a huge tsunami of hormones into your poor little bitch can cause problems of its own.

CuriousaboutSamphire I’m not the ridiculous one here by any stretch.

If male dogs follow the bitch does it mean the males haven't been castrated?

If they haven't been catsrated then why it is expected for the female dogs to be sprayed?

@smoothchange

It’s her first season.

Why though? Why has she not been spayed?

It’s really bad to spay dogs before they’ve had a couple of seasons. They can be incontinent, lack hormones etc. I think it’s crazy people are making 6 month old puppies have hysterectomies. Male dogs as well - they are more prone to cancer if castrated before 3.

@CaraDuneRedux have you checked to see if there's any secure exercise fields near you? We have two in our area and they charge about a fiver, they were a godsend when ours were in season. Didn't use them daily but handy for when they're going stir crazy!

(Do not use 'Antimate' if it's still available, most dogs think it is an aphrodisiac!)

I can confirm this. I think they learn to associate the smell of "intimate" with getting a shag a bitch being accepting of their advances.

Vast Majority of off lead dogs we’ve encountered have been put on leads by nice owners without a fuss. Just two grumpy nasty shouty ones

Perhaps those "two grumpy, nasty shouty ones" have had the experience of their dog being used as a free stud by people who deliberately take their in-season bitch, often off-lead, to heavily dog-populated areas.!

Not all male dogs can be neutered, for various reasons, but if you can, it's best to keep them celibate.

Once they have nibbled that cherry, they are like things possessed when it comes to getting hold of another bitch.