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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

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

445 replies

berryfull · 09/02/2021 23:12

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?

OP posts:

IDKNABYBIF22 · 09/02/2021 23:34

@berryfull

Neutered male dogs can still smell females in heat.

theowlwhowasafraidofthedark · 09/02/2021 23:34

It will be you who has to deal with the problems if one of the dogs actually gets to her. Why would you risk your precious pets health like this. Barmy and selfish

compulsiveliar2019 · 09/02/2021 23:34

@smoothchange

It’s her first season.

Why though? Why has she not been spayed?

Most responsible vets wait until after the first season to spay a bitch.

Crikeycroc · 09/02/2021 23:35

I think you’re being reasonable. As a dog owner you should have control over your dog at all times. If you have an intact male dog and you cannot recall it in the event it detects a bitch in heat (very likely) then he should be on a lead.
There are lots of very valid reasons for delaying desexing. It is common for larger dog breeds not to be desexed until they are properly mature to ensure proper development of their joints. I personally haven’t desexed my girl yet for this reason.

IDKNABYBIF22 · 09/02/2021 23:36

Maybe not the best idea to walk her on the beach; it's an open space where there's bound to be lots of dogs off lead. What do you plan on doing if one of them manages to mount her? Is there a dog morning after pill?!

Original poster

berryfull · 09/02/2021 23:36

I have her on the lead, the beach is huge and quiet when we go. We avoid other dogs. This is all entirely reasonable! Locking her up for weeks in order that male entire dogs can roam uncontrolled is mental !

OP posts:

HmmSureJan · 09/02/2021 23:36

No, mine is spayed. I just think that you're wrong because a council would be unlikely to impose such a ridiculous rule.

Well as I had the actual conversations and you didn't, I think I am going to believe myself

I believe it would come under the umbrella of dogs and owners creating a nuisance in parks and distressing wildlife and we have herds of deer in ours so I imagine they could make it stick, especially during rutting or fawning season.

Propercrimboselecta · 09/02/2021 23:37

There is no advice from any vet or animal welfare organisation that states to not walk your dog in heat. Keep her on the lead yes. Which I do!

Of course you can walk her, just be mindful of where you're going and times of day, to minimise the chances of dogs hounding her, her being stressed, and fights breaking out between other dogs. Keeping her on a lead is just so she can't go off with a male and get pregnant.

Eckhart · 09/02/2021 23:37

I think your main concern is risk to your dog and yourself, OP. From some dogs, and, by the sounds of it, from some owners. It's a tricky situation but any decent owner of an unspayed bitch or entire dog will know that, and deal with it respectfully. You're encountering rude people, is all, who aren't taking responsibility for what they should.

That doesn't detract from the concern of what you do when a big tough dog decides he likes the look of your girl, though, and he's the sort of dog you wouldn't fancy pushing away.

Original poster

berryfull · 09/02/2021 23:39

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?

OP posts:

percheron67 · 09/02/2021 23:39

I used to spray my bitch with Antimate. Lovely fresh lemon smell. It does help a bit.

itwillbehormones · 09/02/2021 23:39

Are you actually really asking such a stupid question? Do you know the smell from your bitch can travel for miles, would it really hurt you to keep her indoors for 3-5 days when she's stopped bleeding and at the peak of her fertility.

Get her spayed, or don't walk her for a couple of days every 6 months or so. It's not that difficult to understand why a ton of male dogs are after her??

Incidentally unless you're checking the undercarriage of every male they will still mount and be keen even if they aren't intact, even other females will attack or mount her.

I've today taken my other dogs out and left my bitch home for walks as she's in season, this will be her last season as she had a litter. If you're not breeding you can have her spayed and laparoscopically now.

Eckhart · 09/02/2021 23:39

I wouldn't believe a dog warden who told me that, hmmsureJen. It makes their lives easier if people do it, though, so I'm sure they're happy they've got people believing it's 'the law'.

felineflutter · 09/02/2021 23:40

In the last week my well behaved dog has gone after two in season bitches. It is annoying as firstly I have to find him and then have to keep my dog on the lead for the rest of the walk.

I apologised to the owners. I am now wondering if they should be have been apologising to me!

ArchbishopOfBanterbury · 09/02/2021 23:41

It should be okay, because other dogs should be kept under control.

In practice, you really don't want her pregnant on her first season, and there are lots of dogs you really can't fight off. So I wouldn't risk it. Poor girl doesn't need the stress.

PinkFlamingo888 · 09/02/2021 23:41

I don’t think yabu entirely but if you’re walking your dog on a lead then you can walk her anywhere. Dogs at the beach will be off lead and as others have said they’ll pick up a scent from miles away. Just walk her on pavements and places where no dogs will be off the lead in the vicinity while she’s in season.

compulsiveliar2019 · 09/02/2021 23:41

Fwiw I have a young bitch just coming out of season and apart from walking in my own horse fields and walking from the house to the car she hasn't been out in 3 weeks.
I wouldn't deliberately walk her anywhere I might meet another dog. However I would be pretty pissed off if a male dog had been allowed to get near to her. A bitch being in season doesn't absolve a dog owner of responsibility if they loose control of their dog. And yes I include a male dog breaking out of a garden in that. If a dog can break out it wasn't under control and the fencing not secure enough!

WombatStewForTea · 09/02/2021 23:41

OP you're deliberately ignoring the fact that intact dogs can smell an in heat bitch from miles away and that even the best trained dogs can lose all recall. It's biology.
Stop walking her in busy places where you know there are going to be off lead dogs.

smoothchange · 09/02/2021 23:42

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!

I don't think you fully understand OP. You definitely won't be able to prevent this.

I realise I may be in the minority regarding spaying before a first season but it can be done under many circumstances so to say vets won't do it is not true.

HmmSureJan · 09/02/2021 23:43

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!

I'm not being picky but I think you'd be surprised. There's a Shar Pei/Staff cross who lives near me. He's f*cking terrifying and has attacked my dog before. When I tried to pull him off the pure brute strength of him was beyond belief. Fortunately his owner was close by and managed to put a stop to it but I still fear seeing him again and look round every corner first if we are doing a pavement walk.

Propercrimboselecta · 09/02/2021 23:43

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!

You mentioned you had to wait 20 minutes the other day. Let's say the interested male is a big boy, like a malamute, a mastiff, a doberman...you're getting in between that for 20 minutes?

I don't mean to goad at all OP but this could pose a safety risk to you if that is what you propose

HmmSureJan · 09/02/2021 23:43

@Eckhart

I wouldn't believe a dog warden who told me that, hmmsureJen. It makes their lives easier if people do it, though, so I'm sure they're happy they've got people believing it's 'the law'.

Good for you

compulsiveliar2019 · 09/02/2021 23:43

@itwillbehormones

Get her spayed, or don't walk her for a couple of days every 6 months or so. It's not that difficult to understand why a ton of male dogs are after her??

Incidentally unless you're checking the undercarriage of every male they will still mount and be keen even if they aren't intact, even other females will attack or mount her.

It's not a couple of days it's several weeks!

itwillbehormones · 09/02/2021 23:44

@compulsiveliar2019 thanks I meant the peak of her cycle, not the entire season.

WorraLiberty · 09/02/2021 23:44

@DoraTan

Why though? Why has she not been spayed?

Most vets won't spay until a bitch has had her first season.

That's not true at all

Well none of my local vets anyway

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