any springer spaniel experts around?

[lambriniplease]

I think my springer spaniel is coming into season, if so, it will be her first.

She is 9 months old now and doing alot of licking down there, very possessive over her toys to the point of bearing her teeth and growling. I have had to tell the DC's not to go near her at the moment. She is sulking alot and is off her food. This is her second week of being like this.

Are these the tell tale signs of the first season? there is no bleeding or discharge that I have noticed. How long does it go on for?

any information / websites which you can give me would be really appreciated.

thanks

Put a white sheet on her bed which will help you spot the first spots of blood. You can also try blotting her vulva with a tissue.

What do her bits look liked. And her nipples?

Her behaviour doesn't sound specifically seasonal - they are sometimes clingy, wee more often and lick themselves a lot but the possessiveness sounds odd. I certainly wouldn't allow it to continue. I suggest a trip to the vet to rule out a UTI as a good start if you see no blood.

Possessiveness is a sign of a phantom pregnancy, but it would normally appear a couple of months post season which makes it unlikely to be the cause of her behaviour.

her bits and nipples look same as normal, but DH thinks her bits look a bit swollen and slightly darker than normal.

Good idea about the white sheet - will do that tonight

thanks for replying. It's really the possessiveness that I am worried about more than anything.

Her bits will swell a lot when she is in season - although slight swelling and darkening may well be a sign she is coming in.

Our youngest has just had her first season and DH was convinced her pieces were so swollen they were almost taking on a life of their own .

A season lasts about 28 days; the first day of bleeding is counted as day 1 of the season and it's a good idea to note the date down in a diary. Bleeding continues (usually) until ovulation where it sometimes dries up and sometimes turns a bit watery and a strawy colour. Ovulation in an individual bitch can happen anywhere between day 7 ish and day 21 ish. Ovulation is the only period of the season where a bitch can actually get pregnant, and the only part of a season where she will behave like a pole dancer to get at boys. Bitches have even been known to scale fences, so keep a very close eye.

Some bitches bleed again after ovulation, and some don't, but you can be certain that she will be 'in season' for about 28 days in total.

For that whole period she will smell amazing to dogs; but at any time other than ovulation she is likely to be very stroppy indeed with any male dog who gets too frisky.

With the possessiveness; as she is still a puppy really and it does sound as though she is building to a season so has hormone mayhem going on in her body, I would jolly her out of it. Don't confront, don't bollock, just lots of high singsong nonsense - doesn't really matter what the words are, but the aim is to reassure her that there is nothing to be worried about - don't forget she is looking to you for a hint of how to react to the complex changes in her body.

Jolly her out of sulking - long walks, training sessions, games in the garden. Distraction is the key to getting her out of her confusion.

As long as she sees that you aren't at all worried about what's going on, that life is carrying on around her she will likely snap out of it. If the toy issue continues to develop, take them all away for a wee while and carry on jollying.

If there is no sign of blood and she remains odd and off her food I would get her to the vet tomorrow or the day after and check out a UTI. Is she drinking or weeing more than normal?