bitch in season - what do I need to know?

[CatThiefKeith]

I took in a black lab in September, she's lovely and we all adore her. I will be getting her spayed as soon as possible. (The vet recommended I let her come into season as I had no idea of her cycle)

In the meantime I have been walking her off lead at first light, in pretty isolated places where we are very unlikely to meet other dogs, and the rest of the time on a lead sticking to streets and crossing the road if we see another dog.

I have ever had an un-neutered dog before, and would be grateful for any advice, such as:

Whether I should be keeping her in (I have read that I should, but this seems cruel - she's an 18mo lab!)

How long it will last,

Whether it will affect her behaviour, and

Recommendations for a good carpet shampoo! :(

The 1st indication will be swelling of her vulva and you will notice that she is licking herself often. You may not see any/much blood due to her cleaning it up.
Her fertile time will be from the 9th-15th day, but can be longer.
A sign that she is ovulating is to scratch her back infront of her tail and she will move her tail over to the side.
She should be kept on the lead during this time. The bleeding also subsides when ovulating.

My bitch has just finished her season.
I didn't risk any off lead stuff tbh. Perhaps you live somewhere more remote than I do, but in a well populated area, the chance of an off lead dog finding us was not a risk I was prepared to take. So road walks, with crossing the road for oncoming dogs has worked for us.
She may well be a bit subdued anyway, lots are. Some have a hard time and become grumpy or clingy.....mine didn't show any sign apart from being a bit quiet, and humping her bed frantically every so often!

Mess wise, I just used a spot cleaner as the mess wasn't too bad.....1001 carpet cleaner did the trick on my cream lounge carpet and now it's over, I'll probably give the carpet a proper steam clean. I've also bathed her and her bedding to remove the lingering smells that might interest the male dogs
It lasts a full 21 days. Even after she is showing signs of heat, she can still get pregnant until the 3 weeks is up.

She started bleeding Saturday I think, or at least that is when I noticed it. Will she bleed for the whole 21 days?

I am pretty rural, which is why I've let her off, but maybe I should rethink that. :(

Some bitches will be determined enough to go looking for a mate apparently. Not mine thankfully, but certainly a consideration for you off lead!if so, she will be at her most rampant after the first week
Mine did bleed for most of it, but that's relatively unusual. Expect bleeding for the first week, clearer discharge in week 2 and reverting to normal in week 3

Blimey. Somehow I had the idea that the dogs would be going mad for her, not the other way round!

On lead it is until after Christmas then.....

Thanks for the info, as much as we love her, a house full of puppies is my worst nightmare.

Blimey. Somehow I had the idea that the dogs would be going mad for her, not the other way round!

Haha.....well that's where the expression 'like a dog on heat' comes from I suppose!

The bleeding will subside after a week. At 18 months she may not bleed much as still young. All bitches are different though.

My little dog had her last season 8 months ago and we had no males queuing at the door. Most in our area are neutered but they can still be interested.
My little minx tried hard to seduce a much larger Rhodesian Ridgeback but although he seemed a tad interested he didn't try to do anything and was calm. Another Westie was more interested despite him being 12 years old and surprised his owner.

It took 4 weeks for her vulva to shrink back to normal, it had swelled to about 4 x its normal size.

Can I hijack and ask about first seasons - I have heard they can be "silent". Have noticed that 7 month old diplodogs vulva is looking a bit more prominent (although not red and certainly not 4x the normal six and she's licking herself a bit more. She's also a bit restless and incredibly hungry (as mentioned in my other thread)- could this be the start, or would it all be far more obvious? If they have a silent season do males still have the same level of interest in them? We have an entire male living next door but apparently he's not interested in that sort of thing so not sure if we'd get a response from him even if she is.

I have had females before and not had one with such a large swollen vulva before. Most of mine become excitable and happy.
My friend's Yorkie had her 1st at 6 months which was noticable, but some are not.
Dogs are usually sexually mature at 9 months and most have them 6 monthly, but will be different for each dog.

dip
Your neighbours should know their male dog. However, if you hear him howling during the next few weeks, you will know for sure!

Just a word of warning about the crossing the road thing - if the entire dog is off the lead it is not unknown for owner recall to fail spectacularly and for the dog to hurl itself in front of traffic to desperately follow the scent.

Obviously not great for dogs not to be neutered, but equally something to be aware of for owners of unneutered bitches.

I have a friend who had a bitch that was unspayed who ended up having to pick her up and run across a field when she saw a border collie who had picked up the scent. Quite a distance to run carrying a mature Dalmatian. She wasn't spayed I think because she kept coming into season just before her booked appointments for the op. Over and over again. And then was deemed would be a health risk having the anaesthetic. Given her size and the risk to entire dogs, friend ended up keeping her inside/in enclosed garden when she was in season.

I recommend getting some doggy sanitary pads to cut down on the mess. If your vet doesn't have them amazon do.

Oh my dog is the result of a bitch that climbed a 5ft fence to get to my mother in laws intact male dog. The bitch did this every season when she was in her slutty phase.

Well just taken her for a walk (on lead) and unusually met a number of young male dogs who showed no interest in jumping her bones, so presume we're not there yet. Yes looking forward to explaining the dog sanitary towels to the kids, and am sure the whole school will get to hear all about it!