Tips and advice on coping with first season and other dogs <weeps>

[TheFantasticMrsFox]

DPup is about 7 months old now and "that time" must be fast approaching
Originally I had assumed that our vets would be happy jab her to suppress her first season as this was quite common practise when I worked in rescue (albeit 15+ years ago) Now I find out that these jabs are not recommended, can cause all sorts of problems and are not necessarily that effective. So, this is where we are:

• We live in a small cottage. No dogs upstairs, open plan downstairs
• Two entire males. One more "interested" in the girls than the other but neither are troublesome in that sense
• All three are used to being crated at various times and in various combinations

Is it realistic to keep all three together for the duration, obviously under close surveillance? I believe that the anti mate sprays are rubbish? Previously I have known people spray the bitches back end with Brut or other strong smelling male scent, but have always been sceptical that would work? Currently I'm willing even to give that a go :o
I work nights so either DH or I am around or only upstairs for the greatest part of the day so they wouldn't be crated for hours on end.

Should also add that there's no option for sending any of them away to kennels, friends etc.

Am I being daft? Surely this can't work at all?

You can't spray a bit of after shave on her and hope that puts off two entire males who live with her 24 hours a day? She'll be fertile before she bleeds too won't she, so will need to be kept apart for weeks? I'm very .

I agree with tipsy ,you need to physically either be watching them 24/7 or keep them separated - good luck with that .

I'd move one sex upstairs for the duration and go back to not letting them upstairs again afterwards.

When my bitch starts her season I keep her away from other dogs for the full month just to be on the safe side.

2 males under the same roof as a female in heat is going to be utter chaos.

My entire male howled constantly when his sister was in season! I ended up taking him to the local kennels for the night time only just to get some sleep and to calm him down. He was packed off to the in-laws after that for a few days. It may be fairly hellish when she's in season in your house!

Hmm, I guess I didn't get myself across very well in my OP. I'm perfectly aware that a swish of Brut is in no way a miracle cure, it was more whether I would be able to take the edge off it a bit and stop the boys going insane.
Actually keeping them apart isn't so logistically difficult as for some people and, as I said, either DH or I are always about (DS is 10 and we had already made the decision not to put any responsibility of that kind on his shoulders)
I guess just hugely long walks and 4 weeks of constant vigilance will be the way to go

I don't think you can keep them apart for 4 weeks in an open plan house. You need to sleep at some point - they wouldn't take much time to get together, would they? By 'hugely long walks' do you mean taking the males out for a long time?

Are you breeding them later, is that why they're all intact/entire?

Sorry tipsy my posts do seem quite incoherent don't they?!

Firstly yes to long walks for the boys. We do have access to plenty of farmland with no footpaths etc so on lead walks with the pup are also possible if needed.
Secondly they would be crated when we are not about and TBH, I would feel happier if one or the other was always crated. I know how quickly these things can occur ;)
Thirdly the boys are working dogs so generally left entire. The oldest is quite fear aggressive and would probably suffer if castrated, the youngest is only 18 months and technically could be done.
The pup is a rescue and would have needed to be spayed within a few weeks of us having her. As she had previously been kept in a flat and had no socialisation, not to mention only just settling in with us, we decided to spay after her first season. This have her time to settle, attend training classes and try and catch up in what she had missed out as a young puppy. Rest assured that the second her season starts we will be booking her in for 4 months later :)

I wouldn't trust crates tbh...determined dogs can break out and the urge to mate can make them pretty determined. They also have gaps...

I wasn't being critical OP - I have an open plan house, dog not allowed upstairs, and she's unspayed, so it's really more that I know I couldn't do it!

I have an entire male, and even the slightest whiff, he is intolerable. We walked the other day with a couple of bitches, one had had her season 3-4 weeks before, but hadn't been bathed and neither had her bedding, she obviously smelt pretty good, and he had to have the whole walk on lead...he was a man pocessed.

I have also had bitches who are in season make a beeline towards him, when he has been on lead,. The were gagging for it and all but climbed underneath him, well they actually would have, but I was making a swift retreat.

So she will make a play for them.

Could she go on holiday? I guess she can't, and I guess as your boys are working dogs they can't. The good thing is that you can get an injection (like a morning after) if you do have an accident.

I'm hoping (probably in vain) that she will be one of those bitches that have an almost imperceptible first season, and that the boys will be too exhausted to even realise what's occurring.
In reality I fear she will come in over Christmas and new year, bleed like a pig and behave like a harlot while the boys turn into sex crazed maniacs- I may just turn to

Your dogs will undoubtedly behave like sex-crazed maniacs and will absolutely certainly manage to mate with her. Why not get her spayed now? She's too young to keep having morning-after injections. Do you realise her season will last 3 or 4 weeks and the dogs will go mad to get at her, starting before you even see any signs?

But she will (presumably) be too far through her first cycle to be spayed now mermaid

I explained upthread why we didn't have her done initially, and I stand by that as a decision for the greater good though I may live to regret this in the very near future

At the moment we are veering towards allowing one sex upstairs (bleeding bitch or muddy dogs on cream carpets- any takers for that decision?!) crating alternately and perhaps trying to pick up a couple days extra work for the boys. I suppose if the absolute worst comes to the worst then DH could take them to work in the van everyday :o

I'll prob get flamed for saying this but you do get dog pants which might make the mess more bearable for you if she's on the carpet.

I have 2 bitches, one is very very clean and always cleans up after herself but the other is the complete opposite.

Thanks bloody my old Rottweiler spent a great deal of her first season clad in a pair of Taz underpants :o
DPup I suspect would be very clean as she's quite fastidious anyway and very short haired.

I don't generally approve of mindless ball chucking but I think this will also help physically wear them out

I would go and have a good chat with your vet. The thoughts on spaying have changed a lot and in certain circumstances we are even spaying in season bitches now.

Really lonecat, that's really interesting.
ATM she is licking herself a bit and the boys are expressing a mild passing interest in her but nothing more. She also seems to have periods where she's quieter (relatively speaking!) than normal so I will keep a close eye out over the next few days :)

Tiring your male dogs out won't make any difference. If there's a bitch in season on the premises the males will be frantic, howling, off their food and will get to her sooner or later. Of course she can be spayed now, when any pup is spayed nobody knows when she would be coming into season.