Delaying heat cycle or spay before first season

[RockSocks]

Has anyone got any experience of delaying a heat cycle? I would much rather delay than spay right now as she is not fully grown, I have no intention to breed I had hoped to wait till about 14-18 months

Iv always owned large breed males, so this is very different for me.

I have a mixed breed small x medium if that makes a difference and at 8 months is showing no signs of coming into season
We go away in the new school year and I'm worried she will come into season then.
She will be boarding with my parents and this could cause big problems as they have three dogs of their own, one a full male who cannot be castrated yet as too young and not fully grown.

I want to try and come up with a plan and delaying looks like it may be a good idea but would love to hear some opinions

We did, our old school vet recommended it to ensure hormonal balance to prevent future problems, however not all vets agree on this.

Most up to date advice is to wait until after 2nd season to allow them to develop mentally and physically. Doing it too early can trap them in adolescence behaviour especially if done under 12 months of age and thereby increase risk of anxious or reactive behaviour.

Yes I totally agree which is why we want to wait till 14-18 months to spay as I said in my original post I would rather delay rather than spay

Where she hasn't come into season yet I am worried she will do this while we are away and cause havoc staying with my parents which is why I am thinking of delaying It
However I know nobody who has done this so looking for advice on the delaying aspect

I do know that the drug used to delay or prevent a season puts a dog at hugely increased risk of pyometra and most vets won't use it.