Female dogs first in heat?

Hi,



We have two dogs; Oscar who is a 4 year old Airedale/Old English cross and Grace who is 6 months old but we have no clue what she is as she was rescued from death when she was a day old! I will post photos later.... just need to get them to stay still long enough so I have something more than a blur on the photo!



Anyway my question is when can I expect Grace to first come into heat? I have googled this and have not found a site which gives the same answer as the others!



Oscar has been 'done' and so I am not worried about any shinanigans at home but there seem so many dogs which just wander around I am worried that a stray romeo will have his wicked way!



I have never owned a female dog before and so am unsure of what is best. Shold I see to getting here operated on?



Thanks for your help




And another thing to beware of Natasha is that even from the first heat, bitches can have an overwhelming desire to go forth and multiply and become utter escape artists. We had an English setter and I hadn’t booked her in to be done as we were moving, and thought how hard can it be to cope with?

Ha! Even on the drive down, every time we stopped at the peage she tried to escape via the window and have her wicked way with something…

It was a memorable trip!

Hi Natasha - well said . I could say even more but I feel so strongly about it I may say something I regret. Good job there are people like the ones on this group that care about the welfare of animals. These animals have no say over their futures so it is up to us.
G x

Gina,

Up here in Brittany noone seems to bat an eye at diposing of kittens and puppies - I know my neighbour drowns a litter of kittens every 8 weeks.

I just dont understand it… sterlisiations are not that expensive and to me are worth 100 x the value not to have to put the pet through the ordeal of repeated pregnancies and also then having to dispose of the unwanted babies.

Saying that though we have had unwanted babies from our rabbits (adopted 2 from family who couldnt keep them and 3 weeks later we had 5 babies) and guinea pigs (bought from pet shop and a month later had 3 more!) so I know taht sometimes things happen. And yes… we now have alot of pets as couldnt face anything else!

Hi Natasha

I too have ops to book for both Jane and Lizzy. My Visit to Carcassonne really opened my eyes the size of the problem here is mind boggling. I havefound out now that Lizzy is probably about 7 years old and certainly had pups last year as well. She will not be having any more. It will be a life of gamboling and enjoying the comforts of easy living. I think both my two new little dogs deserve that at the very least. G.

Couldnt agree more - everywhere you look there is ads for unwanted puppies. Grace herself was an ‘accident’ and was rescued along with her 4 siblings from being killed at a day old.

Think the choice is clear… she will be booked in asap!

HI Natasha

I concur with everything that John has said. Every Bitch can come into their 1st heat at different times but in general about 18 months to 2 years. If you want your bitch to have a heat and then be spayed the trick is to exercise by taking away from the house in the car to a secluded place for exercise and returning home in the car. This way you don’t lay a trail to your front door for the all the neighbourhood guys to scent. BUT it is important that the bitch is spayed as John says we have enough unwanted dogs - I have ended up with 6 puppies because someone let their dog roam wild unspayed. Lizzy will be spayed as soon as she is over this litter of pups and Jane too now. G.

Thanks John - I havent noticed anything yet so dont think she has started yet. Think I will speak to the vet and see if he suggests before or after first heat.

Thanks for your help

We have two female Old English both came on heat for the first time at about 18 months old but other smaller breeds mature much faster so anything from 6 to 18 months depending on size/ breed of dog, you will notice the dogs vulva start to swell and she will produce a bloody discharge if not kept under supervision you will have every male dog within half mile radius knocking at your door, it will last for 3 weeks or longer, I would suggest for your peace of mind and the comfort of your dogs get them spayed it helps with possible future health problems for the dog, some vets suggest letting them have their first season which is what we did, as we also have two males it did create one or two problems even though both dogs were minus their bits, if you don’t want to breed and again having worked with the OES rescue unless the dog is close to perfect in everyway do you really want to throw a load of odd balls out there that while you would hope they all found good homes some could end up living a life of misery.

John