female what to expect

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Jagerdawg
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female what to expect

Post by Jagerdawg » Thu Mar 14, 2013 9:07 am

I am not new to dogs but I have always had males. I now have a beautiful little female Gsp, 12 Weeks. I plan to keep her intact. What should I expect as far as her heat cycle? How often? what age is the first? How long do they last? I know this is all basic to most of you I am just wanting to have an idea of what to expect. Thank you for your time I do appreciate it.

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millerms06
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Re: female what to expect

Post by millerms06 » Thu Mar 14, 2013 9:32 am

Whenever one my females are in heat it is usually a month long timeframe that I do not let them interact with other dogs. If pup is a house dog welcome to the world of diapers! My dogs generally have one heat cycle, but it is not uncommon to have two in a year. I generally expect the first heat cycle to occur after twelve months of age for a pup but it could happen sooner.

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Jagerdawg
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Re: female what to expect

Post by Jagerdawg » Thu Mar 14, 2013 9:46 am

Thank you. That is pretty much what I figured. A month was longer than I expected though. Will she need diapers the whole month or are there stages to the heat cycle?

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Re: female what to expect

Post by nanney1 » Thu Mar 14, 2013 10:28 am

Here's my take as a I've had a small sample (3) of intact females over the years.

For a dog of that size, typically around a year give or take. Could be as early as 8 months or as long as 14 months for the first. If you have intact, or even neutered males, they will generally start showing an unusual interest in sniffing your female in the week prior to the start. That is the first sign she is about to come in to season. The first day you see dripping, even if it is light, count it as day 1. You're looking at 21 days normally. Some days there is more flow than others. If in the house, I would recommend the diapers for all three weeks. Seems to go from a bright red at the start to a darker brownish red toward the end.

If you're males are in proximity, you will also be able to gauge when she is in the most receptive time. For my current female, days 10-14 seem to be the prime time. My intact male whines and pines and stresses during these days.

Other things. They will try and remove the diapers. They will rub (in some cases slam) their rears against the wall, furniture, etc... either in an attempt to remove the diaper or get some relief. Hormonally, sometimes they are clingy to their people and want to be petted more often, and later ignore you completely.

I typically wait until day 26 before allowing my male to be around unsupervised. Just being overly cautious and giving myself a buffer in case I miscalculated.

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millerms06
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Re: female what to expect

Post by millerms06 » Thu Mar 14, 2013 10:38 am

Expect the diaper to be on during a month. Discharge can occur during the whole phase like what nanney1 states. We use the cloth type diapers and for the cheap absorbing insurance route we use the large maxi pads inside them. We still rotate the diapers, washing them on the sanitizer mode when we clean bedding. And we replace the pads inside the diapers twice a day.

Probably the best advice to add is to NEVER EVER leave the diaper on when you put the dog in the crate. You will be going back to the store to replace the ripped up one you will have the next morning.

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Karen
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Re: female what to expect

Post by Karen » Thu Mar 14, 2013 10:47 am

We use these:

http://www.petsmart.com/product/index.j ... lInUS%2FNo

With a people panty liner in them. I find them easier to put on and remove when I send the girls outside. I've had them come into season as early as 9 months, and as late as 15 months. The cycle is 23 days from start to finish, and standing heat (when a bitch will stand to be bred) is usually around days 11-15, but all this is give or take a few days.

Plan on dealing with it twice a year. After the 2nd or 3rd cycle you'll get an idea of how frequently (or infrequently) she'll come in.
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Jagerdawg
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Re: female what to expect

Post by Jagerdawg » Thu Mar 14, 2013 11:23 am

Thank you for all of the responses everyone. That was the information I was looking for. I appreciate the time taken to answer me. I have a much clearer understanding of what to expect. Now it is just hope she doesn't come in at test and trial time.

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Re: female what to expect

Post by marysburg » Thu Mar 14, 2013 11:37 am

OF COURSE SHE WILL. You can make book on that happening sometime.

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Karen
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Re: female what to expect

Post by Karen » Thu Mar 14, 2013 12:54 pm

Oh yeah...I have 2 in now, #3 and 4 come home from the trainer on Friday, so I'm betting they'll both be in season inside 2 weeks also...and I have girls why?
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Jagerdawg
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Re: female what to expect

Post by Jagerdawg » Thu Mar 14, 2013 1:24 pm

Karen wrote:Oh yeah...I have 2 in now, #3 and 4 come home from the trainer on Friday, so I'm betting they'll both be in season inside 2 weeks also...and I have girls why?
At least they don't spread it out. lol

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Karen
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Re: female what to expect

Post by Karen » Thu Mar 14, 2013 1:28 pm

I'm not sure anything will be left of poor Blaze's little brain after 6 or 8 weeks of bitches in season!
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Qwernt
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Re: female what to expect

Post by Qwernt » Fri Mar 29, 2013 12:18 pm

Before we spayed, we dealt with 2 sessions of dog being in heat (after which she appeared fully mature which was my bar for spaying).

Our dog didn't bleed as much as other people have described. Generally we kept her in a play pen instead of full range of the house, with blanket and plastic sheet under her. When she was out, instead of specific products, my wife put a femine pad in one of my son's old whity-tighty. Turn it around so the the tail escapes through the hole, and it is the perfect doggy diaper. And really cheap. obviously adult sized isn't going to work so if you don't have a younger son, go down to the cheapest store you can find and pay $3-$5 for a set.

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Re: female what to expect

Post by roaniecowpony » Fri Mar 29, 2013 12:36 pm

Others covered the bleeding and segregation issues. I have two females. Both are now spayed. I never intended to breed either and my vet advised that cancer was more probable in females not bred if they were left intact. I saw a probability of cancer chart based on the number of heat cycles somewhere. So, my take is to either breed them soon or spay.

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Re: female what to expect

Post by Sharon » Fri Mar 29, 2013 9:17 pm

The obvious heat cycle evidence is preceded by a clear discharge for days. She can get pregnant during that time so be diligent.
" We are more than our gender, skin color, class, sexuality or age; we are unlimited potential, and can not be defined by one label." quote A. Bartlett

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