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One of the commonest questions asked by dog owners who have a bitch that has not been desexed, is - Is my bitch coming into season?
To help you know - the first thing it's very important to know your dogs age, as accurately as possible! A bitch can come into season from the age of 6 months - to as late as 12 months. You will need to be switched on though and start checking - at around 6 months of age.
PLEASE NOTE - professional breeders are oblighed by their breed associations to breed ONLY from 12 months onward. This is because dogs that are only around 6 months of age are still very much puppies, and are immature both physically and mentally. Waiting till your dog is miture (I personnaly belive it’s better to wait till your bitch is 3 to 31/2 years old, your dog will be a stronger and better mother and her pups will do much better. Please don’t be tempted to breed early Only because you want to make money by selling the pups - be warned, breeding is not not to be taken lightly and vet bills can be very high.
Early Signs of Heat
One of the really early signs can be a stage of "scenting" to let male dogs know of their condition. This will appear to the more observant owner as an increase in urination and generally occurs around 2 weeks prior to coming into season. There may also be an increase in the dog licking its vulva in an effort to keep itself clean. More Obvious Signs (Pro-oestrus - about 9 days length)
Remember unless you are very serius about breeding then it’s best to have your bitch spade.
This next stage is much more obvious and is really the first full stage of heat. The bitches vulva begins to swell and can go to as large as TRIPLE its original size, this stage will last about 9 days. Your dog can be on heat for at least 3 weeks or more.
IMPORTANT - you need to have been observing - in order to detect the swelling.
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You should not miss this stage though, it is VERY obvious, because usually there is a blood stained discharge, which will vary in intensity from bitch to bitch. The discharge may start off a brown colour and progress to red. The dogs appetite can also decrease, but this is not always the case. Also usually the bitch may be more dominant with other females and begin to "flag" male dogs - ie, putting her tail up and presenting her rear to the nose of the male dog. It should be noted however that the bitch will NOT allow a male to attempt mating at this point!
Needless to say, being observant early should mean that you should be able to pick up on the next stage - which is the BEST time for mating - OR if you do not want to breed, the RISKIEST time - the time of maximum fertility! Which is called Oestrus or Standing Heat. this is where breeders will want to introduce the stud dog, to allow for mating and a "tie" to occur.
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