YOUR FEMALE DOG
Your little girl will usually become a woman between 6 and 9 months old, when she will have her first heat. It is not a cause for alarm and it is very easy to handle. A typical heat period lasts roughly three weeks.
THE HEAT CYCLE
- FIRST WEEK: (Proestrus) when her body is preparing to mate. It lasts for about 9 days. Her vulva will swell and she usually has a bloody discharge. She will start attracting males, but will not be receptive.
- SECOND WEEK: (Estrus) It is the mating phase and usually lasts about a week. Blood flow will stop. The vulva will be very swollen and your female dog will attract and accept males, so be very vigilant!
- THIRD WEEK: (Diestrus) It is the last part of the heat; her vulva returns to normal size and the vaginal discharge disappears completely; unless of course, your dog is pregnant (which lasts for 63 days).
HOW TO HANDLE THE HEAT
- BLOOD STAINS: the first week is when you'll have to deal with the blood on your floors and on your bed. I am lucky to have tiles in my downstairs where our dogs go in and out all day, so blood isn't a problem during the day and it is in such small amount that I don't have to do much extra cleaning on my tiles (most of my females clean themselves during that time). However, the night is a problem as all our dogs sleep with us on our beds, so I simply have our female in heat wear a panty at night: here is one brand that I prefer as I can re-use them, FEMALE DOGS DIAPER PANTS (there are many on the internet, just make sure you get the right size). There is a hole specifically made for the tail... make sure that this hole is big enough, so that if your female poops, it doesn't get stuck inside. Also, I sometimes put a WOMEN MAXI PADS inside the pants, so less washing. I would advise having lots of female panties, to have time to wash them... None of my females seem to mind being in heat and wearing their panty, and as for us, their heat goes almost unnoticed! It sometimes gives them a huge appetite, or sometimes it's the opposite and you might have a picky eater for a few weeks.
- TO AVOID GETTING PREGNANT: do not trust any male dog around your little girl! This is when you stop going to the park and she stays at home or gets walked on a leash. If you have a boy at home, there is no point in trying to separate them as he will beg and cry all night long and most likely destroy any door or gate standing between him and your young beauty in heat: he needs to wear a MALE BAND, you can put a pad in there to avoid doing too many wash WOMEN MAXI PADS. Then you can safely let the love birds together, everyone will be safe! I rotate between the female diaper and the male band during the day as my cavalier female barely bleed and that way it gives them a chance to breath a bit in that area. If I leave the house, my male and female will both wear protections as I don't trust them alone LOL, and at night my female wear the diaper to spare my bed. But remember, be very careful when changing the pads or putting a new clean panty or band, it takes one second of inattention for an accident to happen... when it's all over, you will need to bath them.
If you are planning to have a male and a female, my advice would be to fix one of them when they turn 2, preferably the female would be my choice as more health prevention when fixing than with the male.
IF YOU ARE THINKING OF SPAYING YOURGIRL:
WAIT UNTIL SHE IS 2
DO HORMONE SPARING SPAY
FIXING, IS IT REALLY NEEDED?
Once a dog is fixed, their temperament could change, their silky coat will definitely become coarser, and they will have a tendency to become heavier... It is a matter of choice, often influenced by animal groups trying to prevent unwanted reproduction. Some say that dogs have a greater chances to develop ovary cancer in old age when not fixed... I am not a firm believer in that theory. But what I do believe is that it is NOT a huge problem to have a dog going through heats, it is part of life, and with panties and pads, it is as easy to handle as a walk in the park!
Regardless, this is YOUR girl, and YOU should explore the subject in great depth before making any rash decision (do not rely entirely on your vet's opinion, do your homework, there is valuable information out there on the subject)...
IF YOU DECIDE TO GET YOUR GIRL FIXED:
I am sure of one thing: THE LATER, THE BETTER! Wait until your demoiselle is almost all grown up; don't fix her until she is at least 2 YEARS OLD, or simply wait AFTER THE 3rd HEAT (never fix a female dog during a heat, but in between cycles, about 3 months after she was in heat. The reason why you don't want to fix your girl while she is young is that you don't want to disrupt her hormones while she is still growing, or it could really affect her body, especially her bones and muscles... the heart is a muscle, just saying!
Now, you have waited 2 years and you decide to fix her, follow the guideline of the WSAVA (World Small Animal Veterinary Association) as they finally came out 3 years ago (to my great pleasure as I had been saying it since the beginning of times) to advise to do HORMONE SPARING SPAYING when fixing a dog to maintain hormones and therefore maintain a healthy immune system so that dogs would not be vulnerable to cancers, diabete, and so many disease that now affect our beloved pets.
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YOUR MALE DOG
TO FIX OR NOT TO FIX?
REGARDLESS, WAIT UNTIL 2
DO HORMONE SPARING NEUTERING
WHY FIX YOUR MALE?
Honestly, I'm not sure for a male? Once a dog is fixed their temperament could change, their silky coat will definitely become coarser, they will have a tendency to become heavier...
It is really easy to use a MALE BAND with PADS when you need your male away from the ladies: I do it all the time!
Some people will tell you, "Well, my boy likes to mark his territory when we go visit families or friends"; my advice is for you to teach your boy not to do that, and if you are not successful, use a male band for safety on those visits, so he won't mark.
Also, some people fix their male because they hump their toy... I just say no, reward with a treat and praise when stop... and get rid of that evil toy LOL
DO YOUR RESEARCH:
First, wait until he is all grown up, so that you don't disrupt his growing hormones and you don't create health problems down the line.
No matter what, DO NOT RUSH & DO NOT FEEL PRESSURED BY SOME PUSHY FAMILY MEMBERS, FRIENDS, TRAiNERS OR VETERINARIANS: THE WELL BEING OF YOUR ADULT DOG IS MORE IMPORTANT!
IF YOU HAVE DECIDED TO FIX YOUR MALE:
Please consider to wait until 2 YEARS OLD to preserve growing hormones that are essential for their health, and also do HORMONE SPARING NEUTERING as those hormones are mighty important and might save your dogs life one day...
