first heat at what age?
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yeah plain, i think between 7-10months is about the time for a female's first heat. gsp is right, lots of exercise might delay/prevent her from having one also. if that is the case, you may want to verify the dogs age because you can usually set your watch by their cycles.
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Nope it's not "normal". Some females will mature slower than others just like in the people world. Like it has said above, if you are working your dog hard, this can prevent a dog from coming into season. This is what I'm working on doing right now, because I hate losing 3 weeks of serious training because my girl is in heat.
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she's active, but by no means do I run her into the ground. I take her out in a.m. for 1/2hr of exercise, a few fun bumpers and a little obedience. She is in her crate most of the day while I'm at work, and then out for the evening. We do about 1/2 hr of training every evening and go for a walk (1-2 miles) every couple of days. Could that be enough activity to make her miss her heat? A few weeks ago I noticed that male dogs were interested in her rear end more than usual but there were never messes in the house like I've seen when other dogs are in heat. Maybe that was it.
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hey, no problem. I've been working her fairly hard about 3-4 days a week, with one day a week being a good 2-3 hour river hike. She's been licking more than usual but haven't noticed any mess yet. Isn't there always blood before she'll be receptive?
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You both could have experienced a Silent Heat too. Very scary because they can still get pregnant, but you don't know to keep them away from males. Here, I pulled this off another site:
During a silent heat, there are little, to no signs. No discharge, very little to no swelling of the vulva, etc. It's common for their first heat to be a silent heat. A few clients have come in because their bitch is "acting pregnant", only to find out via ultrasound, she is. Clients are amazed every time because they never knew she was in heat, so didn't bother to seperate her and the male. Just watch for excessive licking, odor, etc. The only other way I know you can tell for sure, is have a vaginal swab done to check for cells. Hope some of this is helpful.
During a silent heat, there are little, to no signs. No discharge, very little to no swelling of the vulva, etc. It's common for their first heat to be a silent heat. A few clients have come in because their bitch is "acting pregnant", only to find out via ultrasound, she is. Clients are amazed every time because they never knew she was in heat, so didn't bother to seperate her and the male. Just watch for excessive licking, odor, etc. The only other way I know you can tell for sure, is have a vaginal swab done to check for cells. Hope some of this is helpful.
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plainsman,
I don't know if you are trying to throw a litter now, but it sounds like your pup is only 11 months old. From what I've heard and read you want to wait until your bitch is at least 2yrs old before their first litter. I think it can be hard on their joints if they have a litter at a young age. Just a thought
-Matt
I don't know if you are trying to throw a litter now, but it sounds like your pup is only 11 months old. From what I've heard and read you want to wait until your bitch is at least 2yrs old before their first litter. I think it can be hard on their joints if they have a litter at a young age. Just a thought
-Matt
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harvey brings up a good point. it's not very good for the dog to breed on her first heat. it can cause several problems, a couple of which harvey mentioned. by the time the 2nd heat comes around though, your dog should be fine if you are in a rush. i personally would wait until 3 years old or more.
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Definitely wait if your dog is only 11 months. I didn't put the age and the missed breeding opportunity together, but harvey1b is right. I'd wait until at least 2 years old. Also by 11 months you really don't have a clear picture of what the dog will turn into. Have you tested the dog in any kind of organizations?
I had a black lab female that had been rescued from an abusive owner, she was about a year old when I gave her to a buddy of mine. He wanted to use her for work, Law enforcement drug dog. He asked me if I had noticed if she had ever come into heat. I had her for around 6 months and she had not come into heat. Well anyway, he took her to his vet to be fixed. To his surprise and mine, she was a female on the outside but had male sex organs on the inside. A hermaphidite. The vet said that would explain the no heat. He also said it was only the second dog like it that he had seen in over twenty years of being a vet. I have alot of other dogs and they acted different around her. I guess they sensed something was def. different about this girl. Just some food for thought.
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