Hello
My 18 month old GR bitch should be having her second season now (before she gets spayed in the spring) but she is still showing no signs. Well that's not entirely true because the only sign that makes me wonder about a possible "silent heat" is the fact that she's been attracting my entire male a lot for a week or two now. Other male dogs seem very keen on her too, licking her urine and sticking their noses up her bum etc... And yet, there is no swollen vulva and no bleeding. She is also acting a bit different, she's very clingy and seems a bit quiet like she was last time she was in season. She's also wee'd on the floor twice when I come home (the usual few drops of excitement turning into a puddle) which is also something which happened last time when she seemed to struggle holding herself. Could this be a silent heat or is it just a very long prelude to the start of the actual season?

It could also be signs of a UTI - dogs find the smell of infection attractive in a similar way, so I'd be inclined to get the vet to check her out.

Recently I had to take my girl to the vet as I was very concerned that she wasn't in season yet. She has always previously been every 6 months on the dot apart from when we got our pup and she skipped one. She has sometimes had a long prelude up to the season, which just means you have to keep an extra close eye. My vet is only just out of university, however she is very dedicated, really knows her stuff and I trust her, but when she said she thought that she was having a silent heat I was sceptical. We checked for urine infections as they can be a real problem, and I suggest you do the same. To be on the safe side I am treating my girl exactly as I would if she was in season, i.e. not walking her in crowded public spaces, not going to the local dog walking trails, and keeping her away from intact males especially.