Hi, my working gundog bitch is just starting to come into season typically in the middle of the shooting season! I really don't want to not take her for a week or so as she will be so upset and she hates being in season enough as it is! 

Has anyone used any kind of Antimate tablets / spray and if so where would I get such a thing from?

There is nothing that will mask the smell from an experienced male or one that gets close, but chlorophyll will reduce the smell.

Unfortunately you will have to accept that she will need to be confined to base other than road walking where dogs are required to be kept on lead, so should you happen across another dog being walked it will be under control and not tempted to approach your bitch, and you can easily avoid them.

It does help if your in an area without latchkey dogs, the cost of getting your dog back if picked up by the dog warden here, means loose dogs are virtually nil, and in 20 years of lead walking sometimes multiple in season bitches on the streets I have never had a follower..

No chance of her getting away from me so that is not a worry and the only person from the village I see each morning (the only other dog owner in my village who walks dogs properly it seems) only has 2 castrated dogs and they are fine and take no notice.

> No chance of her getting away from me

I'd never trust a bitch in season off lead any more than an entire male with an in season bitch, the mating drive can at times overrule all training.

When my Pastoral breed bitch uncharacteristically did a dash through an open front door (teh postman had knocked) at the height of her season, and returned some hours later, I had a mismate jab.  This was over 20 years ago before the dog warden when there were loose dogs about.

Lucky you.  We had a shocker last night, in the dark on the road I had my 3 (2 neutered girls 1 intact) on leads.  My intact girl is a very submissive young springer who does not like boys when she is in season let alone when she is not.  Some old chap walking with two sticks approaches off the field with his dog still off lead.  The dog spotted us and made a bee line - no attempt at recall, lucky we were not on the other side of the road!  My three had a quick meet and greet and were ready for continuing the walk.  He would not leave the girls back ends alone.  The neutered two were being pestered as much as my intact girl.  Of course none of them are inclined to tell him to get lost they just try and get away from the unwanted attention.  The old man meanwhile has just about caught up but apparently does not have a lead at all for his dog and had the front to grumble as though it was my fault for having girls!

> I really don't want to not take her for a week or so

Is it acceptable to take an in season bitch out shooting?  I would have thought it was frowned upon given that it may well interfere with the work these dogs are expected to do if the boys are distracted...

> Is it acceptable to take an in season bitch out shooting?

I am responsible and will of course only take her if this anti mate works? I was just after some advice on that really. Does anyone have any experience of using it on their bitches, are there any side effects etc?

The only thing that works here to distract my lads is vanilla extract on the girls tail ends and the lads chest, I have tried sprays and tablets and they didn't work, even tried Vicks vapour rub at someones suggestion but all that did was make a mess.

Personally I wouldn't take my bitch out to mix with other folks dogs and upset the humans and the dogs, a fight may break out between males keen to get to her, missing a couple of weeks hunting like showing is something you have to accept if you have bitches.

I tried Anti-Mate many years ago when it was used quite a lot. All the local boys knew the smell and it made them even more keen to follow!!  :)  We also attracted a swarm of wasps!! Never again!

Gema - the antimate spray is just a scented spray. It will partly mask her scent, but it won't cover it completely. In my experience, most dogs will still be able to tell that she is in season. And being in season, she will want to urinate far more often than usual and the smell of this will get the boys (and some bitches) very excited too.

Anti-mate does not work effectively.  Nothing works effectively except keeping your dog away from intact males.  Many of which are usually out shooting.

We work our dogs and none of them go out shooting within 28 days of the start of a season.  Not ONE week - but FOUR weeks.  Not only because I don't want an unwanted mating, but because it is unfair on the owners of intact males who have enough distractions to put up with on the shooting field, without an intact bitch.

Bitches in season are not allowed at gundog working tests or field trials - and they should not be on the shooting field either.

> Hi, my working gundog bitch is just starting to come into season typically in the middle of the shooting season! I really don't want to not take her for a week or so as she will be so upset and she hates being in season enough as it is! 
>
> Has anyone used any kind of Antimate tablets / spray and if so where would I get such a thing from?

If your bitch has only just started her season then a delvesteron injection from the vet should stop it. But it can only be used on the first couple of days I think. A lot of vets don't like doing it as there is a risk of Pyo. I have used it on one of my bitches and she went on to have a litter with no problems but this cannot be guarenteed.

Is this the jab which delays seasons or is that something else which is taken before an impending season?

Ibeleive it can do both. A friend of mine used to have her bitch injected regularly to prevent seasons and I think it was done on a regular schedule, I only used it once to stop a season that had just started at a very inconvenient time.

Delvosteron is the injection that can cause problems such as pyometra etc. I used it twice for a bitch as I was taking her abroad for shows and didn't want to miss them. Stupidly. After the first one she went well over a year until the next season. After the second one she didn't have a normal season at all again but one day had a totally silent season and I found her tied with her own son. As she had to have surgery anyway I opted to spay her and remove any pups at the same time (don't think I even knew about Alizin back then) so this was done. She was indeed pregnant but the pups were all abnormal and deformed the vet who removed them said.  After this she became hypothyroid and I have read somewhere about this being another possible side effect. So a HUGE risk to use Delvosteron to delay seasons. It should certainly never be used for a bitch that may be wanted for breeding.