I have very recently rehomed a toy poodle bitch. I am due to take her to the vets a week today. I think they have already suggested an early spay. She is 6 months old. I am looking for opinions on this. I have never had a bitch before and I never want puppies. Will spaying her this early have any negative effects? Thank you.

Please dont do it yet, she is far too young. She needs to mature both physically & mentally!! Please dont let the vet sway you...they will get their money, just not yet!!
I suggest (& many others do too) you wait at least until she has one season & if possible 2. If you decide to spay after the first season, the very best time for the bitch is midway between season so normally 3 months after a season.

agree, hold fire. vets/rescue groups are very pro early spaying as it eliminates risk of dippy owner letting bitch get pregnant but if you have any sense it is not that differcult to keep a bitch away from  male dogs for just 3 weeks of the entire life.  let her have the first season-put up with the slight nuisance factor for 3 weeks and have her spayed 3 months later. she'll benefit from it. less risk of incontinence , more time to develope her bones etc before hormones all taken away.   its only 3 weeks out of her whole life but can make a real difference.

Having never had a girl, ever, I presume this is just like a period. Is there nappies or something?  Sorry for sounding a bit stupid I realise  I would have to be with her even in the garden.Do people still walk them? Sorry for sounding a bit dense but we have always had dogs and never intended getting a bitch but sometimes these things just happen.

I have to say I dont walk mine when in season, it isnt fair on male dogs who can easily smell an in season girl & my garden is large enough for exercise. A keen male is very quick if he sees an oportunity & it only takes a split second...prevention is far better than cure.
There are things on the market but I have never used them on my bitches...also beware as they will not stop a dog from mating with these on.
As you have never had a bitch before when she starts her season, dont be fooled after 10 or so days thinking she has finished...she hasnt, she will be in season for 3-4 weeks(normally).
One of my gilrs has just had her first season & she was still dripping at well over 4 weeks & we are past the 6 weeks stage & I still am unable to show her due to still showing signs of being in!! (never had this before)

> xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">Do people still walk them?

It does depend on where you live.  Where I am you are not going to meet loose dogs in the street (too expensive to get them back from the council if dog warden picks them up for straying). 

This means I can walk the streets fine when my girls are in season.

Of course it is totally out of the question to walk an in season bitch where dogs are allowed/likely to be off lead.  The males owners won't know why their dog has suddenly gone deaf and is chasing your bitch down. There are idiots who do walk their in season bitch in the off lead areas, hard to believe but fact.

As for hygiene, there are pants, (you'd forever be taking them on and off so she could go to the toilet) but most owners don't bother just mop up the spotting, and keep them off soft furnishings or lay down sheets.

As others have mentioned, there are pants available that you can use. Some bitches are also very clean and you don't even find spotting on the floor, but I've had ones that aren't to the point where pants have been an absolute necessity.

I have had Toy Poodles since the 70's and have only been without them for a couple of years now.  I've seen a bitch actively egging a male on to remove her knickers (little slut) so you do need eyes in the back of your head.  However, if you don't have other dogs, I see no reason to bother with them.  Toys don't make the same mess that larger breeds do.  And can easily be confined to your garden instead of risking walking her outside.  They don't get as stir crazy as the large breeds.  Do, however, be aware that, to be 100% safe, you need to allow 4 weeks of caution.  I had a bitch mated on day 28.  The vet said she couldn't possibly be pregnant, so wouldn't need the jab.  Yeah, right!  She was pregnant.

I lost my last bitch a couple of years ago, she never had a litter, but wasn't spayed until she was 5 years old.  I honestly recommend that having them spayed later is the way to go for me.  There is research suggesting that oestrogen is linked to longevity.  I lost my girl shortly before her 17th birthday, so feel there has to be some truth in this.