Hi - my 11 month old lab has started her first season. She is a little more cuddly than usual, and sometimes has a look of 'woe',  but otherwise is fit and healthy.

It's been 17 years since we last had a bitch in season and I've forgotten how we managed!

Any tips on walks? I know I need to keep her away from other dogs (males)... She's missing her park play mates!  She's become terribly pully on the lead and is sniffing everything in sight...

We have wooden floors so cleaning up is not a problem, and my kids know to grab the baby wipes if they see a drip. Does anyone use dog pants?!

At this moment in time I'm not planning on having her spayed so would like to get into a good routine.  Any tips or advice greatly appreciated.
Thanks

Sound like  u have it   covered. No off lead and walk at times when u are less likely to find other dogs and in areas where there is less likehood  of meeting dogs. To replace physical exercise do games that exercise her brain at home .maybe more training too .utilize your children :) I am never sure about pants other than for our convenience . If u do make sure u do regular changes as she can't clean herself which increases the chances of infection if she is in pants. Maybe use at certain times e.g. overnight and certainly as  I have seen not as a protection against amorous males . It's really not a chastity belt as some seem to think ! :) i agree I wouldn't be having her spayed medical reasons aside until at least fully mature around 2  or much later .My current bitch was five before I finally decided to go ahead

Thanks furrie...
I was unsure about pants, and hadn't thought about her being able to clean herself (which she is doing),  so I won't bother.

Training and games at home is a great idea - she'll love that, and my 4 year old boy loves running round the garden with her (she likes to go on the trampoline with him!) so that'll keep them both fit!

Thanks - I'm a reassured dog mummy!
Xx

Just picturing them bouncing!  I am sure she will be fine .btw I know I am ott but I count from day one that I've noticed for 4 weeks .  Not if he  but vitches habe been known to get pregnant later than expected and I don't like taking those risks .can do without dealing with a  unwanted pregnancy

If your leaving her in the garden unattended then it needs to be a totally secure garden, many males detecting a bitch on heat wil find a way to access the bitch & some bitches to get out to a dog, best not leave her out there unattended if there is the slightest possibility of access & that is, the slihtes possibility for a canine to access it, if your not going to breed from her it's best have her spayed after 2nd season.

When our girls came into season, given we had entires (males and females) until retired from show/maternal duties, they were moved upstairs (with their crate open inside our ex-pen and a thick cover on the floor) and taken out to empty in the front garden - at the time, most of the places we lived in were very rural and I always went with them - so the only crossing place was the foot of the stairs which had to be wiped after each outing.

None of our in-season girls went out off our properties during their seasons.   No way would I risk leaving a trail from the door for any (rarely) loose male to pick up.   To be kind to any local entire males, it would be kinder, if you have to take her off your property at all, to take her off in your car to a quiet area - but keep her on the lead, obviously.  And I have a theory about how we managed never to have a Pyo with all the bitches we had over the years.... they never went off our property to risk squatting in the wrong place, when wide open.   And they were NEVER outside without me being right there, with a lead to hand.

I'd NEVER use dog pants - for the simple reason no owner would be able to change them often enough for this to be hygienic.   The discharge needs to come away, not be held against her.   And many 'puppies' would rip them off, chewing them and risking choking.

If you have children, you MUST be sure they don't let her out on her own, accidentally!   To be honest, why not plan to get her spayed?   As she's in season now, plan on having this done in roughly 2 months time - if nothing else, so you don't have to confine her for 3 weeks, twice a year.

If u are can safely deal with a bitch in season and many owners can  then spaying at 2 or actually older is not necessary .it  can  bring with it  more problems than it solves. It's why I left .one of mine  intact although I don't and won't breed.hormones  are needed for far more than reproduction and more and more research is showing that. Their is lots of good research out here to help that choice

spaying at 2 or actually older is not necessary .it  an bring with it  more problems than it solves.

What problems? the only problems I am aware of is that the hormones etc etc which contribute to bone growth etc stop far to early because the dog (M or F) is not longer producing adequate hormones or whatever. because of being spayed/neutered

If there is anything other what is it? & I don't disagree with 2 years spayed BTW.
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https://healthypets.mercola.com/sites/healthypets/archive/2011/02/17/dangers-of-early-pet-spaying-or-neutering.aspx

https://www.ucdavis.edu/news/golden-retriever-study-suggests-neutering-affects-dog-health/
http://leemakennels.com/blog/dog-biology/dog-health/desexing-its-bad-for-vizslas-too/
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/j.1748-5827.2011.01220.x

just some of the articles available there are plenty of others for consideration .

Definitely agree that not before maturity which for most is around 2 years and also if there are health problems then earlier maybe necessary but all sides need to considered. Cancers seem more and more to be a problem  after  neutering and often the more aggressive types . yes you cant get testicular or uterine cancer if neutered but this is often swapped for other aggressive cancers after neutering .pyo of course is another risk in unsprayed females who arnt bred from usually in later life 

It is an area for difference of opinion but worth knowing so an informed choice can be made. For me the middle ground of a later spay around 5 years suited my thoughts after weighing up the pros and cons 

I am referring to dogs that have responsible owners that can manage seasons and not all owners will be able to do that

one reason vets are so pro neutering they see so many people who haven't a clue and oops there is another litter or the dog is deliberately bred from inappropriately

Sorry a bit off at a tangent since the op was asking for management not about when to spay

Each to their own re neutering and for sure, I only went for castration if there was medical need (ie testicles missing, or as with 2 of mine, non-cancerous prostate problems in later life) BUT I saw absolutely no reason not to spay, which all my girls were at some point after their maternal careers ended.   In the UK you can still show a spayed bitch with, at the time, permission from the KC.  That may now have changed as it's been years since I showed.    The worse part of continually having seasons was the need to confine for 3 weeks.   Yes, there can be some who, with the missing female hormones, became slightly more 'aggressive' but again that didn't happen with mine.   They were just content ladies who went into old age without having seasons they didn't need.  

I had one with mammary cancer - spayed at around 6 years - and I'd not wish that on anybody.   Not that she wasn't in her 13th year at the time so we let her go as soon as she started to show the pain she was in.

Spaying/castration done too early, before the growth plates have closed, can lead to bone development problems.   As until my Whippet, all mine were spayed well after that, I hadn't taken that into account.   With her, my vet didn't want to spay at the 6 months she was when I asked.   He asked me to let her have one season first.  In the event there was no sign by around 11 months so I asked him to go ahead.   She may be taller than ideal for a Whippet, but that may have had more to do with her genes than anything else.

Cancers seem more and more to be a problem  after  neutering and often the more aggressive types

Is there any science behind that OR sound statistical data? It bothers me if not 'cause my vet told me that - a)Spaying decreases the risk of mammary cancer (did not mention other cancers) & - b) the earlier it's done the less risk of mammary cancer.............
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I've given some links but others u need to research yourself as I dont have them to hand. I've done quite a lot of reading on this and concluded that I prefer later or not at 'for.both male and female .my current bitch is a breed that is prone to cancers which was all.part of.my decision making .I wanted to give her the best chance

Side tracked from the original post have we not??

I said that earlier and apologised .if admin want to delete or move  I have no problem

> Cancers seem more and more to be a problem  after  neutering

This was never the case with mine - as said, and I do apologies for going off topic - we only had one female-related cancer in a late spayed bitch.   We had other cancers (all in old age) but they were not, as far as I'm aware, related to either gender or neutering or not, other than the mammary cancer.   Our other cancers were lymphoma (m), uncomfirmed stomach cancer (f), bladder cancer (f) and oral cancer (m).

We use pants at nighttime, in the day she keeps herself clean so no need (and I wouldn’t want them on her constantly) But at night obvs with being asleep, her and our bed were getting pretty grim...

Tried kids knickers with a hole cut out for her tail at first - she did NOT tolerate this! Can’t have been very comfy! But a pair from pets at home she is totally fine with.

Yes, mine wear pants at night if they are sleeping on my bed - otherwise they keep themselves pretty clean and the sofa can be wiped easily enough. :-)

I'm not a fan of neutering as I have one of the breeds whose coat changes horribly after, yes that's not important compared to a pyo, but I figure that as I know the symptoms I can be alert. I had my 7 year old spayed last year and she already had an awkward coat and it's now absolutely awful!