Can I ask a question?

What is the norm for people to excercise their in season bitches?

I am sick and tired of walking my (normally exceptionally well behaved) entire male dogs (1 G.S.D, 2 Goldies and 1 Rottie) there is never a cross word between them,

UNTIL we come accross a bitch mid season off lead! This happens quite often and when the dogs scent the bitch they run off, normal recall doesnt work, obdeince against the dogs natural instincts!

I am usually made to feel like I am to blame, my dogs usually just sniff around the bitch and if I dont come quick enough they start to snap at each other, they are then stressed for the next few days and being sensitive dogs they go off their food etc,

What am I to do? Castrating is not an option, I dont see why me and my Boys should be made to suffer!

I also have 3 entire bitches (2 G.S.D's and 1 Rottie), and when they are in season, they go to my mums, again NONE of the dogs ever fight UNTIL they are upset and stressed by other people and their bitches!

What can I do? What would others do? Im at the end of my teather, my top male just fought with my omega male and now the pack is f!£$%d up!

Please someone help me!
Katherine

different people do different things when their bitches arein season i personally keep mine on the lead when in season, i have to watch her like a hawk though she howls and when she gets an answwer is off like a rocket over the fences.
the only advice i can give about your dogs is to walk the boys seperately but as you are probably aware its hardwork and not fair on you or the boys.
tanya

I never walk mine off the lead when in season. My usual tactic is to stuff them in the car and take then to the local industrial estate and walk them there. That way I know there will not be many other dogs and definitely none off lead.
Regards, John

Just out of interest, guest, where does your mum exercise your in-season bitches when they stay with her?

Mine dont go off the premesis when they are in season....otherwise there would be a queue of farm dogs outside the gate having followed us back home!

I've been taking my bitch out in the car to some deserted woods for the last week 1/2. (Apart from a couple of days when she was ill.) It's a steep climb up the track to the top so that's probably why it's deserted! I haven't met a single person there in two weeks **touch wood** ... it's bliss!!!!!

While she is in heat I wouldn't dream of taking her where I know I will meet other dogs and now it's the w/e she will be confined to the garden.

Tara has not long finished her first season. Having read much on here about the problems of having a bitch in season I was very apprehensive as we live next to fields where many dogs are walked. However, I kept her on a lead for all most of the season and as I know most of the dogs walked here, I avoided contact with any that I knew/was unsure were unneutered. Although I kept an eye on her when she was in the garden, we had no problems at all with other dogs trying to get in. Fortunately, it is rare here to see a stray dog, although it is technically possible for a dog to get into the garden (foxes do). The most attention she got was from a friend's female Lhasa Apso :).

Are some bitches 'smellier'/more attractive than others ? :)

Daisy

You are probably lucky enough to live in a neighbourhood where people control their dogs if unneutered as I do. Never had any problems around my home but when we bought our holiday home I felt forced to spay my bitch as we frequently met holday makers who had either too many dogs or too powerful a dog to control properly or were just not interested in doing so in my view if they fall into that catogory they should neuter. Of course I kept her on a lead when dogs were around but there is no way exercise in our garden would have been enough for her, she is a Cocker Spaniel and I'm afraid ball games are no substitute for a search through the woods :)

One of the main reasons for having Tara spayed soon (we can't breed from her anyway) is that she is an Aussie and keeping her on a lead for several weeks was heartbreaking, also couldn't take her to training or agility :( Yes - we do have very responsible owners here :) (mostly) and it does help knowing most of them at least well enough to know what sex the dog is and whether it is well controlled etc.

Daisy

I am an owner of bitches only. I do not drive, and I walk my in season bitches around the streets when in season, and would even go so far as to cross the road to avoid a male walking past them if we meet one on lead. Thankfully there are few if any latchkey dogs here, as we have quite an efficient Dog Warden!

In my opinion it is most inconsiderate of in season bitch ownerts to wqalk their bitches where other dogs are likely to be running free, and also very foolish to have them off lead.

In your position I would point out to them that it is them that are at fault, as you are unaware that there is a bitch in season which is a distraction surpassing most dogs training. They are entirely responsible, as they are aware of their bitch's condition.

I am a novice owner and one of the reasons for having my older dog neutered was that I wouldn't be put in that position :) It does take two to tango and both parties must be responsible in my limited opinion :D

Daisy

back in the day when i did have entire bitches, i used to walk them at some ungodly hour in the morning, and well after dark, on lead, for the entire time.
Now, i dont ahve any entire dogs at all, so is a lil easier life for me.
I think it is incredibly irresponsible for owners of bitches in seasson to let them wander off lead, or to take them to places where there are other dogs.

Em

Hiya,

No offence but i fail to see (especially in this context) how the owner of the dog would be to blame if anything happened and the bitch was off the lead. I have an enitre male whos recall is near perfect (he also will now do an instant down :-), im a proud mum!) , but last week a border collie bitch - mid season, came out of nowhere flashing her tail at him! I dread to think what may have happened if I wasnt watching!

The bitches owner eventually turned up and shouted at me for having my boy off the lead (by this time he was on the lead), and wouldnt accecpt that he was responsible for the safety of his bitch (by the way he was 13 months so her second season, even more gratefull I got there in time :-( )

I think it is the bitches owners responsibility to keep her on the lead and away from any dogs, also I know several people who dont walk their bitches for the whole three weeks (these people all have huge gardens and excercise them by plaing ball etc).

Just my opinion,
Vikki

We were walking Charlie last week, in the early evening for a change (usually go about 9.30-ish), and it was lucky for a little lad that we were!!

Walked through the woods and came out on the field at the other side to the sight of a young lad struggling to get his lab bitch away from a male staff and a male GSD. The owners of the two males (older teenage lads) were howling with laughter, as their two were climbing all over this young lad (turned out to be 12, and very small and skinny for his age!) and his bitch; obviously the bitch was in season. Luckily the other half and his friend who was walking with us managed to pull the two dogs away eventually, with the help of the owners after some very unpleasant threats from my hubbs!

We then got the lab back on the lead, and walked her and the young lad to meet his mum. Turns out that they knew the bitch was in season, but didn't think it would matter about walking her, as *she* hadn't shown any particular interest in next doors dog (never mind the fact that other dogs might be interested in her!). The lads mum then told him to let her off the lead for her usual run, while she walked back to the car (good 5 / 10 mins walk away) to get her forgotten ciggies!!!! Not only would i consider this womens actions irresponsible at the best of times, but to do so when the bitch was in season and there were clearly other dogs around was just ridiculous! And then to top it all off, the women gave us the height of abuse for 'f*******g interfereing'! - and that was before any of us had given her a piece of our mind!

Some people!

Hmph - still get riled thinking about his, and it happened a good week ago!

I would never ever take my bitches out when they are in season. They are gundogs and love to be out and about but 3 weeks once a year has never done them any harm. It's incidents like this that show why they should never be walked when in season. Can you imagine if the two dogs became nasty there could have been a dead child and at least a dead dog!!

Some people never learn. Good luck to people who walk their dogs but I would never risk it, you just never know what you could come up against.

Oh come on!!
A dog interested in an off-lead bitch in season isn't going to waste his time and energy attacking a child! His mind is on other things!!!

The previous poster said that the boy was struggling to get his bitch away, who knows what could of happened. My bitches can be real bitches when in season. Anyway lifes too short to get all excited about this, I have more important things to worry about. I just know that I would not let my bitches out when they are in seaon, but each to their own.

Oh I agree! It can be a real struggle for an adult to remove an amorous dog from a bitch! But the person is in no danger of attack!!!

JG Slightly disagree at this ! :) I have been bitten by a dog who was loose and trying to mount one of my girls when they were in season. I was out walking late at night and he suddenly appeared. Luckily my two sat on command and kept there bums firmly on the ground. When I tried to get a lead over his neck he went for me and planted his nashers firmily in my arm !
Lucy

Fair point - perhaps I worded it badly. ;)
I was trying to dispel the idea that an amorous dog is going to take his mind off his genitals long enough to kill a child, as was mentioned in an earlier post.
I have several times had to remove eager dogs from bitches, so I know how determined (and strong!) they are. These particular ones had one thought only - and biting didn't come into it!
Hope you weren't badly bitten.
:)

I totally agree that bitches should not be let off the lead when in season. I would not take her to the park or where there are a lot of loose dogs but just round my estate. I have considered buying one of the 'bitch sprays' which you can buy in pet shops but don't know how effective these are. Any advice? Also what is the usual age for a bitch to come into season. My pup is 9 1/2 months and I'm expecting it to happen any time. She's due in kennels for 2 weeks in July - will the kennels still accept her in season?

No not too bad ! You just have to be a bit carefully especially if the dog is not known to you ! I think he must have been naffed off because my girls didn't want to know him! Taking his frustrations out on me !

I do think though it is joint repsonsibilty. If your dog will not come back when called even when there is a bitch in season he should not be off the lead at all. If the bitch was the other side of a busy road and he got the scent and decided to follow his nose then the consequences could be tragic :(

It is best to take a bitch for a walk in season wherever possible v late at night or early morning or in a very quiet out of the way walk.

We do as John does and take them in the car to a quite out of the way spot !

Lucy

I was attacked by a dog once many years ago because there was a bitch close by that he wanted, and it wasn't one of mine, he pinned me up against a wall and luckily there were people around to help out.

Hey, have you never been attacked by a 4lb Pomeranian whilst he's trying to mate a bitch I have:D

I suppose I forget that not every dog is as well mannered as yours and mine! (I still reckon killing is a bit OTT, but never mind!)
:)