My GSD had her first season at 8 and a half months she is now just 12 months and is in season again,
is this normal? I thought seasons were between 6 and 8 months apart? Can anyone advise me about this?
Thanks
K

It is very common for GSDs to have short inter season intervals. The book of the bitch has a note under Estrus behaviour that 4 monthly cycles occur.

It may also be that her first season wasn't a full one and she failed to ovulate, and has come in early for that reason, and her season intervals may lengthen. I have had this happen to my bitches when they just started having seasons until they sorted themselves out and now come in on average evey 27 weeks. Mine are Elkhounds, not GSD.

Thanks for your quick reply, so you think its noting to worry about then?
could I just ask some more advice, on her last season I didn't take her out as my husband was working away, but hes back now and we were wondering if it would be ok for him to take her out if he kept her on her lead or is that still to risky? K

The answer is no unless you want dogs camped on your doorstep even in your garden she should be supervised We have a labrador"stud"in our village that has scaled 7 foot walls & broken down wooden fences to get at bitches in season

OK Thanks we will not take her out untill its over. K

and keep low windows shut as well as the doors!!

I think it depends on your neighbourhood, where we live most of the time there tend not to be wandering dogs and people are generally responsible about how they control their dogs we have never had a dog turn up at the doorstep despite walking our bitches straight from home. Knowing the area well we were always able to pick places and times where we knew trouble was unlikely to happen and had no problems at all which is just as well as our bitch would have gone bonkers stuck at home, even an exhausting game of footie in the garden would still leave her hankering for the fields as soon as she had had a nap :) Then about three years ago we bought a weekend cottage where there were a lot of holiday makers so this are obviously a lot less predictable and we found it impossible to walk our bitch safely there when in season so we felt there was no alternative but to have her spayed so that she could continue with a adequate level of exercise.

I had a bitch who had her 1st season at 9 months then again at 12 months. Eventually she had seasons every 3 - 4 months. After her 1st litter, she managed to go 6 months but soon reverted to her 'normal' cycle. She is now spayed and happy. I think it tends to follow in certain lines. The mother of my bitch had the same cycles as do her sisters and children. If you want to mate her at some stage, at least you get plenty of seasons to choose from!!

Often seasons less thatn 4 months apart mean that the bitch is not ovulating, and is usually associated with reduced fertility/infertility.

My oldest bitch had her first 3 seasons 3 months apart and they were short. then she went four months then five, and she was mated at 2 1/2 the first time she went more than 6 months. Ever after that her cyscles have been 6 to 7 months until spayed.

Her daughter had first two seasons dour months apart, then five, then normal 6 to 7 months. Her daughter had hbeen 6 to 7 months from the start, and her daughter came in early once when her mother had just finished, but since then they have come in within a few weeks of each other every 27 weeks or so.

My bitch came in around the 27 week mark every season, give or take a few weeks. Then she had a litter (13). She came in next after 20 weeks, and now after 18 weeks she is in season again. I'm hoping to mate her on Monday, so I hope she is not infertile this time (though I could do without 13 pups :o) I'll let you know the outcome in about 9 weeks time :D

Are you counting 20 weeks from whelping, or from start of previous season. If from whelping then she came in after 29 weeks which is roughtly what I have found that they are a little longer after a litter, but only a couple of weeks.

How's this then?

My bitch Mia was 3 on 24th August and she's just come into season and it's only her 3rd ever season!!!!! It's almost like living with a spayed bitch, her dam & grand-dam are in at the same time too but this has only ever happened once before! Their seasons are more regular but it just doesn't stimulate Mia into coming in as frequently as they do. A litter sister of her's is exactly the same but her 2 other litter sisters have regular seasons every 6 months!

I'm counting from the start of her previous season :( Her mother went the same way, starting off 30 weeks between seasons and ending up at 17weeks. I got her speyed after that. So it might be hereditary :D