hi - i'm sorry, this must seem such a daft query to all with long-term experience of dogs, but our 5 month old cavalier bitch is our first dog and i want to know about her first season. The main thing is that our neighbours have 4 entire male dogs and despite the fact that we have a darn secure fence there, i want to make sure that she's supervised outside, jst in case they get clever & find a way in somehow!

I expect her 1st season at about 6 months - is this right? And I know she might spot a little and that she will be the most attractive thing in the world to male dogs, but are there any other signs or symptoms i should be aware of? And how long will it last?

Also should we treat her any differently during her season? (Obviously she will be very carefully supervised - no offlead roaming round the packed-with-dogs park, methinks!!)

Thanks :)

Most bitches will have their first season at 6-9 months old (sometimes older) Signs to look for are,swollen vulva, excessive licking of her vulva, blood discaharge, also some bitches will have behavioural signs too. change in temperament, eg, a bit quieter than usual, possibly lack of appetite. & as she's coming up to the start of her season you may notice an interest in the fellas in the park & the lads next door.
A normal season lasts about 21 days. When she is in season, I would only let her in the garden when you can supervise her & I certainly wouldn't let her off her lead when you're out. She could be mated and get pregnant at any stage of her season (not just the middle week as many people will say) if she ovulates early she could get pregnant a few days into her season & likewise if she ovulates late she could get pregnant late in her season.

Hope this is helpful :)

Hi

No question is daft if you don't know the answer and want to learn :)

If you want to be really sure you catch the first day of her season then get into a routine of placing a clean white piece of tissue paper up against her vulva, do it once a day now to get her used to it and if you think she is getting more cuddley or stadoffish or distructive or slightly different in character then do it two or three times a day.

Once she is in season do not let her outside unsupervised (at all). It might be as well to let your neighbours know she is in season as her males may get more "excitable" with each other as well. Some dogs pay no attention to a bitch in season at all and others are a right pain, whinging and barking constantly, not eating, trying to eat, scratch, barge their way through fences and doors.

It is thought that if you cut their food in half during and for a week or so after their seasons bitches are less likely to have a phantom - no food available to reproduce. She will probably be in season for about 3 weeks and somewhere between the 10th - 16th days are generally the peak time when a dog will be most interested and she will be most receptive.

Other than this bitches don't really need treating any differently whilst in season except for keeping a very close eye on in case they meet up with a male.

Some bitches also go seaching for dogs at this time so she may try to escape.

Christine

Minx was ten months before she started hers, and she's black so the blood was not obvious (but had been expecting for a couple of months so regularly checking with the tissue) - the first thing we noticed that gave us a clue she was about to come in was the swelling of the vulva - she's usually neat and tucked away, but she started swelling before she started bleeding, and my god she looked like a baboons bum during! She aslo started weeing more often in a 'marking' type way for a week or two before. We didn't let her out of our sight for even a second for 25 days (until the swelling had practically gone), but we still worried constantly in case she got 'caught' by one of her admirers!

May i suggest rasberry vinegar. about now star putting a little bit in the food untill she finishes her season. It covers her scent of being in season so male dogs dont go so mad.

We use it and our boys don't get as wound up when the bitches have the rasberry vinegar.

Its just that you said your neighbour has 4 males so its just to help her out really and keep the fence in place! IT DOES NOT STOP THE SEASON.

Also dont treat her any differently. As it is her first season she may not know what is happening to her (there will be hormones all over the place) so treat her the same but without the free runs.

:) Rox

Hey Rox,thanks for the tip about raspberry vinegar,that will help me too as we have 3 girls and 1 lucky,lucky boy,Sandra.

Hello Katie
I am a complete novice and all the advice you've been given was exactly what we followed. We were very concerned how we'd cope before Ella's first season. We had been testing her with a tissue but came down one morning to find her favourite squeaky ted looked as if he'd been shot several times which was a bit of a give away!! I think supervision was the most important thing and really was nowhere near as difficult or as much a pain as we'd thought although we do not have male dogs living close by. I think if you relax about it (easy to say now I know) treat her exactly the same as normal, apart from the obvious, and think of it as a great time to reinforce a lot of her training you will find it goes very quickly. Also it made us think of different, safe places to take her (I don't mean she was let off lead ever but that we went places where we were unlikely to see other dogs). One other idea for exercise, Ella has several friends, her favourite of which is currently in season and we went round to her house last weekend. The dogs played while my friend and I chatted and sampled a few glasses of wine :) and we did training with major (best friend) distractions as well - great fun. The dogs were really happy and very tired so peaceful evening all round. If your dog does have any bitch friends you may wish to try this.
Good luck.
Alex

Raspberry leaf tablets given for 12 weeks from day 1 of her season will help minimise the risk of phantom pregnancy, Evening Primrose Oil daily will also assist; if she does have a phantom; pulsatilla is great.