I WAS WONDERING IF ANYONE COULD TELL ME HOW LONG A FEMALE DOG WILL BE SWELLED UP BEFORE SHE BLEEDS.
I HAVE A 16 MONTH OLD BOXER THAT HAS NEVER CAME INTO HEAT ABOUT 5 DAYS AGO I NOTICED SHE WAS STARTING TO SWELL UP AND SHE HAS GOTTEN MORE SWELLED UP,BUT NO BLEEDING.CAN SOMEONE PLEASE HELP. I HAVE NEVER HAD A DOG IN HEAT BEFORE,BUT I DONT KNOW IF HER NOT BLEEDING YET IS NORMAL.

Yes, she can be swelling for a couple of weeks before she starts bleeding. From now on, first thing every morning press a clean white tissue on her vulva, and at the first sign of pinkness count that as Day 1. That's when you keep her isolated from all other dogs for at least 21 days, 28 to be on the safe side. Don't leave her outside unattended, not even for a couple of minutes in your own fenced garden.

I suggest you buy a copy of The Book of the Bitch, by White and Evans (available from bookshops or Amazon) because you'll find it full of invaluable information.
:)

I know a lady that has bitches that swell but NEVER bleed, which does make it very difficult when she wants to breed them!

She could be having a colourless season and may have had them previously although the outwards signs weren't as obvious as this season.

2 of my bitches have 100% colourless seasons..

does this mean she will never have any puppies.

No it doesn't. bitches vary with their seasons. They can be swollen for quite a few days before colour etc.

maybe it is worth calling the breed and she cam possibly tell you what the mothers seasons are like..

It doesn't mean that they can't have pups but it's hard to know when the ideal time is for mating unless the stud owner keeps her.

The lady I know, she actually has stud dogs and go by their reaction, she doesn't use her own stud dogs on her girls though, they get regular work, but they let her know when the time is right

have you ever managed to breed from them

have you ever managed to breed from them this is in reply to blue

Yes both of them. Using Premate tests and Cytology smears.

The Cytology smears was something I got interested in after a breeder freind of mine started using it. She asked me to do some net searching for her , whilst doing this I got very intrigued with it all. I ended up buying a microscope and kit myself and have smeared anything that moves ;-)  very interesting. 

I used the cytology smears then the Premate to back them up. 

One of my girls starts to swell a good 10 to 14 days before bleeding starts - the other for only a couple of days. They are mother and daughter and their seasons differ greatly.

For the first season the swelling is more noticeable.  If you swab her with cottonwool every morning just as she gets up, you will know clearly when she first starts showing colour.  The first season usually produces a heavier blood loss than the following ones.  My bitches usuall drop it everywhere during the first season, but the following ones I only know by swabbing from the first sign of swelling that they are in season.  The seasons are really more or less colourless - hardly a mark on white vetbeds (but I think a lot of it is that the bitches clean themselves up thoroughly all the time).  Like Sharon's friend, I am very glad of my dogs' reactions to the best day and also to alerting me of an imminent season.

THANK YOU ALL FOR YOUR REPLIES. I FOUND THEM ALL VARY HELPFUL.