Ok, my bitch is now on day 9 or 10, and I'm fancying the colour is slightly fading. I know that when the colour goes completely that's said to be a sign she's ready to mate, though not all bitches do that, but what I don't know is whether the colour then returns or not? Don't worry, I'm not mating her, just want to know exactly what to expect for the remaining couple of weeks. I've tried running a finger down her spine to see if she turns her tail, but she just wriggles and jumps up for cuddles! :-)

The boys are very good - they sniff round her if she's in her crate and they're in the room, but are quite easy to call away and distract - so far!! No howling or loss of appetite either.

If your not ready to mate her why are you running your finger down her tail to see her reaction?

warm regards Susan

So that when I do want to mate her I will know whether she has that reaction to tell me that it's the right time, and also so that if she does show that reaction I will know we are getting to the most dangerous time. I think it's important to know your bitch's reactions to seasons thoroughly before mating them.

Not accurate at all LucyD ;)  My males will flick their tails out of the way when I do that, same as the girls - even when not in season (the girls that is, not the boys :P )   The "dangerous time" won't necessarily remain the same as your bitch matures either - don't trust them from day 1 to day 28 when you're trying to ensure they don't get caught - not even in their own secure garden!

Regards, Teri

Ah well, she just wriggles even more than usual when I do it! I know you have to be careful the whole time. But if and when they do lose the colour during a season, does it come back to red again, or is it colourless for the remaining time? She's certainly bleeding a lot less, but is still swollen.

Just wondered, Ellie's now on day 14 or 15 of her season. After me being so proud that the boys were being good, Henry's spent a lot of the last 24 hours whimpering and barking a lot, so I'm assuming she's 'red hot'. However, she's still showing colour, though nothing like as much as the first 10 days, and she's far less swollen than she was 3 or 4 days ago. On the other hand she turns her tail if I stroke around her back end. So I've got 2 possible signs saying she's red hot, and 2 possible signs saying she isn't! Obviously I continue to keep her apart from the dogs for another 10 days or more, but I'm curious as to which signs are more likely to be accurate!! :-)