I know this issue gets raised every now and again but each time I experience it I'm amazed at the cluelessness of people who let their in-season bitches wander around off-lead in public places where the presence of other dogs is absolutely guaranteed!

Right now, there's a Border terrier who only narrowly missed being given a thorough seeing-to by Nips last week! We were walking back along the paved path by the river that adjoins a recreation ground and connects the town centre and supermarket with two residential areas. This is a path very well for dog walking and it's rare not to be sharing it with several other people and their dogs.

On Friday afternoon, we were suddenly passed by a chocolate lab going at a speed that suggested he had a rocket up his bottom, closely followed by his owner. Nips looked up but remained trotting along beside me, occasionally visiting his favourite "watering" places. Until he suddenly picked up a scent and put on a similar turn of speed. Looking ahead about 50 yards I saw two women with terriers and a chocolate lab now being reluctantly removed (on-lead) from their company. One of the women picked up her dog and moments later, I saw Nips and the other terrier pirouetting like the flippin' Royal Ballet Company, round and round her.

Reaching them, I put Nips straight back onto his lead while the woman said "Oh, I expect the other doggies are interested in her because she's in season". Before I could reply she said "but it's not fair to keep her on the lead all the time and I'm sure your little dog wouldn't have done anything". After recovering my composure, I assured her that my "little dog" would have made a very thorough job of "anything" had he picked up her scent more quickly or met her wandering around off-lead as she had been moments earlier. I also asked if she was planning to allow her bitch to have an unplanned litter of crossbred pups because that was the certain consequence of putting her at such risk. This comment was received with a gormless smile that suggested she still thought that male dogs would, for some reason, exercise good manners and desist from mounting her bitch!

D'oh!

:( Last summer Bramble charged over the field to see a friend of his - a very overweight, choccy labrador. I didn't do anything as we know the owner. Then I realised that he was being very attentive, so hurried over just in time to stop him from humping her. The owner's husband was trying to get the lab under control and said 'Oh, she is in season' :( They walked off round the field with her still off lead :( Firstly, she is far too overweight to have a litter and secondly, she shouldn't be off lead and out on a summer Sunday afternoon with a lot of people/dogs around :( They didn't know that Bramble had been neutered - he could easily have not been :(

Daisy

Some people are so stupid :rolleyes:

I can understand the views here, coming from experienced dog owners, but you do represent the knowledgeable minority.
When I owned my first bitch, I had no idea of the ins and outs of seasons, and the fact that male dogs would be attracted from a distance away, nor had it any particular relevance, as I wasn't planning to breed from my girl. In fact I rarely knew when she was in season, since there were no overt behaviourial signs.
And anyway aren't you all capable of controlling your own dogs when they are off lead?

This is my first dog as an adult.  I didn't have any experience but knew that bitches in season not only attracted dogs but that the bitch herself is likely to go to unusual lengths to find a mate.  It makes no difference how well trained a dog or bitch is normally, the natural urge to mate overrides the training.  I was paranoid and wouldn't even take my dog out let alone let her off a lead when she was in season I was so frightened of attracting other dogs and have them follow us home.

Perhaps I am in the minority of inexperienced dog owners and if this is the case then it is understandable why vets are so keen to neuter very young dogs.

Bedruthen your post is just what I love about this board......
Karen ;-)

YEP!!! can't get much better than that! :D

> And anyway aren't you all capable of controlling your own dogs when they are off lead

When we first got our older dog (he was a mature, entire rescue) - NO :) He was our first (not family) dog and we hadn't a clue - that's why we had him neutered (apart from promising Battersea that we would) :) On the occasion mentioned in my previous message, there was no reason NOT to let him go and say 'Hello' to the other dog, as we used to meet her on morning walks, but hadn't seen her for a while as the owner had had a baby :)

Daisy

>And anyway aren't you all capable of controlling your own dogs when they are off lead?<

I ran into a woman who was out with her lab girl in the main dog park in my area. The bitch ran up to us and she and my dog were romping around. After a couple minutes she asked if he was entire because her bitch was in season. :-( It's not always a case of having your own dog under control. If your bitch is off lead and running around why would another person feel like they had to put their dog on a lead. How would someone know your bitch was in heat?

>And anyway aren't you all capable of controlling your own dogs when they are off lead?

lol now Alf knows what its all about I cant imagine him taking one iota of notice if he saw an inseason bitch and I doubt there would be many dogs, especially stud dogs that would.

Reproduction is an overriding drive that will overcome the best training, especially when the poor males owner is not privy to the information that some Pratt has taken their in season bitch out to flaunt under his nose.

From the above you may think I own male dogs, in fact the opposite is the case i own only one male in partnership, and have had up to five girls living here with usually three of them entire.

Luckily latchkey dogs are few and far between and I can still walk my in season bitches on lead on the public rods where no dog ha business being of lead.

I remember reading in one of the Dog Papers the red faces of a Police force where their dogs had tracked a criminal and indicated a particular house.  There was no criminal, just an in season bitch on the premises.

>And anyway aren't you all capable of controlling your own dogs when they are off lead?

Yes. Excepting when said entire dog is tempted beyond endurance by having what I can only describe as exceedingly hot totty waved quite literally under his nose!

Dogs, you see behave like dogs and are rarely put off by the lack of a formal introduction and perhaps a couple of dinner dates first.

not much difference then between them and the entire UK male population :0 :)

This has happened to me twice. Once a dog walker who had about 10 dogs had 1 staffie with a muzzle on. I thought this very strange as she was running around at complete ease with all the other dogs. So i asked why, at this point merlin was already sniffing around her. the dog walker said she has to be muzzled, she is in season and bites if dogs try to mount her I called Merlin and he came which i didnt expect tbh. I put him on lead. The second time, his new friend rosie came bounding over and he gave chase as normal, I couldnt see her owner but knew they wouldnt be far. then to my horror, she stood still and moved her tail. I am very inexperienced with stuff like this but had a guess of what this meant, I called merls and nothing, he tried to mount but she moved and i got to him at this point to put him on the lead. Rosies owners appeared then and put her on lead.  On both occasions this was in the place locals call the dog fields, they are 2 large areas of waste land where everyone walks dogs, no one else uses it. It did annoy me a bit, especially the second time as Merlins behaviour was awful, he wouldnt even lead walk as he was desperate to get to her.

the dog walker said she has to be muzzled, she is in season and bites if dogs try to mount her

They muzzled the wrong end! :D

:D

I've had this as well. Walking along our usual route with my Dobe off lead I saw a lady with an offlead SBT coming towards us. All was normal until we got to about 40 yards away from each other at which point she started frantically waving her arms every which way. Thinking she was just one of the usual loons I see out and about I carried on walking. A few seconds later she then started shouting "quick, quick...is your dog a boy?..get hold of him quick!" By pure luck he was right next to me at this point so I got hold of his collar and stopped. The woman then went trotting past with her dog and with a ridiculously huge smile on her face proudly announced "she's in season, you know!" :rolleyes: :rolleyes:

:D :D :D LOL bedruthen, I have just laughed for ages at your post!

Every dog owner is inexperienced when they get their first dog/bitch, but most first timers take the time to find out the basics of dog ownership when they get their fist dog, and frankly usually BEFORE they get the dog. Surely the matter of seasons is one of the major deciders in choosing a dog or bitch?....it certainly was for me prior to my first pup. Although you can't be expected to know everything, I really do not think that being a novice owner is an excuse for having no knowledge of such a major factor. There are books available after all, and the internet, and training classes, and vets.
We never had a dog when I was a child, but even aged about 7 I knew the effect a bitch in season has on a dog. I knew one who jumped out of an upstairs window to get at a bitch, and broke his leg, but still dragged himself in the right direction
I have met some exceptionally well trained dogs, but I only know of one dog who can be called off an in season bitch, and his owner/trainer won crufts obedience trials one year, so not the average everyday training:D.