hi, just need a bit of advise really. my 9 month old black lab has been in season now for about two weeks. at the moment it doesn't seem a lot. i was a way for the first week and she was being looked after by a family member, so i don't know what she was like that first week! i haven't been taking her for her walks ( which i feel bad about)  but i know it's not worth it. when i was kid  i remember our family dog got pregnant just being in her own garden, so i'm keeping a close eye on this one. i really just want to know when will i know it's safe to walk her again? as she gives me those sad puppy eyes and looks for her lead every morning. any advise would be great thanks. :-)

Hi leesa,

I wait until day 25 before lead walking in doggy areas and day 28 before free running is allowed.
If your girl's getting antsy about being confined then VERY early am and VERY late pm walks on lead on streets unlikely to meet dogs is a way around it - still keeping very vigilant of course for strays!

Ideally bitches would only stand for 3 days mid-season at most and be well and truly over by day 21 but I know of experienced friends who have had accidental matings on day 3 and on day 25 ....... so not worth the risk IMO.

HTH, Teri

> Ideally bitches would only stand for 3 days mid-season at most and be well and truly over by day 21 but I know of experienced friends who have had accidental matings on day 3 and on day 25 ....... so not worth the risk IMO.

Absolutely.  Some bitches go for longer too - my youngest has full 4 week seasons, she's a nightmare!  And she stands for about 2 to 2 1/2 weeks of those.  Little trollop!

stands for about 2 to 2 1/2 weeks. call me stupid but what does that mean? This is all new to me. need to do my homework i think!!!!! thanks for your advise. :-)

"stand" means that the bitch will allow a dog to mount and mate her. At other times in the season the bitch will refuse to allow this. If a bitch "stands" for the dog, it maay indicate the most fertile time of her season.

thank you. that makes sense. i always got told if you never ask question you'll never know the answer. feel a bit silly though. lol, but thank you for that! :-)

Don't feel silly, we all have to learn these things :-)

Imagine the look on River's last owner's face the day we met her - River was in season, and the poor woman didn't know that neutered male dogs can still have their wicked way!!!

Incidentally, Remy is how I know that River stands for as long as she does ;-)