Hello again, i wonder if you could help me.
My bitch is nearly 7 months old and I 'think' she is having her first season but am not too sure.
I first noticed some blood on the white carpet (yes was white now brown : ) , i carpeted before the opportunity of having a puppy arose!) where she had been sitting about three weeks ago.  i got very excited and went off to get something to clean it up with, by the time i came back in she had licked the blood clean off the carpet.  I didnt see any more blood until about a week later, again a small little spot.  i dabbed her with some tissue to make sure but there was nothing there.  again about another week later there was another little spot, and again last nite i spotted another spot of blood before she cleaned that up too.
I expected it to be quite messy but except from the odd spot there has been nothing, she has been cleaning herself quite a bit more.  also there hasnt really been any dogs sniffing around her and I havent noticed any change in personality/mood.    i have tested with some tissue on quite a few occassions mainly with nothing showing but very occassionally there is a red 'ruddy' mark. 
Could this be her first season?  Is she just very 'light' or perhaps keeping herself very clean?
thanks

I have noticed first seasons can be a bit lighter than subsequent ones. She is probably finished/finishing now if you first noticed blood abotu 3 weeks ago. She could be keeping hersel fvery clean though, my girl is very clean when in season and you wouldn't know, bleeding wise, other than the very odd drop of blood on the carpet.

Other signs to look for are enlarged teats and a swollen vulva. Some bitches also wee more often. If you suspect she is coming into season, you can 'swab' her first wee of the morning when she goes out, to check for blood. Or, give her a little wipe first thing before she goes out to wee. That is when you're most likely to find any blood.

Yes, my girl's like that - apart from the odd spot when she's been lying in one place for a while, she keeps herself so clean I spend the first 3 days wondering if I imagined the tiny spot or not!! Also she starts showing brownish colour before it turns true red.

Thanks for your replies.  i wiped her this morning first thing and there was a little bit of blood and she is a little bit swollen.  bless her for being so clean.  after talking to other bitch owners i expected it to be soooo messy. 

It can be my girl is on her second season and doesn't really clean herself more than she has to.  My tiled floor looks like a slaughterhouse.  constantly following her with a mop.  some of my others have shown very little colour if I wasn't looking for it.

Remember for safety keep her away from male dogs for 4 weeks from when you first saw blood and when the vulva ceases to look open and swollen.  she will never be as tidy as before the first season though, but the texture should be back to what it was before.

well when i noticed the first 'spot' we did keep her away from all males, but as we didnt see anymore for a longtime i thought she cant be in season so we carried on as usual, on and off the lead over the green and the males have not given her anymore interest than usual.  however there have been a couple of bitches that have unusually shown a little bit of aggression towards her - is this common when one bitch is in season? or it may have been coincidence

just a little update which may be of help to others.

I now know that Roxy wasnt having her first season in February.  There was some bleeding at the time and what i then thought a swollen underneath but dogs werent interested in her at all. 

Last Tuesday she started bleeding again, but this time she was very heavy and later that day her underneath became very swollen as did her teats - all the signs that you mentioned previously.  I was a bit concerned as I thought she had already had her first season in February.  However having googled it, i think she may have had a split season. 

This may sound like a silly question but are bitches affected by their season like some humans?  She is sometimes very lethargic, quiet, a little bit moody and feels sorry for herself (a bit like myself with PMT!!), but given the chance of some play time she is up for it as usual.   I think she is also fed up because she is not allowed off her lead and has not played with any other dogs for a week

I do think that bitches can be affected by their seasons, in some way like ourselves!! I do suffer with PMT too, and sometimes my bitch can get moody, and lazy!!! (like me!)
She always seems to want to stay in the warm and keep dry (doesn't like the rain at the best of times!) when she is in season, and I feel she is feeling fragile like I do sometimes.