My girl is due her season anytime, well I thought it was going to be a week ago now lol.  I have documented her last three seasons and she is showing all the 'pre-signs' that she has done before.  However because this is the season she is going to be mated, Im sure she is playing games with me as they do ;) 

I have advertised some places on the waiting list and a couple of lovely families have wanted to visit to see her before she is mated, which is fair enough and I completely understand their reasons and they are more than welcome.  However Im not sure if it has actually helped in delaying her season?  The last family that came had two young boys, lovely family and we took my girl out to the field with a ball so they could have a play and run around.  However this backfired as because she is so near her season, she tends to get a bit overexcited and very wiggly and she ended up with my first ever experience of cold tail that evening.  She is normally such a calm and placid dog, but its just near her season its like shes eaten a packet of sherbert lol  Even when we came back to the house she was still wound up (the young boys hadnt really helped tbh) and they asked if she actually ever settled.

Someone has rung this afternoon asking if they can come and see her, Im just a bit worried that being around all these strange people is somehow delaying her season starting and that she is like a cat on hot bricks at the moment so not sure if it will do her any good.  Yet dont want to say to people that they cant see her either as its probably best now rather than once she is newly mated.

This litter has been 12 years in the making, this isnt something that BOTB or my research covers lol

What would you do?

I wouldn't think excitement or meeting new people would have anything to do with a later season.  My girl did nothing different and had been like clockwork within a week, but the season we wanted to breed her she was 5 weeks late.  Another bitch that I never bred, but for her first 5 seasons was regular to the DAY (honestly!!) every 9 months once went over a year for no reason, then back to the 9 months to the day.  So it just happens.

If she's not doing anything else different then I wouldn't worry.  It'll happen when it happens.

My 6 - 7 months cycling bitch has just come in after 8 months totally disordering my breeding plans.,

She had a litter last February and I was going to give her another years break and wanted a Spring litter next year.

Now her seasons have shifted this would take her to  Summer next year which won't suit us at all, and then her daughter wile be 2 1/2, and we will have to start thinking about her.

Next season will be too close to when we hope her half sister (with 9 months seasons) comes in season, as we want to keep a puppy, as she will be 6, and we haven't kept anything from her yet.

So we have decided to mate Inka this season, which would give me 15 months between first and second litter, and she will be 4 years old.

Isn't it compulsory for bitches to be late on the season where you're hoping to mate them? :-D

I think it must be, my girl gets all coy when I try and tickle her belly to have a good look, she must think Im absolutely nuts lol.  TBH in the last three seasons shes had, the earliest it could have been is the 29th Feb, the longest gap shes had, would be the 31st March (see worked it all out and everything ha ha) so shes just going to pinch my diary and make it a day when Ive got something else planned I expect.

>Isn't it compulsory for bitches to be late on the season where you're hoping to mate them?

No. Some are early. It's only compulsory for it not to be when you expect (I think it's actually written on the "breeding bitch" manual), so it will ruin your plans (they get extra points for holidays and anniversaries).

Dill, I wish we had a like button!!!hahahaha, so true.

After months of waiting we are now on day 7 of her season but it totally throws out this years holiday plans(AGAIN!). Oh well, who needs holidays and relaxing anyway?!

"(they get extra points for holidays and anniversaries)."

Love it ! My girl has thrown the spanner in the works - ready for mating to coincide perfectly for Crufts ! (Stud dog owner will be there).