How many days is advisable to stay away from a show ring due to a bitch being in season?

As soon as they come into season I stay away until they're out of season; so three or four weeks. (Pot-hunters tend to be less thoughtful of others.)

Though of course if you have an all bitch household you may not know if your bitch is still interesting to male dogs, many of whom will be very interested in any bitch that smells remotely of season (so a bath is a good idea).

I have had males interested in my bitches that have finished seasons for several weeks, and also ones who then come into season from a few days to weeks later.  Have also had accusing comments about bitches that are spayed ;)

It is not against KC rules to show and in season  bitch, but it won't make you any friends if you do.

It does seem to be widely done in some breeds, and considered a real crime in others.  One breed where bitches seem to have been routinely shown in season is a large short coated guarding breed, with plenty of CC shows???

I wouldn't do it and dont do it, however many do in one of my breeds regardless of where they are in the cycle.
Some even show in season bitches at open shows which is for me very bad sportsmanship, winning is the be all end all no matter what..
So many bitches in season drip blood; and for me this is very unhygienic for all concerned, esp at shows on carpet.
Many bitches are moody and snappy, not good and what about the risk of picking up an infection?
I also wouldn't as I know how hard it can be to control a male in and out of a ring...

I wish it was banned to show in season bitches like they do at agility comps, makes it fairer for all including that of the dog's!!

I wonder why at performance events it is banned yet at conformation events not?

Surely the issue of enforcement would be the same. 

How do you prove the bitch was in season before arrival, or with a bitch not showing discharge?

A totally silent season would be hard to prove but wonder how many/few bitches have totally silent seasons by not bleeding or swelling?
I agree the rules should be across the board..

Totally agree, I would not show while my bitch is in season. Lets say you won your class, when you're standing in the ring against all unbeaten dogs just imagine the looks and the pointing. I think it would take a brave judge to give you a first.

My bitch is not in season but Im gutted forgot to enter LKA, Ive entered Boston + DCS and Manchester ch show in January. As she is 9 month old I bet Im going to miss them due to her being in season.

My girl is due in season at the end of this month and while ive entered LKA it will be sods law that she comes in early,  trying to enter Manchester now but having online issues, she can't be in season for both!!! Lol I'm hedging my bets...

Im sure Manchester closes 14 December for online entries...

The problem with not showing a bitch in-season is that in a multi bitch household you may never be able to show, no matter how good your bitches.    I have three bitches and at one time I had a bitch in season for three months in a row.  Even showing the bitches not in season meant that some dogs would act as if they were anyway as the smell just carries with you.   I've lost count of the money thrown away on shows in any given year, and the last year that we tried to show, we didn't get to one show because of the way the shows are grouped for us and the fact of my bitches having a season.     I've given up, I have beautiful bitches but can't afford to throw away money on shows we won't be able to go to.

It isn't as if you can always predict months in advance whether you will be able to take your bitch, a season can be early or late and often is.

What most of you are forgetting is that your dogs are in season every day, but you don't have to miss a show because of it.   I've had owners of dogs accuse my bitch of being in season when none of them in the house were even near a season, I've also had the neutered bitch accused of being in season! - just because the dog in question had no manners, it's so easy to blame the bitch when a dog plays up.

> My girl is due in season at the end of this month and while ive entered LKA it will be sods law that she comes in early,

Ditto, but as it's only her third season I'm guessing.  Decided not to enter her for Manchester though.

As for swelling I know bitches that often look in season when not, and quite a few of mine hardly swell at all, and at various parts of the season hardly have any discharge/keep themselves clean.

A casual glance would not show they were in.

> I wonder why at performance events it is banned yet at conformation events not?

Probably because in conformation all dogs are kept on leads and so presumably easier to prevent accidents.

>What most of you are forgetting is that your dogs are in season every day, but you don't have to miss a show because of it.

Speaking as someone who has shown both dogs and bitches, so can see both sides .... I still think it's wrong and unfair to take a bitch in season to a show. The bitch is likely to be feeling hormonal, and the scent can disturb the other bitches as well as the dogs, much as waving a large raw steak in front of them will! Yes, I've also lost money because of not being able to attend shows because of it, but that's the way it goes.

>I've also had the neutered bitch accused of being in season! - just because the dog in question had no manners

Or perhaps the bitch had a mild infection which the dog had detected?

> Speaking as someone who has shown both dogs and bitches, so can see both sides .... I still think it's wrong and unfair to take a bitch in season to a show.

Totally agree 100%, in my mind there is no excuse or reason why someone should show an in season bitch!!!

> there is no excuse or reason why someone should show an in season bitch!!!

but as it is not against the rules there will be plenty of in season bitches at any given championship show for sure.  Sure there would be even if it was against the rules, but at least everyone would know they were doing something unacceptable, at the moment it seems to vary from breed to breed.

I was showing a male once who won the CC and the bitch CC winner who went BOB was very much in season.

In the USA probably because of the clusters of shows that involve staying away from home and often long distances, a bitch in season is seen as no reason not to show, and they also seem to be quite proud to say a bitch won when x weeks in whelp!!!

Now that is another time I would not show, though admit I did once take a mated bitch to as how just after her season had ended so probably about a 10 days in whelp.

Just because there is no rule against it, doesnt mean to say it's right!!!
I have had mainly bitches & some came into season together, so I have missed many shows & lost the entry fees of many a champ show.
I have also shown a male who was severly affected by an in season bitch.

This 'argument' will crop up forever more on forums(wether a rule comes in or not) & will always get the ones who dont see it as something one shouldnt do, as will there be those, like me, who is against showing an in season bitch full stop!!

but as the KC have seen fit to make it a rule at performance events, and not at conformation shows there must be some reason for this.

If opinion is strong that it should not be allowed then maybe it should also become a clear rule as in (some/) FCI countries where it's against the rules.

Otherwise I'm afraid that people are free to do so, and others are free not to.

When reading rules regarding showing, there is a section that states that the mating of bitches at the show is not allowed, this implies not only that in season bitches are allowed to be shown but are expected to be present.   Dog shows arose to judge the quality of breeding stock, strange that 100 years or so later, there are those who would ban one half of the breeding stock for being in breeding condition!    How would one ever find out if a bitch was of good enough quality to breed from?

Perhaps the showing of bitches should be stopped entirely? - since there are those who clearly believe that every bitch is suspect since they are either in season, going out of season, coming into season (even months before)  living with an in season bitch at home, or have an infection, to excuse their dog's behaviour.

I can see the sense of no in season bitches at agility shows, the dogs are run on the course off- lead so the chances of an unplanned, inappropriate mating would be high.

The behaviour of some dogs ( who go in the ring first ) is not good. Cocking legs etc. I might object to that too, and do silently, as when my bitch goes in, she is hopping over every urine marked spot. In season or not,, as there are no rules against I think let the individual decide. They start suggesting entries so far in advance for very expensive entry fees and as has been said you may not even really know your bitch is in season but is still attractive to dogs and there is the period when they are not bleeding  and still attractive to dogs after.

I am  the owner of dogs that are used at stud but I don't have any objection to bitches being shown in season. I do train them to ignore the smells and concenrtate on me when actually being shown. I beleive ib Europe bitches in season are allowed to run in agility so if dogs can run agility without being distracted then they should be able to cope with breed showing

> I beleive ib Europe bitches in season are allowed to run in agility

I'd be surprised, seeing as they are not allowed to be shown in season.

>> I beleive ib Europe bitches in season are allowed to run in agility
> I'd be surprised, seeing as they are not allowed to be shown in season.

They're certainly allowed to run in agility at some competitions in Europe. They run last instead of at their running order.

I  too believe in not showing bitches in season That is my choice and one I would not break Over the years I have had  3 very near misses with my stud boys at Open show level when bitches  directly in  front were in full ripe season  Luckily I was fully focused on my boys and able to prevent the mating occuring. This particular  bitches owner was one whom did not  watch her girl enough and the bitch was mated  which  was not of the same breed . All hell broke loose (as could be expected ) Bitches owner was furious  at what had happened as was males owner, bitch owner tried to make males owner  pay for anti mate injections  male owner refused point blank saying bitches owner should have been more responsible  especially as it was an open show and knowing the dogs and bitches were in same class.
My  young girl is entered for LKA  she will be 24 days in her season my boys  have been very interested  upto  saturday but are now not showing that much  in her She  will be bathed and sprayed with lavender based spray (Ifind this works well )and will attend LKA.
I feel the KC should ban in season bitches  BUT there is always the person whom will ignore the rules.

2 years ago at LKA we were 2nd in the ring after another breed and one of those bitches had very obviously been in season. My own bitch refused to stand on the patch of carpet where the stains were so it's not just the males who get upset.

Last year I missed Crufts due to my bitch being just 7 days in season, I wasn't impressed to find another exhibitor had taken a bitch who was very much ready to be mated and who distracted several of the males.