I cannot bear it much longer, my older bitch has come in season, and I have to take her 4 month old daughter out alone. I am getting such a reproachful look from mum. I have tried sneaking out while she is down the garden, but it is very hard and oh boy, do I feel like Mrs Nasty or what! There is a field I can use for a quick run if no-one is about, but in a few more days she will be at her most promiscuous stage so I daren't take her out then. How do you guys get over this one please.
Very guilty looking Lorna :o

I live in a Cul-De-Sac. When I walk my bitch, whilst "on", she wears Doggy pants to the woods. They are removed for usual reasons, and re-fitted for the walk home. I don't have a problem with males visiting my house, so this seems to work.
If your bitch is trained, like mine and not likely to stray, then let her of lead for short bursts so she can burn up that energy. Definatly keep away from other dogs, as untrained males can be rather pushy.
Elmbridge

I would think even a 'trained' male would be pushy if the bitch were at her 'ripest'!

Sorry, but no matter how 2well trained" a bitch is, if she gets the hormonal urge to find a mate, there is no amount of training that will stop her trying!!!!!!

Lorna have you tried mentally stimulating your bitch with training and play to compensate for the lack of free running? Maybe exercise is difficult but there are other things that you can do to make her use her brain :-)

I think that untrained males being *pushy* has got to be the understatement of the year :D

Leigh

We have a very efficient dog Warden service, so stray males are very rare. this means I continue on lead walks with my in season bitches, though i always give them a spray of antimate deoderant. I keep to the streets, and cross the road if anyone with a dog is coming from the other direction on my side. have never had a problem with this. In the first week i will take them to the recreation ground on a flexi lead when I am sure there are no other dogs there, if anyone comes in we beat a hasty retreat. I WOULD NEVER TRUST AN IN SEASON BITCH OFF LEAD!!!!

Think it would be better not to seperate your bitches, either walk both on the lead or keep both in for two weeks, don't want to encourage jelousy. JH

I agree with the others in that I would never trust mine off the lead when in season. It's on lead and all together or not at all! I also never walk them from the house. I stick them in the car and take them down the road a piece to break the scent back to the house.

John

Thanks for all your ideas. I think lots of retrieving up and down the garden and hiding some dummies in bushes should give her something to think about. As it's fairly quiet around here I may also walk her on lead apart from when she is at her most wanton time (that's a bit of an understatement). About three seasons ago I was walking her (on a lead) in a field where there was no sign of anyone - I kept hearing someone shouting and suddenly this dog appeared coming towards us full throttle. He was VERY interested but managed to keep him off and his owner was very apologetic, said he had never before run off like that. I kept very quiet (very red faced). This was towards the end of her season when I would have thought she wasn't so attractive to males. Since then I've never taken her out during her seasons so it's only now that I have a second dog that I've found it a problem.
Lorna

I've never had trouble with in-season bitches...I find dogs far more bother to deal with - my daxie will run home back to my-in season bitch left at there - so there's no point in taking him out ! He is a hound though, so he is already very tenacious !

I too will take my in-season bitch out, but only as long as it doesn't cause annoyance to others - so I'll road walk - or go to the field when everyone else has gone home, etc, etc.