[Haileesmom]

Ok so i have never owned a female dog before and i had some questions...

When is their first heat?
How long does it last?
How often do they come?
how do i take care of the bleading?
what am i to expect?

I have a million thought running threw my head and i had thought of more questions this morning but thats what i can remember for now. thank you for your input i look forward to getting all the help and information i can get

thank you again

 

[JeepKuntry]

Typically, the first heat we be around 6-8 months.  I'm not sure about how long the cycle is.  They actually make a diaper that you can buy for the bleeding.  We had our girl spayed just after she turned 6 months.  She was about to go into heat IMO.  She did have a slight discharge following the procedure.

 

[southerngirls]

Reese is 10 months old and just came into her first heat. Its my first time to Heat lasts about 3 wks, usually dont start to spot/bleed until the second week. I believe heats come about twice a year...i could be wrong though. Depends on how much they bleed. if she just spots she may be able to take care of herself keeping clean wise, if she is a heavy bleeder you may need doggie diapers. thats as much research as i have found so far. we were going to have Reese spayed before her first heat, but right now the vet said no due to some issues.

 

[samsonsmom]

Ditto what Andrea said. The best thing to do is what I did when we took in a stray a couple years ago that came into heat. Google it, I got a ton of information and it was really helpful....I did use those panties on Angel when we brought her home as she was still spotting after her surgery, they lasted for about an hour, she would roll around and pull them off :roll:

 

[AbbyandBrady]

Ditto what Andrea said. The best thing to do is what I did when we took in a stray a couple years ago that came into heat. Google it, I got a ton of information and it was really helpful....I did use those panties on Angel when we brought her home as she was still spotting after her surgery, they lasted for about an hour, she would roll around and pull them off :roll:

hahaha...just picturing the baby girl rolling around throwing a temper tantrum, "I don't WANT TO WEAR MY PANTIES!!!!!"   :rofl:

 

[sharonL]

HAHA...You can also save a little money by buying regular diapers depending on the size of your doggie. A bag of pampers ia a lot less then the ones made "for dogs" and work the same, just cut a hole for the tail.  Yep the info up there is right.....Heat last for 3 weeks...one week coming in, one week of bleeding and one week of going out...The last week is when they can get preg and will generally take a male dog so be real careful during all of it but especially then. The time they come in all depends on the dog.  I have seen it as early as 5 1/2 months and as late as over a year old.....Generally 6 to 10 months I think is s good average....I spayed Fiona at 5 1/2 months because I did not want to deal with heat at all and wanted her to keep a nice flat figure

 

[Haileesmom]

thank you so much for the information it halped alot, i will defiantely google and get all the info i can, we arent sure if we want to fix her yet so we will probably deal with a heat or two thanks again

 

[samsonsmom]

I think I have a pic of Angel wearing hers, have to see if i can find it. I thought she loked rather cute, she didn't agree  :lol:

 

[Ky_IsisnOnyxsMama]

i cant help there since i have always had male dogs until Isis..and she was fixed asap when we first got her...i didnt want to deal with it and never ever wanted her to have pups ever again due to the fact that an F***ing IDIOT breeding her for 4 yrs back to back til she literally almost died !

i know that others on here will give you wonderful advice..^^^ some already have..

 

[ReekosMom]

If you REALLY dont want to get her spayed you can also save money and buy a pair of boys undies and get pads(yes human) and put it in the undies!! Put the tail right through the little hole

Keep in mind though if you keep her unspayed there is a possibility of her getting preggers on you with something other then a boxer!! NOT GOOD. Plus if you get her spayed less chance of mammary cancer! Im sure there are plenty of breeding stickys so I wont say anymore lol

 

[Skyboxers]

I am right there with you. Haven is my first girl that I have had that has not been spayed. She will be shown so she cant be but I am very curious as to what it will be like. She is four months right now but her breeder says most of her girls don't come in until almost 15 mo. Does this sound right???

 

[ReekosMom]

Yes it depends!! My girl didnt come in until 11 months and so did her mom. VERY normal Havens mom

 

[Skyboxers]

Thank you very much! It just sounded a little out there at first.
Samantha

 

[Honeyec]

Can you really not spay show prospects???  Why is that?

 

[sarahmike2112]

We're waiting for Roxy to come into heat as we want to get her spayed and our breeder said to let her go through one heat before doing so.  She's 9 months old now so are expecting it any time.  I have also found the information in the above posts interesting as we don't really know what to expect either.  We have noticed that Roxy has been looking a bit pink around her 'area' and seems to be cleaning herself a lot recently and so are wondering if that's a sign that she's due soon??

 

[Honeyec]

We're waiting for Roxy to come into heat as we want to get her spayed and our breeder said to let her go through one heat before doing so.

Our original vet also told us this, but then when we moved vet (to a much better one) he told us that it's actually far better to spay them before their first heat as the cancer prevention rates are much better if they don't go through a heat cycle first.  All the research I did online bore this out, so we had Tink done at 6 months old, before her first cycle.

 

[sarahmike2112]

Thanks Honeyec  

Me and OH have had many debates on this one as it seems that there is just sooo much conflicting information!  After reading up on it on this site I have found that most people back up what you are saying, but my OH wanted to go with what the breeder said so it looks like we're going to let Rox go through 1 heat.  

It's just so difficult cos all I want is to do right for Roxy!  I almost persuaded OH to consider having her done earlier but then I read that if she was 'coming into' heat then the vet wouldn't do the op anyway.  Luckily our boy pug has already been neutered so we don't have any pregnancy worries (we have been keeping Rox on the lead recently when out and about as we suspect she's getting close to her first cycle)!!  Def didn't want to risk and pug/boxer cross puppies - could you imagine!!!    :lol:

 

[Newcastle]

Age at first heat varies considerably, but I'd say the average for Boxers is around 9-11 months.  Mine have come in for the first time at 21, 17, 17, and 15 months, and they cycle about every 8 months (the latest first-season only came in every 10 months).  A season can last up to 28 days, and you want to be careful throughout the whole time - some bitches can ovulate as early as 3 days, or as late as 25, so you can't just say the 'danger' time is days 8-14 and figure you're safe the rest of the time.  The two litters I've had, we bred the bitch on day 11 the first litter and day 18 the second time (same bitch).

We have the panties - easier IMO to finagle than diapers or boys' undies, but then I have multiple intact bitches so use them more.  We used to have the kind you put a pad it, but those weren't the greatest - the bitch would often pull the pad out, or it would slip, and the elastic straps broke, etc.  So now we have the kind that have an absorbent lining with flannel, and we have three pairs - one they're wearing, one clean one waiting to be worn, and one in the wash.  You don't leave panties on the bitch when she's in her crate, and if she's not crated then you need to take them off for a while throughout the day, so that she can clean herself and to discourage bacteria.  We also have old quilts we throw over the couch and the bed whenever someone is in season, so that on the lighter days they can go panty-less.

Can you really not spay show prospects???  Why is that?

The point of dog shows is to evaluate breeding stock, so all exhibits must be intact.

We have noticed that Roxy has been looking a bit pink around her 'area' and seems to be cleaning herself a lot recently and so are wondering if that's a sign that she's due soon??

It could be - it could also be a sign of a slight infection, so you just want to keep an eye on it.  Generally the vulva will swell, usually considerably though some females don't swell much, especially on a first season.  If you're thinking she might be coming in, a white tissue pressed to the vulva after each potty trip will pick up the first sign of color.


As a side note, while spaying before the first season may decrease the chances of mammary tumors, it may also increase the chances of other cancers or health concerns.  I highly recommend this article, which discusses both the risks and benefits of spay/neuter, before any decision is made.

http://www.naiaonline.org/pdfs/LongTerm ... InDogs.pdf

 

[Skyboxers]

[quote="Honeyec\";p=\"51278":25t4s553]Can you really not spay show prospects???

 

[Skyboxers]

I guess I should of read above me lol there is a answer there also.
Samantha