First Heat Newsletter
Puppies First Heat
Hi Folks!
Are you ready for Christmas? I am almost but still got a couple people to buy for. Well Snowflake did me proud yesterday. She had 7 absolutely beautiful, very big, puppies! 4 males and 3 females. The females are all reserved and 3 of the males, however I do have one male left available from this litter. Snowflake and Bravo make absolutely beautiful puppies that grow into awesome dogs! This litter was born exactly 1 year from her previous litter. Those of you who breed………do you find that happens very often? I only breed Gracey and Snowflake once a year. I believe their bodies need to rest between pregnancies and I just don’t want to wear them out. They are my pets and part of my family too! I had one of my previous buyers ask me about when a puppy first goes into heat and what are the signs of that. So I have put together a newsletter with that information. I tell you – whenever I research this stuff I always learn so much. But I think I learn the most from watching my dogs. Like people they are different in the way they do things – being in heat is no different. Gracey is pretty typical and follows pretty much what I’ve read. Snowflake is a little different. Not quite so typical. She doesn’t bleed like Gracey does. Her bleeding period is very light and just for three or four days. With Gracey – there is no doubt when she goes into heat! As always when I put out this information – it is what I’ve learned. I am no expert – if you have questions – always double check with your vet. He/she is the expert! The article is below.
You all have a very Merry Christmas & Happy New Year!
Cindy McCord
Missouri & Arkansas White Shepherds
www.arkansaswhiteshepherds.com
www.missouriwhiteshepherds.com
479-966-7654
When will your new female puppy go into its first heat?
A female puppy can go into heat the first time around 6 months of age. The total heat cycle lasts about 3 weeks and is divided up into stages. The first stage is called “Proestrus” and lasts 7-10 days. Your dog may show personality changes. She may become more affectionate with you (her owner) or she may become more distant from you and seem grouchy. During the first week her appetite might decrease and her vulva will begin swelling. She will also begin having a bloody discharge which usually starts out light and gets heavier. Each dog, like people, is different however. For example My Gracey tends to follow the typical heat cycle whereas Snowflake doesn’t. Snowflake will begin acting more needy than usual – wanting my attention more. She will also want the other dog’s attention more. (From both Gracey and Bravo) Her vulva will start swelling but tends to swell up then go down then back up. I usually see the personality changes about a week before I see any physical signs. She also will try to hump Gracey and Bravo. I will notice that also about a week before I see any physical signs. Also during this time you may notice the dog guarding her vulva with her tail. Such as tucking her tail between her legs or sitting down if a male is around. (Both of my females sit down if they are going into/are in the first stages of heat and Bravo is around.) The personality change in Gracey is that she gets grumpier with Snowflake – more affectionate with me. But definitely grumpy with Snowflake. (Her and Snowflake are great buddies other times.) Gracey bleeds heavily and you can see drops of blood where she has been. Snowflake bleeds very lightly and I usually have to get a tissue to check her to see if she is actually bleeding. Both dogs are good about keeping themselves clean during this time. Both my females will clean each other when they are in heat and will allow Bravo to clean them if I’ve let them all be in the house. (I don’t let them together outside when the females are in heat before they are ready to mate.)
The next cycle is called estrus and this is the fertile time of the female dog. This is when the ovaries will release the eggs for fertilization. During this stage the bloody discharge will turn a pinkish-tan. The dogs vulva diminishes in swelling enough to soften it up for the male dog to penetrate her. She will start what is called tail flagging. If you scratch the back end of her back just above her tail – she will move her tail over to the side to allow access to herself. She may shake her tail around. This strengthens her scent to the male. Mating is possible at this time. Both my female dogs will do that tail flagging almost from the start of their heat – but if they are not ready to mate yet will sit down if Bravo tries to mount them. I suppose this is their way of flirting and teasing with the male. If you have your dogs in the house or are with them alot – you will see a lot of flirting. It’s pretty neat to watch that, I think.
The last week of the heat cycle is called Diestrus. That is when the fertile period is stopping. Watch for the swelling of the vulva to go down and return to normal size. It is not unusual for the vulva to be a big larger after the first heat. (staying larger than it was before they went into heat) But you will notice it being significantly smaller than when they were swollen. The female will stop flirting with the male. My Gracey and Bravo are great buddies and I think they always flirt and play together no matter if Gracey is in heat or not. So knowing your dogs is really handy. The interactions between Bravo and Gracey are different when she is in heat. (Bravo and Gracey do not get to be together for breeding purposes – which drives them both nuts!) That pinkish-tan discharge will turn red again at the end of their heat then gradually stop totally. If you have bred your female dog this stage can last then entire pregnancy will is 59-63 days.
The last stage is called anestrus or the resting stage. If you did not breed your dog then she goes back into this stage. This will last 5-11 months until the cycle begins again. It is typical for your female dog to go into her heat cycle every 6 months, but there are some dogs that only have 1 heat a year. My dogs usually go into heat every 6 months except last year. Gracey skipped one heat last year.
Now my experience is that female dogs are just like women. If you have several females who are not spayed.... they can all get on the same cycle. My three females did. When I got Snowflake – then a year late Foxy – my three females heats were about two months apart. Within the first year of the three dogs living together – they were all on the same cycle. Gracey just skipped a heat totally – Snowflake went into her heat 1 ½ months late and Gracey came into heat then too {which would of been about a month early or 4 ½ months late.} Foxy went into her heat at the normal time which was 1 ½ months later. Then the next heat – All three females went into their heat cycles the same week – Gracey starting on a Monday – Snowflake on Wednesday and Foxy (a month early) on Friday of the same week the other two. *sigh* I wasn’t real thrilled to have three females in heat at the same time. *Double sigh!* Foxy is no longer with us – she is up in heaven with Daddy now – but Gracey and Snowflake go into their heat cycles close together still. This last time – Snowflake came into heat first about a week before Gracey.
When your female is in heat – male dogs can smell them for a long ways. So it’s best to keep the female contained to where a male dog cannot get to her until you know she is ready and is being bred with the male you want her bred with. My dad always told me that the female wasn’t fertile until she stopped the bright red bleeding. However another breeder friend of mine told me that some dogs will mate before the female stops bleeding if they are close to the end of that first stage & they can get pregnant. That’s something I’ve been meaning to talk with my vet about but haven’t remembered when I was in there yet. Snowflake would not let Bravo mount her until she had entered the 2nd stage. She would turn her backside to him and tease him, but when he would try to mount her she would snarl at him and sit down. Each dog is different tho – so that’s why I say it’s good to know your dog.
If you are not planning on breeding your dogs – it is wise to get them spayed or neutered. It is best to ask your vet when the best time to spay your female but generally at 4 months of age is acceptable and will be before her first heat cycle. Some vets recommend you wait until the puppy is fully grown before spaying – so talk to your vet about spaying your female. For a male I’ve always heard 9 months. But I am reading now that a male can be neutered anytime after 8 weeks of age. Again talk to your vet and go by his recommendations.
Update: 12/20/10
After I sent out this newsletter I got several responses back from folks. One of the topics was when do you spay/neuter your dog. So I set about doing more research - talking to other breeders - and reading, reading, reading. What i found out is that it is best, for your dog, to wait until the dog is fully mature before spaying or neutering. That will be about when dog is 2 years old. There is a great article with information about this and if you do a seach for this topic - it comes up over and over and over. (The artlice) The article is written by: Laura J. Sanborn and it titled: The Long Term Health Effects of Spay/Neuter in Dogs Written in March 2007. Just click on the title and it will take you to that article.
Cindy McCord