Sooner or later, the bitch is in heat. For some owners, this natural process becomes a real "natural disaster". However, don't panic. It is quite possible to survive the heat of a pet without compromising cleanliness and your own nerves.
The first estrus, or puddle, occurs in a dog at the age of 8-12 months. This age is individual and depends on the breed. Generally, small breed dogs develop and mature faster. There may be some deviations from these dates, but if the first estrus began earlier than 8 months or it does not exist even at 15 months, then you should immediately contact your veterinarian.
Even if you intend to breed or just have puppies at least once, you should never knit a bitch for the first time. The fact is that the body has not yet fully formed, early pregnancy and childbirth can cause significant damage to a young animal. In the Russian Kennel Federation there is an official age limit for first mating. Dogs of small breeds are allowed to mate from 15 months of age, medium and large - not earlier than 18 months.
The flow usually occurs once every 6 months, although there are individuals in whom this process repeats after 8-9 months, or even after a year. This is quite normal and even convenient for many owners. If you are going to regularly breed puppies, then remember that you cannot mate a bitch in every estrus, the optimal period of rest after giving birth and feeding the puppies is a year, and after a complicated pregnancy or caesarean section - at least two years.
The duration of the emptying is 18-21 days. Deviations of 2-3 days are also acceptable. However, if you are in heat for more than 30 days, rush to see your veterinarian. The first puddle is not yet an indicator of the character of the subsequent ones. The cycle in an animal can be established for 2-3 flows.
In the first 1-9 days, the discharge is scanty and bloody, the vulva (loop) looks swollen, but dense to the touch. The dog is already characterized by a playful mood, however, the dog will not let him in. She is not ready for mating these days. On days 10-16, the color of the discharge changes to yellowish-pink, the bitch takes her tail in front of the dog or simply if you stroke her on the rump. During this period the bitch is ready for mating. It is impossible to say with absolute certainty which days in this interval are most favorable for conception. It happens that breeders have been trying to mate an animal for years, but they cannot guess the very day. But it is better to choose not the first and not the last day of ovulation. Knitting should usually be repeated after 1–2 days. If you are not planning puppies, then be especially vigilant these days. But by 17-21 days the amount of discharge disappears, the dog stops letting the males.
Regardless of whether you need offspring in this pushover, keep your eyes on the dog. Walk her only on a leash and preferably away from walking areas where there are usually many dogs. On any day of estrus, unnecessary anxiety is not needed neither for you, nor for your pet, nor for other people's males. In addition, even the most exemplary and obedient dog can completely forget about all commands, habits and rush wherever they look. It is at this time that dogs very often run away from home or fall under the wheels. If the dog walks in the courtyard of a private house, you can be a little calmer, but carefully examine and close all the holes in the fence, believe me, the bitch overpowered by instincts and the neighbor's dog, burning with desire, the hole in the fence is not an obstacle. And the netting, from which aviaries are often made, may not save at all. If you have a dog, place the animals in different rooms for the entire duration of the empty space and walk strictly separately from each other.
As far as cleanliness is concerned, a dog will of course stain furniture if allowed to sit on a chair or sofa. If you begin to prohibit and scold only during this period, the animal simply will not understand what they want from her. The carpet can be rolled up during heat, the sofa and the seat in the car can be covered with a blanket, which is not too bad to get dirty. You can use special fabric panties that you can buy at the pet store. There are 6 sizes of panties, for different breeds, all the necessary information is given on the packaging. True, it is better to put them on the dog not for the whole day. And do not forget, they will not save you from accidental mating on a walk. The bitch licks the noose on her own, these are natural hygiene measures, do not forbid her to do this.
But hormonal drugs that interrupt estrus or an already onset pregnancy should be used only in the most extreme cases, for example, a trip to a large exhibition, where there are inevitably many dogs and the money for which, in case of refusal to participate, is too late to return. But if you have your own car or even just a pet carrier, then estrus is not a problem either. You can keep the dog there most of the time and bring it only to the ring, where it is naturally compared with individuals of the same sex, or even arrange for an expert to evaluate the animal individually.
Do not forget about the large number of contraindications for taking hormones. If the dog has not yet given birth, especially if it has its first piddler, forget about these drugs altogether! In any case, consult your veterinarian. And if you never intend to have puppies and estrus is just a regular "headache" for you, consider maybe spaying your dog.
