Early signs of first heat

[Vlad76]

After a long and careful weighing of all pros and cons, I decided not to spay my Honey (she's 5 months in few days) and when conditions allow, will attempt at one litter few years down the road.

 

Now the practical question: Aside from he obvious and visible discharge, is there a way to discern she started the heat cycle (so we can engage all house adjustments) ?

 

My best guess at this point is that her vulva will swell, and since her favourite position is legs up, this should be relatively easy to notice (I presume).

 

As per the theory, during first stage (~9 days ?), she allegedly won't allow other dogs to mate. I don't much care for carpets stained (can be cleaned), though some bitches get diarrhea at the same time (so I heard), so this might be more challenging, but it's just ~1 week.

 

The second stage (6-12 days ?) has reduced discharge, but apparently she would allow to mate. How do you walk her outside safely at that time ? She's getting bigger and while I can still carry her comfortably in my arms (she's only 30 pounds now), I don't think she'll fit to my arms, if her first cycle will be around 10-12 months of age and she's 60 pounds (but I might be wrong). Plus, it might be darn impossible, to hold her in arms, while hormons strike, and she sees a mate. Note that it's not the weight (60 pounds is not heavy), but rather the overall dimensions of Husky - a smaller volume of space is obviously easier to contain

While I'm Big&Tall&Strong and have carried 50-pound dogs in arms before, some YT videos of how bitches behave in heat suggest this technique (if in danger, take her to arms to make her inaccessible for mating and quickly leave), will not work. Suggestions ?

 

Walks in park in heat are out of the question, as are longer walks, but even a 5-minute walk entails meeting anywhere between 2-5 dogs (other than at 5am, which I'm planning for, but evenings will be challenging). Ideas ?

[spoiled62912]

Mine had her first cycle at 6 months. She gets kinda bitchy to other dogs around heat time especially in the first stage. Second is diapers. Washable versions with replaceable pads are the way to go. As far as walking her it's no different than normal. I generally keep her away from the other dogs unless they both want to play. And 9 times out of 10 mine jumps into my arms anyway. She's around 42lbs all growed up. I would also suggest a harness for walking and bathroom breaks if you don't have one already.

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[Vlad76]

Wow, 6 months. That's as fast as it gets (as per theory, at least). So, potentially, next month for us.

 

As for walking, there's quite a lot of bigger dogs around (think: 60-90 pounds)around the area that run off leash, two weeks ago, one bulldog ran at her and scared the hell out of her - had to take her to arms, and walk home, even though he just wanted to play. She was still freaking out even in my arms, as he was jumping up...

 

If she was in heat, that would be a different matter altogether! As for the harness, we tried 2, but still need to find a better one, so leash is still a primary option for now.

I did figure out a safe way how to use leash few weeks ago - I put the leash on my arm as far as it goes, make one round around forearm, and it's hands-free (though, she might break my arm, once she's 10-20 pounds heavier, so temporarily, it's an acceptable risk for me).

 

You mentioned diapers - but  does she wear them like, 24/7 (excluding bathroom breaks) during first stage ? Must be very uncomfortable to sleep in it, no ?

 

EDIT: yours is beautiful color, BTW !

[BingBlaze n Skyla]

She might go off her food or want more , be less or more cuddly n seeking attention too or want to be left alone , I would try n walk later then normal if possible to avoid other dogs especially offlead ones

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[robke]

if you do not want to spay why not try chemical spaying last for as long as you want it without the hassle...have a chat with your vet..

[spoiled62912]

Wow, 6 months. That's as fast as it gets (as per theory, at least). So, potentially, next month for us.
 
As for walking, there's quite a lot of bigger dogs around (think: 60-90 pounds)around the area that run off leash, two weeks ago, one bulldog ran at her and scared the hell out of her - had to take her to arms, and walk home, even though he just wanted to play. She was still freaking out even in my arms, as he was jumping up...
 
If she was in heat, that would be a different matter altogether! As for the harness, we tried 2, but still need to find a better one, so leash is still a primary option for now.
I did figure out a safe way how to use leash few weeks ago - I put the leash on my arm as far as it goes, make one round around forearm, and it's hands-free (though, she might break my arm, once she's 10-20 pounds heavier, so temporarily, it's an acceptable risk for me).
 
You mentioned diapers - but  does she wear them like, 24/7 (excluding bathroom breaks) during first stage ? Must be very uncomfortable to sleep in it, no ?
 
EDIT: yours is beautiful color, BTW !

Yes 24/7 other than bathroom breaks. And her first heat cycle was kicked off by another female.

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Also sometimes she will going into heat and not leak.

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[Vlad76]

1 hour ago, BingBlaze n Skyla said:

She might go off her food or want more , be less or more cuddly n seeking attention too or want to be left alone

How do you know my Honey so well ?!?

 

 

 

This is exactly how she is normally :- ))))))

 

But, I'll post my findings, once the heat hits

1 hour ago, robke said:

if you do not want to spay why not try chemical spaying last for as long as you want it without the hassle...have a chat with your vet..

Interesting idea. Haven't come across this one, actually, so I'll go research it a bit. Thanks! I'm seeing vet next week, so this is good timing.

 

Generally, I want to avoid chemicals as much as possible (outside of innoculations, of course). My concern here would be, how do we know these things don't cause genetic birth defects ? I doubt dogs are that well researched in this arena (but I could be wrong here). As long as there's nothing visually obvious, who would know otherwise, right ?

[BingBlaze n Skyla]

Lol , you'll probably notice it being a bit more extreme then her normal behaviour

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[Vlad76]

1 hour ago, spoiled62912 said:

And her first heat cycle was kicked off by another female.

 

 

Wait, what ?

 

Also sometimes she will going into heat and not leak.

 

Isn't that generally regarded as a minor leak, but invisible due to extensive licking by the dog ?

 

Generally, I'm hoping that the leak will be the hint/confirmation that she's in heat. I'd hate to find out when she's being humped (just because she's either super clean or really leaks minimally)...

3 minutes ago, BingBlaze n Skyla said:

Lol , you'll probably notice it being a bit more extreme then her normal behaviour

Honestly, the first 3 months - each month her behavior is vastly different. I literally see changes on a weekly basis. I often wonder when will things stabilize, not that I want it - I'd love her to be as crazy as she was when she was 8 weeks old

Last 3 weeks, she's less playful than 3-4 weeks ago (though still loves to bite ).

 

But when she is, she can sure demand it

[spoiled62912]

Honestly, the first 3 months - each month her behavior is vastly different. I literally see changes on a weekly basis. I often wonder when will things stabilize, not that I want it - I'd love her to be as crazy as she was when she was 8 weeks old [emoji4]
Last 3 weeks, she's less playful than 3-4 weeks ago (though still loves to bite [emoji4] ).
 
But when she is, she can sure demand it [emoji4]

Ya my brothers dog which is a female and lived with us too got her going. After the first heat cycle they've hated each other since.

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