LoveToKnow Dogs:AllComments

From LoveToKnow Dogs

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Hi Carol, and welcome to the site.

Yes, having a litter can have an effect on how soon a dog comes into heat the next time. If the litter took a lot out of your dog, you can expect her next cyle to be delayed. If it was a small litter and your dog didn't lose too much weight, she may come into heat again in about 4-5 months. All you can really do is wait and see.

Thanks for your question. :)

-- Contributed by: Kelly

Does having a litter of puppies affect the timing of her next heat cycle. Will she come into heat 4 months after her litter or will it be 6 months from the birth.

-- Contributed by: Carol Broyles

Hi Laura,

I'm doubtful that your female is coming into heat every month. Your own male would react if that were the case. Additionally, the typical heat cycle is about three weeks long, so that would put your female in heat nearly all the time. That said, your next door family's dogs may simply react to your pet because she's a female and she isn't part of their pack. It's more likely a case of the other dogs needing more training to help control their behavior. Do keep a close watch on your female to be sure she isn't having extra cycles because that would be an issue to take up with your vet. However, I don't think her cycles are an issue.

Thanks for your question. :)

-- Contributed by: Kelly

my mother, brother, and sister in law, all claim that my female huskey/wolf mix comes in heat every month. But I keep her in the house and I have only seen her come in every six to eight months. They do not live in the same house but next door, they all have males, I also have a male that lives in the house with my female. My male only reacts to her when she is in heat every six to eight months, but my family's seems to think that their males react every month. They blame it on my dog and says she is in heat more often than she is. Can you help explain why they might think this. Is it possible for her to be in season more often without my male noticing even though he is not fixed, and lives in the same house as her, when theirs don't?

-- Contributed by: laura

Hi Kristen,

Your female really shouldn't be in season again so soon, but there might be something about her hormone levels that your male finds attractive. Could it be possible that she's pregnant? She might only be carrying a pup or two if she doesn't look much different from normal, and the two month time frame would be about right. Even if your dog isn't pregnant, it might be a good idea to have your vet do a blood draw to assess your female's hormone levels. This is especially important if you plan to use her in a breeding program in the future.

Thanks for your question. :)

-- Contributed by: Kelly

Hi! I have a 1 year old mini labradoodle, she just went through a heat cycle 2 months ago. My stud is now following her around like crazy. I am not noticing any physical or behavioral changes. Is it possible that she is cycling again so soon?

-- Contributed by: Kristen

Hi Linda,

What you're observing may be related to a bowel infection. The best thing you can do is collect a sample of the bloody stool for analysis and make an appointment with your vet right away. Blood in the stools can lead to anemia, and Yorkies are quite delicate so make the call right away.

Best wishes for your dog's health.

-- Contributed by: Kelly

My little Yorkie came in heat about two months ago at a year old. When she started to come in she had a terrible bloody stool, like red diahrea. Is this normal because now she has started doing it again with the bloody stool. We thought maybe it was her diet as she did eat a small amt of turkey yesterday. She has had a loose stool for about three days. But now it is real bloody. Should I be worried. She acts fine. Thanks

-- Contributed by: Linda

Hello,

Yes, stress can certainly disrupt the heat cycle pattern. Does your female usually come into heat every six months? If so, she's just a little late. However, if the December heat was just her first heat cycle, there's a chance she could be one of those dogs that only comes into heat once a year.

I would continue to observe her, and let your vet know about the situation if she fails to come in heat within a year from the last cycle.

Thanks for your question.

-- Contributed by: Kelly

my girl came into heat last dec, 21 its july 5 should she be in heat now? She has been nervous due to the roofers on the roof, and then the fireworks, Could stress cause a dog to completly miss their heat cycle? thanks

-- Contributed by: heat cycle

Hi Amanda,

Your vet can advise whether or not this is a false heat by taking smears to check for ovulation. Under the cir...stances, I'd assume it's a fertile cycle and separate your dogs if you want to avoid a litter.

Thanks for your question, and best wishes.

-- Contributed by: Kelly

My female is in heat 2 months earlier than she is suppose to be. She is swollen and was bleeding, but now its a tan discharge and she is letting my male mount her. Do they have false heats or is she really in heat early?

-- Contributed by: Amanda

Hi Les,

Yes, this is completely normal, and you can expect it to last until your female is fully out of heat. After that, your male's behavior will calm down and return to normal.

Thanks for your question. :)

-- Contributed by: Kelly

We have a female lab in heat and her son that live with us in the house.The female sleeps in our room in an open crate and the male in the living room in his. The male over the last few days eats very little and I can hear him making vocal noises all night. Is it normal for male to react this way when there is a female in hear in the same house?

-- Contributed by: Les

My female started sweling last week and leaking a tan discharge from private area we took her to breed with a male and she was fine until he tried to mount her that was thursday and today sunday she looks bigger back there and is still leaking but stil she will not let him mount her. What can I do in this situation and it is her 2nd heat we skiped her fist like our vet said to do???

Hi Samantha,

You can ask your vet to take smears in order to determine if your bitch is beginning to ovulate. If you prefer not to go this route, just keep introducing her to the male each day to see if she is finally willing to accept him.

Thanks for your question, and I hope the breeding works out for you.

-- Contributed by: Samantha

My female shih tzu just have 5puppies 4 weeks ago and she now in heat again( I think)bloody discharge from her vagina. The male are so crazy and try to mate with her. Do you think that posible?. The female heating cicle are every 6m and she is 3 years old in coming May2008.

Hi Kim,

It's still early for your bitch to have her next cycle, and there's a possibility that this renewed bleeding is related to her recent delivery. My best advice is to keep those males away from her, even if you have to confine them. You also need to take your bitch to the vet and let him/her examine her to make sure this is not a problem with her uterus.

Best wishes for a safe and happy outcome.

-- Contributed by: Kim

My female came in to her first heat. I noticed the bleeding on February 2nd. I noticed her vulva began to swell on the 4th. On February 12th my male became extremely interested and now he is "psycho." My question is this: will he be "psycho" until she completely finishes her cycle (about 1.5 more weeks) or will he become less interested before then? Hope this makes sense.

Hi Sarah,

I understand exactly what you're saying. Unfortunately, male males stay at high pitch from this point until the heat cycle is completely finished, so keep on your toes or you might wind up with a litter. I'd also recommend you give your bitch a thorough bath at the end of her season to remove any lingering scent that would continue to aggravate your male.

Best wishes that things calm down soon.

-- Contributed by: sarah

Hi, I have bred and raised several different quality breeds in the past and recently fell in love with the Shih Tzu breed. We have two females and one male. A year ago we bred both females with a very beautiful male shih tzu. And both of our females misscarried! (Note: they are not related) Both females have come into heat again. Our new male, 2 years old, has never sired a litter of puppies yet and does not seem to be interested in the females at all, we've never seen this behavior before. We were curious to know if it is just the breed? Or what may be the problem! We're stumped!

Hi Krissy,

Shih Tzus were my main breed for many years, and I can tell you that both of my champion studs would not attempt to breed a bitch naturally, nor would another male I was showing for a client. I suspect that this is somewhat common in this breed, although there are certainly Shih Tzu studs that know how to get the job done.

There is also the fact that your male is two years old and never been bred before. Many breeders feel that a male will lose some of the basic breeding instincts if you wait this long to use him. Most studs are started between 12 and 18 months old.

Under the circumstances, my suggestion is that you ask your vet to help you with artificially inseminating your bitches. This is a very viable alternative to a natural breeding, and I have found it to be very successful in producing litters.

Good luck!

-- Contributed by: Krissy

Hello, I have a toy poodle who came into her first heat at 13 months old. I wanted to know if this was normal. I have talked to her breeder and she said that her mother also did start around that time. Will she continue to have her heat cycle at about once year or will the time frame become smaller? Thank you.

Hi Andrea,

Yes, this is normal, but to detrmine your bitch's normal cycling period, you have to see if she comes in again in six months or a year.

Thanks!

-- Contributed by: Andrea

hello, i have a female bulldog who will be one dec 28th... she hasnt come into heat yet.. ive been waiting and expecting it to happen but it hasnt come yet... she has been humping my male dog and trying to mount him for about 2 months now, once she started doing that i thought she would have come into heat at anytime... but no luck... my male dog isnt even interested in her that way...lately he started licking her down there but that is it.. should i be concerned?? what should i do? if she had a "silent" heat shouldnt my male english bulldog have picked up on it???

Expert Reply

Hi Sandie,

Some bitches have a difficult time fully coming into season that first time. Your male's interest might mean that she is almost there. I wouldn't rely on the humping as anything other than a display of dominance.

I wouldn't worry about the situation too much. If she doesn't come into full season within the next six months, you can ask your vet to examine her and make sure everything is okay.

Thanks for your question.

-- Contributed by: Sandie

my Samoyed female is on her cycle but she is very relaxed and calm however my Rotweiller who 2yrs old seesm to be in the heat, he is breeding conpulsively, have broken chains and doors just to get close to the female also the bark is unbearable at night when i put him on the cage is there anythig i can give him to calm down and leave the female alone?

Expert Reply

Hi Suzi,

Only your female is in heat, your male is simply reacting to it. In the past, I have recommended that owners of dogs that are having such a strong reaction to the bitch's heat cycle try to have their male stay at a friend or relative's house. Once the dog is away from the scent, he settles down nicely. This would only be a temporary situation, since the heat will be over in just a few weeks.

Thanks for your question, and I hope you find this suggestion helpful.

-- Contributed by: Suzi

My question is at what age does a female dog have her first heat . I thought at 6 months . But my shepherd is 8 months old and has not had her first yet is this normal.Thanks

Expert Reply

Hi Eric,

No, it's not unusual that your dog hasn't had her first season yet. Six months old is really just a ball park figure.

Large breeds take longer to mature, and some of these bitches don't have their first heat cycle until around 18 months old.

I wouldn't worry about anything at this point, but you might want to have her checked out if she hasn't had her first heat cycle before she's two years old. My hunch is that she probably will.

Thanks for your question.

-- Contributed by: Eric

Hi Sarah,

Yes, any disturbance in the hormonal cycle can throw off the regularity of a bitch's heat. Once she finishes this heat cycle she should resume a fairly regular schedule, barring any more false pregnancies.

Thanks for your question.

-- Contributed by: Kelly

hi,our bull mastiff bitch was 2 july 7th,she has twice yearly heats,one of her presents for her birthday was a rubber toy which she decided was her new baby!she then went on to have a phantom pregnancy,her next heat was due in November but she has just come into season again,could the phantom pregnancy have messed up her cycle? Thanks Sarah

-- Contributed by: kelly

Hi Karen,

If she's having seasons like clockwork, then she doesn't need the shots. Also, silent heats can produce eggs, it's just more difficult knowing when to breed. My advice would be to skip the shots, but take her in for a vet exam. Sometimes silent heats are just one of many symptoms for a thyroid problem. Not that your dog has one, but it's worth investigating.

If she receives a clean bill of health, watch her closely when it's time for her next season. If needed, your vet can perform an artificial insemination.

-- Contributed by: Kelly

hi kelly, what can be done with a bitch who has silent heats and what causes them in a young bitch 2 to 3 years of age, do you recommend a shot to induce a season, is this worth chasing? if given a shot to jump start her seasons, even though she is like clock work every 6 months, will this shot make the next season a viable one? all of her sisters and mother have normal heat cycles and have all been bred and have had sound healthy litters. i am at a loss of what to do. i await your advice, kind regards karen

-- Contributed by: karen
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