Puppy's first heat - is it always obvious?

[melb100]

Have done a bit of reading up on various symptoms but I wanted to check: it will be obvious when Aggie (6 month lurcher) comes into her first season... won't it?

We wondered if she was coming in early at around 5 months as a couple of male dogs were trying to bonk her head (plus one who had the right idea and went for the bum). But only a small minority (3-4) of dogs we encounter seem interested, mostly huskies. So maybe those huskies are just more randy??

She does seem to sometimes be "flirting" by showing off her bum sometimes. However thee's been no sign of discharge, swollen vulva, aggression to/ from female dogs, clinginess, etc.

We're going for 6 month check up next week but not sure if we will be allowed in the speak to the vet. (I think last lockdown you just handed your dog in through a hatch!). We'll take a list of questions on paper just in case but - is it possible she could be coming into heat and not displaying all the signs / only some dogs interested? Is there one thing that tends to be THE thing we should look out for? How will we know when its time to keep her on the lead?

 

[excuseme]

I would say 5 months is extremely early (still a puppy and still growing).

I have had bitches for 50 years and they are all different.

Blood is usually the first sign, swelling does not always come first, some swell a lot and others hardly at all, some are very clean and never leave any mess and others are just dirty, filthy things that think it is above themselves to lick and clean their own vulva.

If I suspect a girl is coming into season I use a white tissue and on a regular basis wipe her vulva to see if there is any bloody colour at all. I do this especially after she has had a nap and before she has been awake long enough to quickly clean herself.

Does your girl spend a lot of time checking and cleaning herself more than usual at the moment, this could be an early sign.

Please don't be persuaded into spaying your girl too young, she needs to mature bodily and mentally first and certainly not before at least 1 season/heat.

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[Hemlock]

Posted at the same time!

Heats vary, especially first heats. Usually lurchery types don't come in heat until a year old or more, though you can never say 'never'. Signs vary from bitch to bitch and from season to season. There are no 'always happens'. It would be so much easier for us if there were!
Other dogs showing an interest can be due to their development rather than hers, or she could be maturing inside and so giving off interesting scents. If any dog at any time gets pushy round her back end, haul it off, or better still, block its access and send it on its way. Same if it tries to hump her head. Proper male/female breeding interaction is usually very polite (I used to own a stud dog, and have bred a few litters over the years using other people's studs).

Be aware that castrated dogs can still mate and tie, and it is not good for dog or bitch.

Some vets are very knowledgeable about seasons, and some only know the theory. If yours has bred litters, all well and good, but some of them do come out with inaccurate 'facts' so be careful.

 

[melb100]

Thanks both that is super useful. She has started being a bit more interested in cleaning / licking at the moment but we hadn’t seen any sign of discharge or swelling. That is a great tip about the tissue & will deffo use that.

I know strong feelings about spaying; we are not planning to do it until after at least first season- Main worry after the huskies interest was if she runs off lead and gets “caught” with us not realising get she’s in season - definitely don’t want a litter or any potential health issues with a teenage mum thanks very much Aggie!!