What are the symptoms of a silent heat?

I'm wondering now if Kaia was actually coming into season or not, or if she was just stressed.

Two weeks ago on Tuesday, Strider got obsessed with tonguing the floor where she was laying (after she got up) and actually tried to mount her in the living room. He's not a humper, especially in the house so I thought she was coming into season.

But, she had zero discharge. Her lady parts look the same. I've been wiping her every day with a tissue since she was a puppy, and there has never been any discharge. She hasn't bled or had any color, since there hasn't been any discharge to have color.

She did go off food the same day Strider acted weird, and was all sicky for about a week. Now she's fine again.

To make things more complicated, the exact day Strider went all weird and tried to mount her was the day we moved out of our old house. Could it all have been stress related?

Do they have any discharge at all on a silent heat? If it is a silent heat, how long does it last? How do I know when it's finished? Does the vulva still swell and stuff?

Aargh! I am so confused and there's not a lot of info on the net about silent heats except that they don't bleed.

ETA: strider only acted weird that one day, and has been fine ever since. He still tries to smell her bottom but that's normal. I supervised them in the living room a couple of times but he hasn't tried mounting her at all, or tonguing the floor or anything.

You wake up one morning and realize your dogs nipples are really big compared to normal and her sides are more filled out and the vulva looks like a mango. You take her to the vet, he feels around and discovers that she is pregnant. Well,
that was my experience with Cleo's silent heat. It was very silent, by the time we figured out Cleo was in heat, the deed had already been done.

^^ this. Basically, that's why they call it a silent heat. There are no signs. You realize later that it has happened, either by an oops (or near oops) breeding, or a normal heat at the next regularly scheduled time.

Aww man. So does that mean she can't play with Strider and has to potty on a leash for the next 7 months to a year until she has visible one and I know it's over?

Silent heats aren't normal cycles anyway (time wise). That's part of the way they 'sneak up' on you ... just go about your business and keep an eye out.

*worries slightly*
*is very glad Tyr can't figure out which end to hump*
*is fairly sure there will be no puppies as long as Tyr keeps aiming for Nyx's shoulder*

I always thought they came in place of a visible heat cycle. Glad to learn otherwise.

A silent heat is one where the symptoms are not always visible. They can happen early, or late, or at the normal time. Some females are also not as visible in their symptoms though not completely "silent", they may still exhibit some of the behaviors we link to them being in season and some others may not be seen at all or they may be muted until they are barely noticeable for what they are. Males will still react though because they can still smell the change, so IMO the best sign of a heat cycle is almost always going to be an intact male, or some "studly" neutered males. I know my male is usually the one who points out that my female is in season as she doesn't swell or behave much differently at all for the first week or so.

Mary had a silent heat at 5 months. Mary was very pg by the time she was 6 months. No one knew that anything had been going on. Mom tried to say it was a false pg. i said false ones don't kick. There was no off behavior by any dogs, not neighbors or visiting.

I agree with Husky - the intact boys know better than ANYONE! It may be silent, but there's enough there for them to know! Several of my boys would start to pay attention to the girls several weeks before they showed any visible signs of heat.

Yeah, I just wish my intact male was more reliable for that information...he acts like Nyx is in heat year round.

That would be my mom's boy ... ALL girls, intact or not, are of great interest to him ...