Coco...first heat...help...urm?

cloudcandy

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#1
EEEEKKKKK.
So just came home to Coco now,been out for 2 1/2 hour's her little....thing looks a little pink,if not with a bit of blood on it.This morning I noticed her general area looked at little more swollen/pinker then usual.
There is a teeny blood stain from where she was napping whilst I was away.
I think she's on hear :S...That's what you call it right? :rolleyes:

So now I'm thinking...now what?I just wanted to check with everyone that my plan sound's correct...
-No off leash walking in the park.Should I even take her to the park?
-I'm looking after Alabama on Friday,is she going to be ok with other bitches?
-Go to the petshop tomorrow and get her some nappy's
-she will be not be allowed on the bed tonight sadly,is there anything else I can add to her crate to make her more comfortable.

Before I read the yes/no's around spaying I thought i would just get her spayed,but after reading all the health concern's I still haven't made her mind up.
I'm willing to do whatever I need to for however long this last's (? ) so if anyone could give me the big no no's etc.that would be great ;)
 

~Jessie~

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#2
Personally, I wouldn't take my dog to the park at all while they're in heat. The risk of a dog running up off leash and mounting her isn't worth it.

I prepared ahead of time with Emma and ordered her heat panties online. I cut up thin pads and stuck them inside of them, which worked really well as she barely bled.

Good luck! It's definitely not fun, but it will be over with soon.

Here's Emma giving me the dirtiest look for taking a picture lol:

 

stardogs

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#3
General rule of thumb is that heat lasts 3 weeks: 1 week coming in, one in "standing" heat where they are most receptive to breeding, and one week going out. This can vary, but it's a good starting point.

The biggest thing to keep in mind is that males are VERY persistent, so relying on fencing or human interference to dissuade one interested in breeding is not a good idea. Males, AND females, will scale fences, dig under fences, pull off panties, etc. to breed. Snipe was actually leash walking *inside* our fence until I was sure she wouldn't try scaling it initially.

If you take her on a walk it may be advisable to drive her to the park or walking path vs walking there so her scent trail doesn't lead the males to you door - we didn't walk Aeri or Snipe since we have a fenced yard and they could be 100% supervised while in heat, but as it was we had **5** different intact males checking out our property while both girls were in heat.

Some girls are really clean, so panties aren't always a must have - neither Snipe or Aeri had a problem keeping things clean without panties, though I do have some on hand just in case future heats are more obvious.

eta:
Some females do get snarkier with other dogs during heat, so just be aware of that when she's hanging out with her (female only) friends.

I did take my girls out and about while in heat, but carried Direct Stop (citronella spray) and constantly scanned so I could be aware of any dogs in the vicinity. It was still a risk, so you may want to avoid public walks if you can.

Even neutered males can tie with a female, so keep that in mind if you have any neutered males Coco plays with.
 

Gempress

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#4
I wouldn't take her anywhere she could possibly be near male dogs. No park, no walks. She can cause a dog riot, LOL. Even if she's safely on a leash and male dogs can't actually get to her, her scent and proximity could start fights among any intact male dogs nearby.
 

cloudcandy

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#5
Thank's guy's,I panicked a bit there and wrote all of that before calming down and remembering and goggling.
My apartment is very dog proof but my local park is FULL of dog's,poor Coco will have to stay at home whilst me and Alabama have alot of fun :(
Going to get the panties tomorrow,though I'm not sure if she will need them,she is generally very clean and so far it is a very small amount!
I'm going to keep her on a leash at all time's,and walk her in less dog populated place's.
 

~Jessie~

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#6
Emma barely needed the panties- she weighed less than 3lbs at that time, and was very clean. So I really wouldn't be surprised if you only used them to "model" on Coco. lol.
 

cloudcandy

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#7
That's what I'm thinking.Coco is 1.8 so,we'll see.It's a shame since my friend was going to lend me her old pair,that she only used on her pup once.However,she is now in Thailand for the next 3 weeks!Glad it happened now though,I don't have too much going on atm,and was worried it might happen when I went on holiday!
 

HayleyMarie

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#9
Would newborn baby diapers work or would they be too big?

I use Diapers of Teagan when her incontinace is bad. I just cut a whole where her tail would go. Its a hell of a lot cheaper than buying diapers from the petstore.
 

cloudcandy

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#10
@Jessie :) Thnks
@Hayley Oh they would be way to big :( unless they were for very very premature babies :S
 
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#11
Don't forget that you and Alabama are going to carry at least traces of Coco's scent, so it might be better to avoid the busiest dog times at the park. YOU or Alabama could start the riot -- or find yourself being sniffed and humped.
 

Emily

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#12
Don't forget that you and Alabama are going to carry at least traces of Coco's scent, so it might be better to avoid the busiest dog times at the park. YOU or Alabama could start the riot -- or find yourself being sniffed and humped.
We once had a male beagle at work who was getting WAY more attention than he should have been. Male dogs were drooling, chattering, licking him, and WOULD NOT leave him alone. It was so bizarre, and I kept asking if all the girls that day were spayed (they all were, except for my dog, who was def not in season).

A few weeks later, his owner told me that their Shih-Tzu had just finished her first heat cycle! :lol-sign: I was like, OH. MY. GOD. No wonder.

So yes, you WILL carry Coco's scent with you. I'd walk at less crowded times. ;)
 

Shai

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#13
A couple of things...

Remember that when the blood stops, she is not out of heat --the blood often decreases/stops for a bit when they are most fertile.

She may or may not get along with other dogs during this time. And, especially if they haven't been around intact adult dogs before, they may or may not get around with her.

My girl is neat so long as she's not on a mission. When sleeping soundly or when On A Mission, not so much. So she wears panties lined with a women's pantiliner. I just made them for her since most I found and liked were ~$30/pair...

Anyway good luck...Mira just came into heat Tuesday so I'm right there with ya... *sigh* :p
 

cloudcandy

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#14
Don't forget that you and Alabama are going to carry at least traces of Coco's scent, so it might be better to avoid the busiest dog times at the park. YOU or Alabama could start the riot -- or find yourself being sniffed and humped.
So yes, you WILL carry Coco's scent with you. I'd walk at less crowded times. ;)
Omg,I didn't even think about that!I think I'll just walk Alabama somewhere else and not the park!There is WAY too many dog's around during all time's of the day!

A couple of things...

Remember that when the blood stops, she is not out of heat --the blood often decreases/stops for a bit when they are most fertile.

She may or may not get along with other dogs during this time. And, especially if they haven't been around intact adult dogs before, they may or may not get around with her.

My girl is neat so long as she's not on a mission. When sleeping soundly or when On A Mission, not so much. So she wears panties lined with a women's pantiliner. I just made them for her since most I found and liked were ~$30/pair...

Anyway good luck...Mira just came into heat Tuesday so I'm right there with ya... *sigh* :p
She has pantie's now :D I had to go get any old pair,which are these black one's,not very attractive.I'll get a pic up tonight,but right now she is asleep inside the BF's dressing gown!
Last night she was SO insulted that she was not allowed on the bed,I think it was harder on me than her though,she settled down quickly.

I'm not sure what to expect with mood,today she slept pretty much all day.Apart from a walk round to my nan's and potty break's she seem's most content to sleep on my BF.Will her mood change over the cycle?

In term's of timing,since she went into heat yesterday will she be safe to be free again in exactly 3 week's?
 

AdrianneIsabel

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#15
No, my females first heat lasted a month and she literally bled the whole time. This one, her second, was about 3 weeks and she only bled about 2 weeks.

Honestly during her heat we still went to training, the park (to play ball, we never go to dog parks), to my work, and out and about. Her life wasn't about to just stop because she was in heat. We were as we always are very careful about strange dogs getting too close and we never left her alone unsupervised outside of our house/her crate.

My own male lost his poor mind for 2 of those weeks and the 3rd was rough this time but on her first heat he barely noticed. Also, no outside dogs really seemed to care that much except after she was done our training directors malinois started flirting pretty heavily, he was a bit late to the game.

Just be careful, supervise constantly when not in a secure area, and keep her clean and happy. You'll get through this. :)
 

Shai

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#16
Mira still sleeps on the bed when she's in heat, just wearing her panties. Hasn't been an issue, no spots on the bed. Only problem is that she gets super suddly so instead of sleeping at the foot she tends to creep up and try to crawl inside my skin lol.

Whether her mood changes, well that's depend on her. Mira's doesn't really...I still run her at group agility during her heat and her focus is still good. I wouldn't take her to class or anything but a couple friends getting together to play in a safe area and with them forewarned...not a problem. Other people an't work their dogs in heat because they go ompletely scatter brained or snarky. It's hard to say.

As for the rest, just watch her. With Mira and a lot of dogs it's pretty obvious when they ome out of heat because the swelling subsides and they stop flagging everything. I gave it a couple extra days to be safe and gave her a good path to get some of the scent knocked down so she wasn't a walking billboard lol. Some people take them out as soon as they think they are done but I prefer to err on the side of aution and give it a few days. Last time I think we ended up around 4 weeks but that was her first so hopefully this one will be a touch faster.
 

Shai

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#17
Oh and ugly panties are good lol...you won't forget to take them off when you take her outside. Nothing like having to wash them because you forgot and the poor dog tried to pee while wearing them...lol
 

cloudcandy

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#18
No, my females first heat lasted a month and she literally bled the whole time. This one, her second, was about 3 weeks and she only bled about 2 weeks.

Honestly during her heat we still went to training, the park (to play ball, we never go to dog parks), to my work, and out and about. Her life wasn't about to just stop because she was in heat. We were as we always are very careful about strange dogs getting too close and we never left her alone unsupervised outside of our house/her crate.

My own male lost his poor mind for 2 of those weeks and the 3rd was rough this time but on her first heat he barely noticed. Also, no outside dogs really seemed to care that much except after she was done our training directors malinois started flirting pretty heavily, he was a bit late to the game.

Just be careful, supervise constantly when not in a secure area, and keep her clean and happy. You'll get through this. :)
Thank you!I was getting worried at the prospect of no walk's,as she loves those walks!Today she seem's a bit knocked out though.I'm sure tomorow with Alabama round she'll have some fun!

Mira still sleeps on the bed when she's in heat, just wearing her panties. Hasn't been an issue, no spots on the bed. Only problem is that she gets super suddly so instead of sleeping at the foot she tends to creep up and try to crawl inside my skin lol.

Whether her mood changes, well that's depend on her. Mira's doesn't really...I still run her at group agility during her heat and her focus is still good. I wouldn't take her to class or anything but a couple friends getting together to play in a safe area and with them forewarned...not a problem. Other people an't work their dogs in heat because they go ompletely scatter brained or snarky. It's hard to say.

As for the rest, just watch her. With Mira and a lot of dogs it's pretty obvious when they ome out of heat because the swelling subsides and they stop flagging everything. I gave it a couple extra days to be safe and gave her a good path to get some of the scent knocked down so she wasn't a walking billboard lol. Some people take them out as soon as they think they are done but I prefer to err on the side of aution and give it a few days. Last time I think we ended up around 4 weeks but that was her first so hopefully this one will be a touch faster.
Thanks!I may keep her off the bed again tonight,not only because of her heat but also because the BF has man flu,it's not very comfortable with a spluttering man and a tiny dog that still manages to take up all the space!This weekend though I reckon she'll sleep with us!

I'll keep you all updated,thanks so much for the advice,it's so exciting to see her growing up :)
 
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#19
Soooooooooooooo,when is her heat over?When can I safely take her too the park?
It's been 17 day's since her first bleed,it lasted approx. maybe a week.
 

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