# First Season - What to expect?



## Ducky (Nov 23, 2008)

Thought this might be the best place to ask 

Skye is my first ever bitch so the whole "season" thing is completely new to me.
So basically I am just looking for some information about what the first signs are that she may be coming into season. 

From what age can seasons first appear? She is currently 4.5months old. 
Should I be looking for changes in behaviour? Or is swelling more likely to be a first sign?

I know it will be different for all dogs, but is there a lot of bleeding and how many days does it generally last? Am I right in thinking a full season is around 3weeks?
Does anyone use those pants or do you generally just clean up after the dog? Though I believe they do tend to clean themselves quite well.

Also, when I was at the vets she said that i had to wait around 3months until she was able to be spayed and that I should count the days. Is this from the beginning or end of her 3weeks?

Sorry for all the questions, but any more info would be appreciated


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## sid&kira (Oct 15, 2009)

kira came in season about 7 months old, her 1st signs were, licking a lot and a bit of swelling and clear discharge 

she did bleed a lot and she was very messy, she wouldnt clean up after herself and even had blood on her back paws and we had to clean it off because she wouldnt! lol. never bothered to get the nappy things, tho i know someone who does. and i know someone else who came up with a cheaper alternative, they got a pair of mens boxer shorts and put them on backwards so the tail poked out of the fly  lol

not sure about the date of spaying, but yea the seasons are roughly 3 weeks


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## emmisoli (Mar 30, 2009)

it depends on the breed etc as to when they will have their first season, Larger breeds being alot later (9 months to up to 2 years!) 3 weeks is generally the length, but I always wait an extra week before letting my bitch and male together even though I know she will stand on day 15 -16 I still like to err on the side of caution  I feel that you would benefit from reading a book called the book of the bitch you can buy it here although you may not be planning on breeding from your bitch, this book also has alot of valuable information for novice bitch owners.
I have never used the pants as my bitch tends to be very clean (she is a large breed) with short fur so don't have any issues here.
usually you would spey the bitch mid way through seasons although I would be more inclined to wait till she is a bit older and not have it done after her first one, but that is just my personal choice, other people may say different.
The first sign I notice is that my boy will pay her alot more attention than usual about 2-3 weeks before hand, then low and behold the swelling starts and boy does it swell  I usually use a tissue to test for colour and usually this confirms it


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## Dundee (Oct 20, 2008)

The time of a first season can vary enormously anytime between 6 and 18 months is perfectly normal. It may worth asking your breeder when the dam had her first season as this can be passed on. The first season is often lighter then subsequent seasons too.

About a fortnight before other dogs may become interested in her. She will start to wee more frequently, maybe even marking. Her vulva will often swell a little, peaking at the height of her season bit starting a good few days before she starts. Not all bitches are text book, so she may show some or none of these symptoms. It may be worth putting a white sheet on her bed, that way you will notice when she comes in. You can also do the tissue test - ideally first thing - some bitches are very good at keeping themselves clean and it is hard to spot.

The season itself lasts between 3 and 4 weeks. During the season the bitch ovulates for around 2 -5 days - this is when she will be most receptive to males and when she can get pregnant. Most bitches ovulate somewhere between 10 and 16 days, but again, they vary and can be earlier or later than this. You will often see signs, her discharge may become lighter or clearer, her vulva may be more swollen and she is likely to be very keen to mate, flicking her tail to the side if you touch her rear end etc. 

Walking during a season is a fairly contentious issue, but ideally an in season bitch should not be walked while in season. She can get all the exercise she needs in your garden, but make sure you never leave her alone in the garden - only allow her out supervised. Dogs will be able to smell her from some distance and they have been known to scale high fences to get to an in season bitch. By taking her out, not only are you risking her, but you will also be risking dog owners whose dogs could take off after her scent with disasterous consquences.
If you have to take her out, only do so in the first and last week of her season, have her on lead all the time and take her somewhere where other dog walkers will not be (I take mine to a local industrial estate in first week) and either very early or late.

They have seasons approx every 6 months (give or take) and will cycle throughout their lives (they don't have a menopause). There is a high risk of pyometra in older bitches.
HTH


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## WaveRider (Sep 8, 2009)

Also be aware of a phantom pregnancy with a bitch. If this happens it usually occurs 4 - 12 weeks after they have been on heat.


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## sequeena (Apr 30, 2009)

Sky came into season at 9 months. She gave no indication that she was in season until she was bleeding all over my wooden flooring  I did notice that as her season went on she became more clingy, a bit grumpy and a lot more whiney! Oh and when she spotted a male dog through the window she turned into a tart!!!!

I just cleaned up after her, didn't bother with putting pants on her or anything


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## Jazzy (Apr 15, 2009)

Ducky said:


> Thought this might be the best place to ask
> 
> Skye is my first ever bitch so the whole "season" thing is completely new to me.
> So basically I am just looking for some information about what the first signs are that she may be coming into season.
> ...


Yes I would be interested to know too as our bitch is 6 months now and I have decided to let her have a season before spaying although the vet wanted to spay her at 6 months but it seems too young to me, I can't put her through that yet. We have had bitches in the past but I can't remember how many seasons they had or what the signs were so I would like to know myself. My male Bichon is neutered so that won't cause a problem.


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## oldDoubletrouble (Sep 21, 2009)

Not read through the replies as its time for my bed! but expect a longer then normal season the first time! I do not know if this is the same for all dogs but it certainly was for mine, They say it is to allow for inexperienced bitches to conceive in the wild. Expect others have covered all the times, fertile dates the importance of keeping away from intact dogs etc!
regards
DT


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## Freyja (Jun 28, 2008)

My bitches vary from bitch to bitch. With mine I always know when someone is coming into season as the boys start following them round with their noses stuck on the girls bums and licking were they have wee'ed. They do not necessarily follow the bitch who is coming into season they know some will tolerate their attention others will not.

With my older bitches coming in season to them is normal. At the moment Holly is having her first season sister Freyja is also in season. Freyja is just acting normally but Holly has become a little tart hasling my old castrated boy all the time. The poor lad doesn't know what to do even when he was enite he was never a threat to my bitches he just wasn't intersted

Length of the season again depends on the bitch it is normally 3 weeks bu can be less or more. Amber's first season was 2 weeks but Button my greyhound was in season for 3 weeks then went out of season the came back in season.She was in season for a total of 6 weeks with a week gap in the middle. Button did wear a pair of my husbands boxers with her tail through the fly. William found that confusing enough to be able to not have to keep them seperate except for the middle week of her season but William is pretty stupid and I wouldn't risk doing that with any of my other males.


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## Nellybelly (Jul 20, 2009)

My puppy is 6 months old and she is a mongrel (small size) and I am dreading her first heat. We are planning to get her spayed between her 1st and 2nd season.
Button sounds like a scary case - 6 weeks!!! I seriously hope this is very very rare!! 
Jazzy, I am sort of the opposite, I wanted to do Bella at 6 months but our vet said this was too soon and suggested we wait until after.I know this is the right thing to do, I am just really dreading the whole walking at odd hours in empty areas, as my girl is exceptionally spoilt with her walks and I'll be feeling extremely guilty.


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## Ducky (Nov 23, 2008)

Dundee said:


> The time of a first season can vary enormously anytime between 6 and 18 months is perfectly normal. It may worth asking your breeder when the dam had her first season as this can be passed on. The first season is often lighter then subsequent seasons too.
> 
> About a fortnight before other dogs may become interested in her. She will start to wee more frequently, maybe even marking. Her vulva will often swell a little, peaking at the height of her season bit starting a good few days before she starts. Not all bitches are text book, so she may show some or none of these symptoms. It may be worth putting a white sheet on her bed, that way you will notice when she comes in. You can also do the tissue test - ideally first thing - some bitches are very good at keeping themselves clean and it is hard to spot.
> 
> ...


super post dundee. thanks very much. 
thanks everyone else aswell.
im completely dreading it haha. she will be a nightmare not getting walked. thankfully there arent many male dogs around my bit, its all females so im sure we could get her out later on at night.

thanks everyone, anymore advice would be fab.


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## Classyellie (Apr 16, 2009)

Great post Dundee 

Glad I came across this thread as Pippa is coming up to six months now. I've got The Book of the Bitch but it's always good to hear from experienced owners as Pippa is my first bitch


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