Bitches seasons, an impatient me!

[poiuytrewq]

I know I could call and ask but don’t want to hassle or appear pushy!!
If someone who knows dogs and breeding days a bitch is “due in season any time now”
What would you imagine that to imply? The next few days (as I did ?) or does it mean weeks or months?!
I do have a bitch now but she was long spayed when I got her so have no idea how it all works!

 

[MurphysMinder]

Any of the above ! If a bitch has had several seasons and is very regular it could mean within days, but I have used the term "any time now" and meant any time in the next month or so.

 

[deb_l222]

It could mean anything really. If the person commenting knows the bitch well and knows they come into season regularly at 6 monthly intervals, then it could be days away.

If however (like me), you're waiting for a bitch to come into season that you don't know that well and assuming it will be 6 months since the last season, you may have a very long wait. I kept saying with Willow "any day now" and it was another 7 months, so a full 13 months between seasons for her. This isn't uncommon

 

[poiuytrewq]

I think it’s been 4 weeks now since they said anytime now.
That’s ok to drop a message in and enquire isn’t it?
It actually works fairly in my favour when I think of it. I will be taking pup to work with me and my bosses take their children in the school holidays so I’d rather have him in September when they go back and not have the worry of the tack room door being left open or what he’s being fed etc! ?‍
Although I can work round it if it’s a bit earlier!

 

[Karran]

I got told it'll be any day now..... this was six months ago! At two years and 3 months i'm still waiting for Miss Collie's first!

 

[SAujla]

I got told it'll be any day now..... this was six months ago! At two years and 3 months i'm still waiting for Miss Collie's first!

You are still waiting???? No chance she's had a silent season is there? I thought my pup was late at 11.5 months

 

[poiuytrewq]

I got told it'll be any day now..... this was six months ago! At two years and 3 months i'm still waiting for Miss Collie's first!

That’s super patient of you!
So I asked and no, she’s not come into season yet.
I do have a plan b possibility which I expressed interest in
They wanted working homes preferably but I live on a farm and if it fancies catching rats all’s good! Will that count? ?
It will be on my lap in front of the fire in the evenings though

 

[Karran]

You are still waiting???? No chance she's had a silent season is there? I thought my pup was late at 11.5 months

Still waiting VERY impatiently! I have her first holiday booked for next month (covid permitting) I have every confidence in the little brat that she will chose that time to come into season. Silent season is a possibility but deffo hadn't happened when I took her for jabs last year.

 

[poiuytrewq]

Still waiting VERY impatiently! I have her first holiday booked for next month (covid permitting) I have every confidence in the little brat that she will chose that time to come into season. Silent season is a possibility but deffo hadn't happened when I took her for jabs last year.

Is it a common first season thing?
My bosses lab didn’t have her first season til gone 2 years, they kept saying any time now!

 

[CanteringCarrot]

My Lab had her first season at 1 year and hsd reliably had them every 6 months (just had her 3rd season). So I would think I can predict within a few weeks now of when she would have her next.

Interestingly when I was first looking for a Lab I waited on a bitch to come into season, which she did (breeder said anytime, and it was within 3 weeks), but she didn't catch, so no pregnancy. This was a first (bred before), so I ended up having to get my pup from another breeder anyway.

I was also on sort of a timeline since I knew I would have free time and flexibility from the end of July until about October, so wanted the puppy then as it'd be easier to train and acclimate her to everything.

As for wanting a working home, it's possible that they predict the pups will be high energy/drive. Therefore not suitable for an in-house all the time relaxed lifestyle. I would just talk to the breeder about your set up, and see what they say.

 

[poiuytrewq]

My Lab had her first season at 1 year and hsd reliably had them every 6 months (just had her 3rd season). So I would think I can predict within a few weeks now of when she would have her next.

Interestingly when I was first looking for a Lab I waited on a bitch to come into season, which she did (breeder said anytime, and it was within 3 weeks), but she didn't catch, so no pregnancy. This was a first (bred before), so I ended up having to get my pup from another breeder anyway.

I was also on sort of a timeline since I knew I would have free time and flexibility from the end of July until about October, so wanted the puppy then as it'd be easier to train and acclimate her to everything.

As for wanting a working home, it's possible that they predict the pups will be high energy/drive. Therefore not suitable for an in-house all the time relaxed lifestyle. I would just talk to the breeder about your set up, and see what they say.

He’s not a breeder as such, a gamekeeper. It’s a friend of the GK here at the farm, he said generally they have a kind of gk circle and pups go between them.
If I had one it won’t be in the house all the time, I work on a yard during the morning where it can come and eventually be loose along with the other dogs there. Then we are on a farm so it will be out and about most of the time. I do come in for lunch and a bit of house work but generally out til evening.

 

[CorvusCorax]

Coming into season and being ready to mate/at optimum fertility are not the same things either, most people I know test now, it's a lot more reliable IMO.
If the female lives out full time it can be easy to miss.
Split seasons/silent seasons are a thing. A bitch under stress/where there are multiple dogs in the household may also not come in or miss when mated.
I'd never heard of once a year seasons until HHO, but I've only ever really kept one (large) breed.
It's my experience that men can be a bit rubbish about seasons/matings etc lol.

 

[CanteringCarrot]

He’s not a breeder as such, a gamekeeper. It’s a friend of the GK here at the farm, he said generally they have a kind of gk circle and pups go between them.
If I had one it won’t be in the house all the time, I work on a yard during the morning where it can come and eventually be loose along with the other dogs there. Then we are on a farm so it will be out and about most of the time. I do come in for lunch and a bit of house work but generally out til evening.

Ah ok. Sounds like a nice life for a dog.


Fortunately my Lab has no drive to go and chase deer through the forest by the yard, or harass the cats at the yard, so she's easy in that respect (other livery has a dog that even smells a deer and it's off) but I can't train her out of eating everything ? turn my back and she's eating hay, bedding, poop, hoof scraps, whatever she finds/I don't even know what. Then she inevitably gets sick. I can't ride and just put her in my horses stable/box. She even sifts through the cleanest of boxes for *something*

A walking stomach. I often wonder what it's like to have a dog that just hangs around the farm and/or roams around the farm a bit and doesn't eat. Y'know, because I definitely don't feed her at all. ?

 

[Karran]

Is it a common first season thing?
My bosses lab didn’t have her first season til gone 2 years, they kept saying any time now!

I have no idea, my previous lab was at 10 months. Mrs Spaniel at 11 months. Considering she pretty much always cocks a leg (two if she can manage it) when she wees, i'm left wondering if she's a bit confused about her sexuality!

 

[poiuytrewq]

Ah ok. Sounds like a nice life for a dog.


Fortunately my Lab has no drive to go and chase deer through the forest by the yard, or harass the cats at the yard, so she's easy in that respect (other livery has a dog that even smells a deer and it's off) but I can't train her out of eating everything ? turn my back and she's eating hay, bedding, poop, hoof scraps, whatever she finds/I don't even know what. Then she inevitably gets sick. I can't ride and just put her in my horses stable/box. She even sifts through the cleanest of boxes for *something*

A walking stomach. I often wonder what it's like to have a dog that just hangs around the farm and/or roams around the farm a bit and doesn't eat. Y'know, because I definitely don't feed her at all. ?

Oh I have one of those too! My old collie, she doesn’t come to work but out on the yard is eating pretty much anything that fits in her mouth! OH recently chucked some old eggs out of the chicken house into a hedge ? I’m sure you know the rest!
Our labs on the other hand just never bothered.
Of course I can’t guarantee which way a new pup will go I can hope!!

 

[poiuytrewq]

@CanteringCarrot i wonder, would a muzzle be an option or is that mean? Genuine questions! They always make me think a dogs nasty but in this situation if she’s perfect to hang round with you in other ways might it help reduce the rubbish eating and therefore vomit cleaning!

 

[CanteringCarrot]

@CanteringCarrot i wonder, would a muzzle be an option or is that mean? Genuine questions! They always make me think a dogs nasty but in this situation if she’s perfect to hang round with you in other ways might it help reduce the rubbish eating and therefore vomit cleaning!

I thought about it, and I did get one ...that she was able to get off ? so then I considered getting a more "heavy duty" one, just haven't gotten one yet.

They do often advertise muzzles here as posion protection. Partially so dogs don't eat what they're not supposed to and also because there are cases of people poisoning dogs by leaving poisoned meat pieces in known dog walking areas. Fortunately those incidents are sort of scattered and not so frequent.

So it's an idea. She does come to the yard on weekends. OH comes too so he can monitor her while I pay attention to the horse, and we walk them together. So that works. Plus she doesn't need to come everyday and get filthy when she's running and rolling around with the YO's dogs ? but I don't think a muzzle is cruel if fitted right and not left on too long.



Regarding seasons, I thought all bitches had their first season within/around 1 year old. I didn't know it could be later.

 

[AmyMay]

@CanteringCarrot i wonder, would a muzzle be an option or is that mean? Genuine questions! They always make me think a dogs nasty but in this situation if she’s perfect to hang round with you in other ways might it help reduce the rubbish eating and therefore vomit cleaning!

I hope they won’t mind me mentioning it, but a member here has the dog in a type of muzzle to stop them eating random things, after becoming very ill through scavenging.