Walking a bitch on heat

[jendie]

If you don't intend to breed from her I would have her speyed but you can't do this whilst she is in season. The best time for the op is midway between seasons.

I would only exercise her on a lead, you can get leads with a ring through the end and you could maybe use this to join two leads together. Try not to let her pee close to your house because her puddles will attract every dog in the vicinity.

Bitches ovulate at different times during the three-week 'season' but ovulation commonly occurs around Day 12. The first and the last weeks aren't so difficult.

Seasons aren't too difficult to deal with. We have five bitches and four stud dogs and have never had an 'accident'. There is evidence that bitches who are never bred from are more likely to suffer with uterine infections - pyometra - and that is the reason I'd have her neutered sometime in the future.

 

[willhegofirst]

Thanks for all your replies, my son walked her on a lead today in the local country park with no problems, we will be very caerful with her, as a young Spinone she really needs walking or she starts bouncing off the walls!! At the moment we have not decided if we will breed from her or not, and that would depend on her health tests being ok if we do decide to breed from her.
Both our other bitches had two seasons before we had them spayed, the only problem we had was with a local dog who was always getting out and was entire, turning up in our back garden, but Kes hated him.

 

[gunnergundog]

Hire an indoor riding school to let your young Spinone burn off some energy and do some agility with her; walk her on a lead in the town centre where no dog has any business being loose. Do clicker training to tire her mentally.

She is an HPR and a male HPR will scent an in-season bitch from up to a mile away and be off. Do NOT give me any crap about training a dog to recall away from an in-season bitch at her height.....it just does NOT happen. I know working trials PD dogs that have failed recall in this situation. You can keep your eyes peeled for a male, but he will have scented her long before you have seen him and be off......across roads, across railway lines, wherever.

Sprays do not work either..............most males suss out very quickly what they signify.

Yes, you can show speyed bitches...you need to write to the KC to explain why she was speyed and ask permission.

To those that say castrate the male......do you want the species to continue or not?

And for those that are interested.....I have both entire males and bitches, so understand the issues from BOTH sides of the fence and still stand by what I say above. It is easier to confine the female for a short period of time.

Rant over....but this is a subject that continually comes up on various forums and makes my blood boil.

 

[Cinnamontoast]

If you refuse to get your males done i don't think you can really expect people to take your advice to get their bitches done.

A) If someone on a forum actually takes my advice without researching it properly, then that person is an idiot. I do not expect the OP to immediately ring up her vet to organise a serious operation, particularly when the dog is mid-season.

B) My dogs will never be allowed the freedom to range to have the opportunity to mate. I am what is known as a careful owner.

C) You can so rude. I really don't see the point. All the research I have read point to there being fewer health issues to not neutering. Please do post more as I am very happy to be proved wrong and would like to do the best for my boys.

I think it was probably me CT was referring to, I lost Saffi last September to a pyometra, I can never forget that if she had been spayed it wouldn't have happened.

It was. So sorry for you.

I cannot understand why anyone would not have their bitch spayed. It just amazes me.

Snap.

 

[paisley]

Just a minor point, with regards to the article examining health issues related to neutering. Its a good article, with papers from some excellent journals.
Unfortunately from some 50 references, only 12-13 of them are in the last 10 years so its not quite as valid as it could be.
I personally would need to see more recent stuff if I was to be persuaded against neutering

 

[CorvusCorax]

To those that say castrate the male......do you want the species to continue or not?

In the case of my fella, NOT!

OP, use your discretion, use a long line, go out at 'off-peak' times and I am sure you will be fine.

We came damn close to losing a bitch to pyo at aged 11/12 and she'd been bred twice so I would be in favour of spaying non-breeding bitches and older bitches to be on the safe side.

 

[EAST KENT]

Agree with that CC,what I am dead against is this brainwashing that all these PUPPIES of six months are neutered;there is a great deal of evidence that the only real benefit is to the vet`s pocket,and that bitches will need propalin fairly soon for incontinence. Spayed before a first heat will very often result in urine burn lifelong,a proven fact.
Now of course I can understand rescues being done at whatever age they pass through the rescue`s hands,but as far as pet dogs go then no, I do not.
Why on earth not wait until a male is a year at least,and a female eighteen months? Time costs nothing,a bitch in season is`nt really a big deal with a careful owner..really it is`nt! So,why the hurry?
Sometimes,as with one I bred, the owners show it,win with it and then realise this is a special bitch to them..and would have liked a daughter,but their vet had already done the brainwashing and spayed it.They were very sad about that.

 

[AmyMay]

Our pup has just started her first heat, how do people cope with walking their bitches in heat, in the passed we have had a private bit of land to walk our bitches when needed, but not now, does something like oil of citronella help?
Also I hate extending leads but am thinking of getting one for her while she is on heat, which are the best, have seen someone with one that was all lead, no cord, anyone know where to get one like this?
Thanks

My OH's sons' dog is currently in heat. We walk her as normal (but not off the lead) with no problems.

Horror of horror, we also use an extendable lead - again with no problems.

Like any dog walking experience - on or off the lead - just be aware of what other dogs may be around, and keep her close if there are.

 

[jendie]

[Horror of horror, we also use an extendable lead - again with no problems. <<<

There is nothing wrong with extendable leads until they get wrapped around your legs, then they can cause awful injuries. The cords can cut deeply into skin if they get tangled, which they might do if the bitch was approached by a dog and there was a bit of excitement. A friend of mine needed 20 stitches in her legs after her boisterous youngster did a U Turn and pinged the cord around her calves.

 

[AmyMay]

[Horror of horror, we also use an extendable lead - again with no problems.

There is nothing wrong with extendable leads until they get wrapped around your legs, then they can cause awful injuries. The cords can cut deeply into skin if they get tangled, which they might do if the bitch was approached by a dog and there was a bit of excitement. A friend of mine needed 20 stitches in her legs after her boisterous youngster did a U Turn and pinged the cord around her calves.

Ooo sounds awful - poor friend.

Luckily we all seem to be quite adept at using it - so hopefull at no risk

 

[Allover]

I was walking my brothers in season bitch last year, in a quiet area at an off peak time and she was "got" by a neutered male It was dreadfully embarassing and of course trying to make small talk with the owner before they parted company was no easy task! I would always get non breeding dogs and bitches "done", personally i think it makes life a bit easier for them.