Why people work dogs instead of bitches

Clodagh

Clodagh

Playing chess with pigeons
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Young lab had her first season in January. Although she was too young to shoot proper she was coming out with me a bit to see and hear what was going on. That obviously had to stop. As she is such a baby we decided to let her have two, and spay her before next season. Planning she should have it in June, spay in September, OK for shooting end October.
Is there any signs at all of anything happening? Not a thing! So, unless she comes in the next day or two we will have to leave her for another and just hope she doesn't miss a month this year, the shooting season is only from Oct - end Jan for us so blink and you miss it.
I know it is never going to be that reliable but we just hoped it would all fall into place.
 
Although we don’t work Luna like you do the labs, we wanted to spay her around 18 months. She had her first season at 6 months and 2 days. She turned a year last Tuesday, and so far no sign of her coming in yet. I’ve been umming and ahhing about whether we would get her done at 15 monthish, or let her have one more, which would then take her to almost 2. I need to know when it’s coming as she comes up the horses when I’m not riding, and can’t take her during her season as too many other dogs about.
 
I admit it is a factor in my choice, after having one almost accidental bitch, to only have dogs from this point on. Closing dates for show/agility/racing entries are frequently six weeks ahead, you could rack up a lot in lost fees if you got the dates wrong.
 
I have had strict words with her. :-)

BC - You feel for people that qualify bitches for high level field trials and then have to miss it. Perhaps they should take them along as they are - they might do well as the boys couldn't concentrate!
 
Is she particularly fit and not carrying any extra weight?
If so it may be worth just backing off on exercise and increasing for for a week or so.
I always had to do that with my last lurcher bitch to bring her into season, apparently it's not uncommon with exceptionally fit lurchers and sometimes seen in other dogs too.
 
Would that work for Luna too? She is very fit, and quite lean too. Not sure I could increase her food though, as some days she seems to barely eat. (Apparently it’s a husky thing)?
 
It may do, I only had to change things for 3-5 days to bring her into season if I knew it was about time for one.
So worth a try, I still walked mine a lot but just toned things down so, no chasing, playing hard, running hard but in lead instead.
 
Twiggy - fair point, she is very skinny and fit. She tends to the ribby anyway, but has half as much again as the others. She would be delighted with extras!
 
Because it is best to spay halfway between seasons - so three months after one. If I do her now she may well be about to come in and have the associated extra blood flow.
 
TheresaW said:
Because you are meant to wait 3 months after/3 months before each season. Both mine and Clodaghs dog are due around now.
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Cross posted! And I am cross at myself as I do my best never to reply to SusieT who knows as much about dogs as I do about origami!
 
CorvusCorax said:
Or you could be in my sport, where some people use it to their advantage, especially at bigger competitions, by getting to go at the very end ;)
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Interesting that you can run a 'hot' bitch. Only fair really as I suppose boys have to work through distractions. Are they kept out the way until their turn?
 
Yes, and then go after all the other dogs have worked.
Downside is that it can all feel a bit rushed at a one day trial, upside at bigger competitions is that you have a few days to get the lie of the land. A female in heat won the worlds for GSDs last year. Only the second female to win and she was the last of the females in the competition to to run, so the suspense was amazing.
Not a lot of people hang around to watch the females in heat but they did this time!!
 
CorvusCorax said:
Yes, and then go after all the other dogs have worked.
Downside is that it can all feel a bit rushed at a one day trial, upside at bigger competitions is that you have a few days to get the lie of the land. A female in heat won the worlds for GSDs last year. Only the second female to win and she was the last of the females in the competition to to run, so the suspense was amazing.
Not a lot of people hang around to watch the females in heat but they did this time!!
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Interesting. Wouldn't work for gundogs as they walk in a line all day - except the bitch would probably win, not many dogs would not at least cock a leg under such provocation.:-)
 
Some bitches only have one season a year. For a bitch that had a season in January, I would expect a season, at the earliest, in July. Any physical signs - swelling, discharge?
 
Blazingsaddles said:
Some bitches only have one season a year. For a bitch that had a season in January, I would expect a season, at the earliest, in July. Any physical signs - swelling, discharge?
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Nothing at all. If we weren't hoping it would be soon she would have had it by now!
 
Luna had hers in December, still no sign of another one.

Can anyone tell me? For the last 4/5 weeks, have noticed when out on walks, that every time she has a wee, Aled will wee over the top of it. I thought that was a sign she was coming into season, and he was hiding the fact. Still nothing though.
 
Ha ha! I won’t ask the OH to pee in the garden to test it, but will assume it’s just a male thing then :p

I guess it goes along the same lines of a thread on here a while back with the fox and I think it was Heck? Someone suggested peeing in the garden to scare the fox off.
 
TheresaW said:
Ha ha! I won’t ask the OH to pee in the garden to test it, but will assume it’s just a male thing then :p

.
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No, its either sex. If you have both sexes you will notice they all cover each other's scent - males and females. Even the omega bitch will take her turn. Some of them go back and cover again if another dog or bitch has peed over theirs.

Bitches also sometimes cock their leg when marking.
 
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If I pee on a walk, when we had male dogs, they used to pee on top of it. The bitches now all pee on each others, except the eldest who has always been bottom of any pecking order. If she lived alone she would be bottom of her own pecking order! Pen (youngest, only one still entire) does handstands as she pees on top then walks away on her front legs. Very funny to watch.
 
skinnydipper said:
No, its either sex. If you have both sexes you will notice they all cover each other's scent - males and females. Even the omega bitch will take her turn. Some of them go back and cover again if another dog or bitch has peed over theirs.

Bitches also sometimes cock their leg when marking.
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This is true. Hubby is always first to use the loo in the morning & doesn’t always flush. In my haste to reach the loo before an accident occurs, I often pee on top of his:o. I haven’t resorted to cocking my leg yet, but as I get more decrepit, I wouldn’t rule it out.:D
 
Well Pen has finally come into season. I tried doubling her food (she still didn't put on any weight!) but I think what made the difference is she hurt her leg and had to rest for a week. She started showing signs at the end of that week.
She has started bleeding today, and our first days picking up is the 20th October, so hopefully she will be all finished and clear. We can then get her spayed in February.
 
Not sure I’ll ever have another bitch, seasons are such a faff. Our entire collie bitch goes all daft when she is coming into season, gets clingy, won’t run out on a gather and seems extra sensitive. I’d have her spayed but OH is worried about any potential weight gain. It’s looking likely she’ll go with my older son when he leaves school and starts a shepherding job in a year or so anyway. I’ll be resisting any introduction of bitch pups from hereonin!
 
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