Pups first season

kildara

Apologies in advance is this is a silly question - havent had a bitch before.
Our pup has just started into her first season, she's 7 months old.
Is there anything we should watch out for?

We also have a 13 month old, neutered male who is sniffing her a bit more than usual but other than that they seem ok with each other.

I know you can get "Bitch Spray" in the pet shop to hide the smell a bit for when we are walking her.

No puppy classes for a couple of weeks!

andreac

To be honest i would be careful out walking and id nearly wait til shes finished her heat. Dogs can come from far to a bitch in heat.
The bitch spray wouldnt be that good and it wouldnt mask the smell from a bitch in heat.

Im not sure what you need to look out for, maybe someone else will be able to advise on that.
Be careful with her out in your garden and that its not easy for wandering dogs to get in to her.

Ruby Soho

Yeah, +1 on the bitch spray, I certainly wouldn't be relying on that. Apparently a male dog can smell her up to 4 miles away, so I can't see any chemicals masking that smell! Vigilance is the only way to be sure I'm afraid!
If you take the first day of the bleeding as day 1 of her cycle, be very very careful with her from days 11-15, as that's when she's most likely to be fertile, therefore very attractive to male dogs. This is when she's more likely to stand, although it may occur at any time over the three weeks, it varies from dog to dog.
The bloody discharge will start to fade in colour and turn more straw-coloured by week two, don't be lulled into a false sense of security though, as she'll likely be more receptive at that time.
You might find that she's a bit grumpy, out of sorts or extra clingy, but again, this varies with individual dogs. She might urinate more frequently too.
I would even be a bit wary of walking her at all, as she's almost guaranteed to attract male dogs no matter what time of day or night you walk her. She will also conveniently leave a lovely trail of scent right to your front door for the males to follow and start congregating at your front door.
If you do have any accidents with male dogs, there are drugs that can be given to her to stop conception (usually days 3 and 5 post mating), but these are not recommended with first cycles, and can have side-effects / consequences when given at any age. If you're thinking of having her spayed, let her come through this season, and get her done in 2-3 months when everything settles down hormonally.
Good luck!

kildara

Thanks for the advice.
I'll have to take it easy with her walking so. Although to be honest I don't think I have seen one dog off lead / stray in the area, so I reckon we'd be ok but you never know.
Where they are is also pretty safe too so I dont think there will be any dogs getting in - if there was a way through they would have found it by now. Although saying that I have heard that a dog can perform miraculous feats in order to get to a bitch in heat!

Ruby Soho

I know that male dogs have a tendency to come out of nowhere and pounce on dogs in season the minute the owner's backs are turned. They, like you said, have been known to scale huge high walls and perform acrobatic feats for this purpose, just be careful! If there are entire male dogs in the area, they already know about your bitches current condition, and are now plotting their escape right now in the neighbors garden...

kildara

I feel like an over-protective (but rightly so!) father right now.
There's no dog good enough for my litle girl...

Thanks again!