Heat and breeding?

Question

I have an eight month old beagle and I was wondering when she would go in heat. She is an indoor dog, and only goes outside to use the bathroom (on a leash). The main part I am worried about is the bleeding and how I am going to be able to keep my house from being ruined by it. I know she won't keep a diaper on.

We want to breed her, that is why she has not been "fixed". No we aren't going to do it for money. She is a pure bred, and her parents have won several awards in shows and such.

Let me clear some things up...
1. We only want her to have one litter of pups and then we plan on getting her spayed
2. I just said that about her parents to show that she wasn't some mutt that I got from a shelter
3. The man I bought her from was done with raising, breeding, showing, and putting his dogs into competitions because of his age.

Answer 1

She is old enough to be fixed. Until you can get her fixed, keep her either in a bathroom or get her puppy panties.

Unless *she* is winning dog shows, she should not be bred. Remember, millions of dog are "pure bred" (sic), but that doesn't mean they should be bred.

I can't believe that she would have come from AKC champion lines if the breeders would sell a show quality dog to a non-showing individual with plans to breed. This is completely against breeder ethics and really makes me question the breeding quality of the dog. Have you had her evaluated by someone who shows beagles (and wins) in AKC shows? Or by an AKC judge? Even dogs who come from "champion lines" can be only pet quality - NOT breeding quality.

Contact your local beagle club and the national parent club for additional info on breeding. Right now, you are not educated enough to be breeding. Such basic questions wouldn't need to be asked if you were on the right track to becoming a good breeder. I know that everyone needs to start somewhere, but responsible breeders have responsible breeder friends that teach them everything they know about breeding.

But, don't believe me, believe the AKC:
http://www.akc.org/breeders/resp_breeding/index.cfm

the people at the National Beagle Club of America:
http://clubs.akc.org/NBC/

and various other parent clubs and animal organizations:

http://dogplay.com/Breeding/index.html
http://www.gsmdca.org/breederseducation/index.php
http://www.grca.org/acquiring.htm#breeding
http://www.chihuahua-rescue.com/postit/spayneuter.htm
http://www.chihuahua-rescue.com/postit/spayneuterfacts.htm

Right now, you are on your way to becoming a Backyard Breeder - I'm sure you don't want that. So, unless you are willing to do all the genetic testing, get involved with the breed and possibly showing your dog, and work with a reputable responsible breeder, get your dog fixed. It will prevent her from getting several types of cancers and numerous types of illnesses.

Good luck to you. : )

Edit: You didn't clear *anything* up for me. You are still a byb violating the ethics of the AKC and the parent breed club. If you don't believe me, try contacting them for the real scoop. Try clicking the links I gave you. They aren't anti-breeding, they are anti irresponsible breeding, like what you want to do.

Answer 2

At eight months, your female could go into heat at any time now. Some come into heat even sooner than eight months.

She is too young to breed-- ethically. I think that you already know this from some of the information you have already listed, but I said it just in case you did not know. An eight month old is a puppy. She should not be bred until she is about 18 months at the earliest. You will need to check and see what genetic health concerns Beagles have that you should have her tested for before breeding her.

I have used the heat pads on a 95 pound GSD female who I did not think would wear them, but I tried it anyway. I was surprised...she did wear them, and did well! The difficulty is to remember to remove the pad when you put her out to urinate. That is an unattractive mess.

You can also keep her confined to a room with an easy to clean floor, or confine her in a crate along with using the heat pads when she is out in the rest of the house.

I usually put a female in heat in a crate (like at night, to sleep) very near the door for easy access. I have carpet so I put down that plastic people use when they paint, that has a sticky side and actually sticks to the floor as an easy wipe path to the outside. I also have outside fenced areas with six foot fences. If you have an outside area, be sure that no stray dogs can climb into it or dig under the fence.

If you do not have a safe area fenced outside, then you will have to endure the heat cycle indoors.

The dripping blood part of the heat cycle varies tremendously. I would hazard a guess and say that your pup could have a bloody discharge for as much as ten days. I have some females that have this bloody discharge about one week to just a few days.

If you breed her, when she finally whelps, you will have some of the same problems as when she was in heat for a week to as long as six or more weeks, as dogs have a bloody discharge after whelping puppies.

If you like her bloodlines, I do not think that anyone should judge you for breeding her more than just the once, as long as you make the effort to see that she conforms to the standard of her breed, has some of the working ability of her breed, and take her to a health-tested male who is an exceptional example of the breed to mate her to (when she is old enough). Also, make sure that you have the room to raise a litter.

Answer 3

How You Can Tell If Your Dog's In Heat

The average heat cycle for a dog is approximately 3 weeks and since this an an average, some heats are shorter (as little as 7-10 days), others are longer (4 weeks or more).

Average times between heat periods is seven months but some dogs can cycle as early as every 4 months, some once a year.

Lengths of heat cycles and intervals between cycles are different for each dog but most dogs hit somewhere close to the averages.

The first part of heat you will notice bleeding from the vulva, swelling of the vulva, possible increase in urination and the most noticeable, male dogs hanging around the house. During this period (proestrus), females will not allow the males to breed with them although the males will be very persistent.

The second part or estrus is the time in which the female will allow the male to breed her and this can last anywhere from 4-21 days. A female, most of the time, will allow most any male to breed during this time. As the female starts to go out of heat or enter diestrus, she will be less willing to breed.

Again this stage can last 4-14 days but averages approximately 7 days. The next cycle usually begins about 7 months from the start of the last heat cycle, not the end of that cycle but again this varies from dog to dog. The interval stays the same even if she becomes pregnant.

Female dogs will normally come into heat (estrus) once every 4 to 12 months with the average for most breeds being once every 6 months. You will probably notice some bloody discharge from the vagina and a swollen vulva when your dog is in heat. You may notice "mounting" behavior, also.

The heat period can last from 8 to 30 days with an average of about 20 days. Most female dogs will be willing to stand for a male dog and permit breeding around 10 to 16 days after the beginning of their heat period. Some females will be a little more aggressive during their heat period, but most show no change in behavior and interaction with their owners.

Answer 4

a female dog should not be breed untill she is 2 years of age. The male should be 1 year of age. AKC will not register anything under this age. dogs go into heat at diffrent times. I have 2 that went every 7 months. 1 went 9 and one that is only 1 so I don't have her scheduale yet. they are all full blooded yorkshire terreirs. If you go to jefferspets.com they have a variety of diaper products that do work and I had tried everything else. hope I have helped you some and good luck

Answer 5

Most dogs go into season about every 6 mos. Before you breed the dog, please research breeding as much as possible. Your vet should be able to give you recommendations. When she does get pregnant you should Xray her so you know exactly how many puppies will be born. Delivering puppies is an icky-gooey mess, usually in the middle of the night too, are you SURE you want to do this?

Answer 6

She should go in in the within the next month or two. As for the bleeding, well if she won't keep a diaper on, then you'll have to confine her for the duration (usually about the first week or so of the three week heat cycle). You could cover surfaces that she'll be on (for example if she get on the couch, get a water proof mattress cover and put in on the couch). As for breeding her, you'll need to wait until at least her third cycle (not because she can't get pregnant before, it is better for their physical and psychological development to wait).

Answer 7

Heat 8-10 months Go to the store and buy the belt for the pads not as easy to nibble off. Make sure you fing the right Sir. to breed her with and you do realize his parents get first pick of the pup. I wish you the best of luck.

Answer 8

I love the answer some people give. Fist of all don't breed your dog until she is two years old. But as for the bleeding most dogs keeps them self pretty clean ..my dogs do.. but there are panties at a pet store you can put on your dog if you are worried about that. Put covers over where she sleeps if you are worried about your furniture. All in all it won't be as bad as you may think. Go to your pet store and see what they have to deal with that problem if you are worried.

Answer 9

Just because her parents have "awards" , that she is purebred or even if she is registered doesn't mean she should be bred. Also it makes a difference what "awards " her parents have won and in what venue..conformation, hunt/field, obedience, rally..
She needs health testing done (not just simple vet exams), pedigree research for health, longevity, breed standard, temperament, to be shown and pointed/championed or evaluated to make sure she meets breed standard.She also needs to be at least 2 years old Younger then that she is neither physically or menatally mature enough to handle breeding and motherhood..Breeding is a major responsability and there is a lot involved with it. There is a lot you need to know about the breed, about breeding, whelping, newborn care and risks associated with it.

I am very well aware of all involved with breeding and in particular Beagles..my husband use to breed them and he's had them his whole life.

Answer 10

a few year ago we had a poodle, she came in2 season at about 9 months, but if you take her 2 the vets, they will give her an injection that stops them from bleeding and braking down until she is old enough, 2 be quite honest with you i would wait till shes about 2 b4 you go ahead and get her mated, i hope this helps, and good luck with the puppies.