Need help with female Cocker Spaniels first heat cycle.?

Question

My female Cocker Spaniel has entered her first heat cyle, she is 5 months young. I was caught off guard and spent much of yesterday cleaning the carpet after her. I have seperated her from our male Cocker Spaniel because she is too young. I have her outside on the deck and I have made it as comfortable as possible. I spend time with her and give her special treats and rub her back.
She seems miserable and cries a lot.
I would greatly appreciate any insight and suggestions on how to make this not so trumatic for her and for me. She has outgrown her crate, so I have nothing to keep her inside in.I don't want to risk our male getting to her before her body is ready for him and puppies.
I read on the internet that the heat cycle could last 2 weeks...is this accurate ?
Thank you so much in advance.
p.s. I brought our older female Lab to keep her company and hopefully to comfort her. Our Lab was nuetered and never went through what my female Cocker Spaniel is experiencing.

Answer 1

Please consider getting your Cocker spayed a few months after this heat cycle and leave breeding to the professionals. There are enough unwanted puppies in the world.

A heat cycle actually lasts 4 weeks. You can buy some disposable 'nappies' for her to wear when the bleeding is heavy. Remember not to take her for walking unless you want every male dog in the neighbourhood to be lusting for her...

Answer 2

If she is used to being inside, I would get her some dog panties and put the male outside instead. Most female dogs become very cuddly and attention seeking when they are in heat, to isolate them from the family can be a pity.

Don't pity her, dogs do not understand pity and if she's slightly insecure or uncomfortable, you are just confirming that there's something wrong.

The heat cycle usually lasts tree weeks. Normally the dog only bleeds for the first 8-14 days. You need to be extra careful during the last week of her heat after she has stopped bleeding. Usually, the dog is receptive 12-14 days after the bleeding first started, and will continue to be receptive up to 7-10 days after the bleeding stops.

Answer 3

Actually expect to keep her under strict watch for a MONTH,, Although the average is 2-3 weeks, this is her first cycle, and she could have a shorter or longer than average,, and being new.. the best recommendation is to keep her away from boys for a complete month..
Get her inside,, she cannot be left outside,, someone could get to her.. dogs will and can climb, dig and do things you would think impossible.. Also she has no way to understand why she is being "punished" and left alone.. so she does need to be in the house..
GET a Crate, heck they are cheap enough.. Check out petedge.com
Rotate the two dogs,, put it in another room.. and give both your boy and girl equal time in the house and time with you..
If they are not used to being alone, or having some time away from you... this will be very hard on them.. Do not just lock one away in a crate for a long time,, Rotate,, Keep the male outside for a while in a approperate kennel or run, inside the house in another room.. and one needs to be securly crated in ANOTHER room behind closed and locked doors when you are not there..
what you do specifically,, is something you will need to figure out,, if you intend to keep both intact.. and possibly breed.. because one she needs to be seperate in when in heat, and also when you have a litter.. she will also need away time with the puppies.. Often "pets" make poor mothers,, Just because of this.. they are not used to the sudden removal from the family, or can be very aggressive to other dogs in the house,, when in season, or pregnant or have a litter.. sometimes moms will even kill puppies because the average person who decides to breed.. does not take the time to train or have a dog used to alone time.. and is shocked when "momma" cannot meet her instincts for seclusion..

If you cannot stand the mess,, get her some pants,, that will help..keeps the dripping down, some females clean up after themselves.. some do not..unfortunaly this is part of the deal, and if you think this is a mess,, honesly they pass a ton of nastier stuff after a litter sometimes for weeks,, and that stuff DOES stain.. so you really need to figure something out now.. part of the deal..with having a intact female..and breeding.. if you are squemish,, or a neat freek.. dog breeding is not a good idea..

if you have no intentions of breeding, Take the male in to be neutered now.. and get her spayed after she is out of heat.. it can be done now,, but is more expensive,, and can be a more complicated surgery..so better to wait if at all possible,, if you can honestly keep her from being bred..

Keep in mind,, the boy can still father a litter for a while immediatly after his surgery.. so still keep them apart..
If she is spayed, or the male neuterd.. then this is the one cycle you need to watch.. and one month of a pain in the but you have to deal with,, but if you do plan to breed,, then you will need to repeat this every 6 months or so..

as far as you boy if you do get him neuterd now..a neutered male can still attempt to breed a female in season...no puppies,, but injury can result. .
Your dog is experiencing a BIG hormonal change.. and a behavior change can result.. often females in season can get aggressive ESP.. to other females when in heat..so yes you still need to supervise any dog interaction... and you cannot leave your girl alone with ANY dog.. (th lab) when she is in heat.. or you can come home to injured or dead dogs..

The truth is,, it can be a big bother,, and not so simple.. this is why so many people recommend not doing it...
If you do plan to breed,, start making the routien now,, get some books and READ.. please..

Amanda

Answer 4

Heat cycles last 3 weeks. She isn't miserable because of the heat cycle but because her whole routine is turned upside down.

I hope your deck is very secure since male dogs are very notorious for getting to a female in heat by any means possible..and I'm not talking about your male necassarily, but rather any intact males in at least a 5 mile radius,
Be advised that you will need to go through this at least 3 more times before she is old enough ot be bred (2 years old) if you are bent on breeding. I sincerly hope that you are researching pedigrees and making sure your male and female compliment each other and each makes up in conformation for what the other is lacking. You also need to think about getting genetic health testing done as soon as they are both old enough (OFA/PennHip, CERF/PRA, thyroid and anything else pertinent to your breed. You also need to be showing them both to championships or at least points or getting them evaluated by at least 3 unbiased, breed knowledgable people/judges to make sure they meet breed standard. Breeding is about a lot more then simply putting 2 dogs together and producing puppies. It isn't a money maker if done right and it IS a BIG responsability.

***a good vet will NEVER say to wait until after a dog has had a heat cycle before spaying..with each heat cycle the risk of mammary cancer and pyometria become higher..if spaying is done before the first heat cycle it pretty much eliminates mammary cancer and does eliminate pyometria.

Answer 5

Everyone is advising to get her nutered. My vet would not neuter until our female had had her first season. We had her neuterd as she had a problem - not out of choice. We would have liked to have had puppies from her.

Your female needs comforting, she will be ok soon! Her bleeding will stop, but you need to keep her under guard from the other dog! Get her a new crate, and quick! She will feel safe in there too! Is the dog in a crate? If so, put him away so the female can have time out.

If you want to breed from her, go ahead, but do it responsibly. Get vet advice, and go from there. I would buy from a home breader rather than a puppy farmer. In fact, my two lovely Cavaliers came from home breaders. The dogs were used to families and homes. They were both loving and cuddly!

Answer 6

Please do not breed her. You obviously don't know anything about breeding. There are enough ill-bred dogs in the world without you adding to it.

There are to many dogs in the world as it is, dogs being killed every day in shelters because there aren't enough homes. The biggest contributor to the overpopulation of dogs are backyard breeders, which you will be if you allow your dog to have a litter.

Do your dog and everyone a favor and get her spayed.

Answer 7

ohh...my labrador went through the same thing...you have to give her lots of love....tlc....and this is going to sound really stupid but....what we did was take old underwear and cut a hole for the tail and then the underwear will keep the blood from gettting on the carpet...change them like every day or so...hope this helps
P.s. Give your pup a hug for me and the best to her...she can do it!