What age does a dog go into heat?

Question

My Yellow Lab pup is just about 9 months old now. She may be in heat. What are some signs to tell if she is? And how long does this last?

Answer 1

Depends on the dog, but most go into heat anywhere between 6 and 12 mo.

If she is in heat you will notice spots of blood or she may be licking herself down there and it will appear very swollen.

If she is in heat be sure to keep her home and away from ALL intact male dogs for at least 3 weeks because she will get pregnant if one happens to get ahold of her and she is WAY too young for that. Most people like to spay their females at about 5 mo. of age to avoid this.

Answer 2

One of the first things you may notice is that she
may start licking her vulva much more than she normally does. There are a few different stages of the heat cycle.
Stage 1: Proestrus- This is when the vulva will begin to swell and the vaginal bleeding begins. There may be an increase in urination and/or defecation. Females cannot get pregnant at this stage. Male dogs will be attracted to the female, but the fem will still reject him at this stage. This lasts about 9 days, but it can differ depending on the dog (my poor doggy's lasted about 2 1/2 weeks!!) There are little doggy diapers you can buy to help prevent the mess of bleeding all over the house. Unfortunately I have a easily annoyed dog who kept ripping them off, in turn ruining all of our down comforters.
Stage 2: Estrus- This is the time that the female will actually allow the male to breed with her. Vaginal discharge will change to a lighter shade of red. This is also known as "standing heat" and can last 4 to 21 days.
Stage 3: Metestrus- The uterus readies itself for pregnancy. If fertilization does occur the fertilized eggs may take up to a week before they attach themselves to the uterine wall. False pregnancies frequently occur during the metestrus stage. This stage can last between 4 and 7 days.
Stage 4: Anestrus- This is the resting period in between heats, which on average lasts about 5 months.

If you plan on spaying your pup, it's best to do so before her first heat cycle. Not only does spaying prevent unwanted pups, but it helps prevent the risk of developing cervical cancer. The longer you wait to spay her, the chance of developing this increases.

Answer 3

My Siberian Husky female has just had her first heat, she is also 9 months- This is the average age they do come into heat
I could tell by (i have 3 male dogs) the males started paying her more attention.
Physically she will slowly start swelling up, and have a pinkish vagina and after a week of swelling will start to get a mucus like substance, which will by 1.5 - 2 weeks turn to blood for the next week and then after that 4-5 days the swelling she will return to normal-
my girl took about 3weeks! But the first heat I think lasts a little longer to begin with.
If you think she is in heat you are probably right, mainly you will notice by the swelling. and since its her first heat it is likelly she wont behave any different until she is actual receiving which is when she is towards the end of bleeding and ofcourse has male attention!

There are such things as dog nappies, which have a little pad inside them thats washable. These are good so that yyour pet can still come inside like normal and you can tell by the pad when she is coming off and when her cycle changes....
Strange i know-

Answer 4

It completely depends on the size, breed, genes, nutrition and environment of the dog. There is no specific time for a dog to have its first season. But on average its usually around half a year since the dogs birth, give or take a few months. It's like assessing when a human girl is going to start her period, you can't ever really know. Although there is debate about whether smaller dogs come into season before larger dogs as apparently due to their small size they reach their sexual maturity quicker. I've never heard that allowing Golden Retrievers to have their first season gives them a nicer coat, although it could be plausible due to the hormones. But seeing as your puppy is already four months old, she could be due to have a season at any time, which means that if she had the procedure she could be at risk of hemorrhaging due to the amount of blood in that area of the body and developing depression or a phantom pregnancy which is likely to recur sporadically throughout her life. I've met many vets that they won't spay a female dog unless she's had her first season. My advice is to wait for her to have her season, you can get tampons and even underwear so that she wont accidentally be mated on a walk and wait for six weeks after she has finished bleeding so there is no risk of hemorrhaging and her hormones have settled. After she's had her operation she'll be feeling sensitive for a couple of days as long as everything went accordingly and won't want to do much. For the first 24 hours she shouldnt be left by herself. She may have to have a collar, you should check the wound 2-3 times a day, she should let you touch it and not yelp or whimper in pain and if there is any sign on infection you should clean the wound site and contact your vet immediately. Just keep a general eye on her, make sure she's eating and drinking and isnt lethargic. Don't walk her for about 3-5 days depending on how active she's feeling. And even then, they should only be for about 15 minutes so she doesn't over exert herself. Even in the garden make sure she's leashed so she doesn't run around too much and hurt herself. After 2-3 weeks, everything will have returned to normal. Hope this helps xXx

Answer 5

First heat can vary greatly dog to dog. The youngest is about six months of age though sometimes a female will come into season younger. First heat can start as late as 12 or even 14 months of age or later in rare cases. Again, it can vary dog to dog. Spaying before six months is recommended before a female begins to enter sexual maturity. Some vets will spay younger and spaying of puppies as young as eight weeks old who are up for adoption in shelters is becoming more popular. Juvenile spaying will completely eliminate the risk of your pup being one of the odd dogs to come into heat younger than average or you missing the onset of a cycle.

Answer 6

Some dogs go into heat as early as 6 months. The symptoms are bleeding or spotting for a few days and of course they have a very peculiar odor which attracts males. This lasts about 15 days.

Answer 7

its just like a person it depends on the dog. no one can tell u exactly when she will go into heat. with some dogs it is as early as 6 months and with some it is as late as 12. it all depends on the dog. but i suggest u get her fixed. especially if she is just a pet and if u dont know how to breed a dog and r only in it to get some pups or to get some cash

Answer 8

Most dogs will go into heat between 6 to 12 months of age. The way to tell they are coming into season is
1. Their vagina starts to swell
2. She starts to bleed

Answer 9

oh well you wont have to worry if you spay her. You can spay when she's 6 months so 9 months is just perfect! Spaying means you don't have to worry about buying dog daipers or cleaning up bloody messess. And your dog will be less prone to cancer. Ask your vet about the cost of spayign,or visit you local shelter and ask if they offer spaying services since they offer it for a rela cheap price like 50$.

Answer 10

my dog didnt go into her first heat til she was 9 months her cooch will be puffy and blood will come out usually lasts 2 weeks a week in and a week out