Keeping a bitch entire is a legitimate choice and a management commitment. Twice a year, for roughly three weeks, the walks change, the neighbourhood reacts, and a moment of inattention has consequences that last for years.
None of it is difficult once you know what to expect and have a plan for the fortnight in the middle.
The shape of a cycle
Most bitches have two seasons a year, though some breeds and individuals differ considerably, and the first one arrives somewhere between six months and well over a year depending on size, later in large breeds.
The visible part usually runs about three weeks. In the first phase the vulva swells and there is a bloody discharge; males are extremely interested and she typically refuses them. In the second phase the discharge becomes lighter and she becomes receptive, which is the fertile window and the dangerous fortnight. After that, interest subsides over a week or so.
Keep a note of the dates. A record of the last three seasons tells you when the next is due, which is what makes planning holidays, training classes and boarding possible.
Plan for a longer window than the textbook one. Individual variation is wide, and the practical rule is to manage carefully from the first sign until a week after everything appears to have finished.
Managing the three weeks
- Lead at all times, including in places where she is usually reliable off lead. Recall is not a contraceptive, and a determined male is a serious problem at close range
- Walk at quiet times and on quiet routes, and avoid enclosed dog areas entirely
- Expect attention from entire males at surprising distances. Be ready to turn round, and be courteous but firm with owners who tell you their dog is fine
- Secure the garden and the front door. Males turn up, and fences that have always been adequate suddenly are not
- Separate from any entire male in the household, completely, with a closed door rather than supervision. Two determined dogs will manage it in thirty seconds while you take a phone call
- Use washable bedding and, if you want, a hygiene pant indoors. She will keep herself largely clean, and some bitches are messier than others
Behaviour, which changes too
Expect some of these: restlessness, urinating more frequently and in more places on walks, which is scent marking rather than a house training problem; clinginess or the opposite; a change in appetite; and in some bitches, irritability with other dogs.
Training classes and group activities are generally paused for the duration, both for her sake and out of consideration for everyone else. Boarding kennels and most sitters will not take a bitch in season, which is why the record of dates matters when you book a holiday.
Some bitches experience a false pregnancy in the weeks afterwards: nesting, mothering toys, reduced appetite, sometimes milk production. It usually resolves on its own, and it is worth mentioning to your vet if she seems unwell or distressed, or if it recurs at every cycle.
The risk that matters: pyometra
In the weeks after a season, an entire bitch is at risk of pyometra, an infection of the uterus that becomes a surgical emergency. It is most common in middle-aged and older bitches, and the risk accumulates with each cycle.
Signs to act on, particularly in the four to eight weeks after a season:
- Drinking noticeably more and urinating more
- Lethargy, reduced appetite, vomiting
- A discharge from the vulva, which may be absent in the closed form and does not rule anything out
- A distended abdomen, or simply a dog that is not herself
This is a same-day veterinary call, not a wait-and-see. Treated promptly it is usually survivable; delayed, it is frequently not.
Accidental mating
If it happens, telephone your vet promptly rather than waiting to see. Options exist and they are time-sensitive, and the conversation is easier on the day than in three weeks. Do not attempt to separate a mating pair physically: it causes injury to both animals.
Deciding about neutering
Spaying removes seasons and the risk of pyometra, and reduces the risk of mammary tumours, with the size of that reduction depending on how early it is done. Against that, in some larger breeds, early spaying is associated with a higher incidence of certain joint problems and specific cancers, which is why current advice on timing varies with breed and size.
It is a genuine trade-off rather than an obvious answer, and the right conversation is with your own vet about your own dog. What is not a good reason to decide either way is a confident opinion delivered in a park.
Telling whoever walks your dog
Say it in advance rather than on the morning. A season changes the walk completely: lead throughout, quieter routes, different times, no dog areas, and a handler who knows to expect approaches from entire males and to turn round early.
At PAWLY a bitch in season is walked individually, at a quieter hour, on a lead, on a route chosen to avoid the usual dog traffic. It is a practical adjustment, agreed before it is needed, and it is one of the reasons the dates are worth writing down.
General information for dog owners in Luxembourg, not veterinary or legal advice. For your own dog, ask your vet, a qualified behaviourist or your commune. How this journal is written and checked.
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