First Season - how far through are we?

This is the first time I have gone through a season with a bitch and as much as I have read up about it and tried to anticipate it, it of course sneaked up and caught me a little off guard!

I'm not concerned for my girl's general health - she seems perfectly fine, if a little whiney, sleepy and quirkier than her usual self. I just wonder if we maybe missed identifying the start of her coming into season?

She seems to have gone from just a couple of days ago us noticing a tiny spot of blood, and her licking herself a bit more than usual, but no real swelling, to now being extremely swollen, with very watery, pinkish droplets and pacing/shuffling around the house, whining and grumbling.

As I said, her health seems fine, I am just trying to estimate what arrangements I need to make for her, and for how long over the next few weeks as obviously we are have to keep her away from her usual day care.

For those concerned/curious, we do intend to spay at the appropriate time after this first season.

Normally she will have a red/pink discharge for 10 days, then it should go pale to straw coloured.....this is when she will be ready for mating....4/5 day window. Then she will go back to pink red....total about 3 week.

This is in an ideal world.....not all dogs follow what the books say, took my brothers dog 21 days to get to the mating stage.....keep her away from intact males until all symtoms have gone (she is now in "find a male mode"and she will try anything to get to a male)...be careful, as she may shrink right down around the time she is most fertile....letting you think she has had a very short season.

Hope this helps a little, but there are no sets rules with the hormonal system of a dog.

Linda

You are so right about shrinking right down as though she is finished, that is when mine are receptive, I have learned to look for that, also mine don't ovulate till at least day 19 so I always give them 4 weeks to make sure there are no unwanted suitors when we are out. The first season is often the most dramatic one, with blood everywhere, after that things aren't quite so full on.