OMG, no, dude, crazy as fudgecicles! A pack of Dingoes really did steal her baby. She was in prison for like 10 yrs, and then a backpacker traveling in the same area where she went missing found the remains of her missing sweater in a damned Dingo den, and they overturned the case and she went free..

...you probably know that, since it happened on the island you live on, but I was super shocked..

BTW, my biggest regret with Soshanna is that I should have taught her to attack people when they said "dingo ate my baby", because its gotten just as old as when people tell my friend his Great Dane is not a dog, its a horse.

We'll just agree to disagree lol. It happened before I was even a twinkle in my daddy's eye, but I've seen all of the docos on it and find it a really fascinating case.

I can imagine lol. I'm sick of people telling me that Freya is dangerous because she's a husky, and then I get the other lot telling me she'll kill my kids because she's a dingo and a wild pack animal.

I just tell them to lok at their little yap yap dogs that have bitten too many people to count as apposed to Freya's zero bite victims. I tell them to look at the genetics of their dog in comparison to mine adn they'll find that their dog is just as much a pack aminal as mine. I hate ignorant people!

Amen!

So Freya's bleeding has almost stopped, she's not dripping much at all now and the colour is getting lighter.

I know she's coming into the fertile stage and this is the time I have to be really careful with her.
How long will this stage be over? Do you think it will be done by christmas day? The only reason I ask, is because she's going to a friends place for a sleep over christmas eve because I'm not going to be home and she gets terrible seperation anxiety if she's home alone for more than a few hours.

No, my dogs are fertile and flagging for 1-2 weeks after they're done bleeding.

Dang! You gotta have hope though, right?

How will I know when it's all over, done and dusted?

Her naughty parts are swollen like a couple steaks right now.. That'll go back to normal size, and if she grew any boobs, those usually recede as well, but her nipples may stay bigger, Soshanna and Mixie did. If you have a boy dog you can let her around, you can just check for her to quit flagging..

Some more information on the dog heat cycle: http://www.askabreeder.com/Dog_Heat_Signs_and_Symptoms

Quote :

The Estrus Stage of the Dog Heat Cycle typically last from 5-14 days. The time your dog is fertile (her actual heat). At this stage, the discharge typically changes from red to straw colored. In many dogs it’s still somewhat pink, but you will notice a definite difference in color from the beginning of proestrus. This change usually occurs around day 8 or 9. Your dog will also be willing to accept a sire during this stage. She will switch her tail to the side. She may whimper and try to be outside more often than is normal for her. She is following her instinct to breed. Keep a close eye on her. Even if she is in a kennel, she can still end up pregnant.

Dogs get VERY creative during this stage. If you notice strange males in your yard, stay away from them. Bring your dog inside and wait for them to leave. When males are anxious to breed, they can be much more likely to bite. Don’t take your female to the pet store or the dog park. You can inadvertently cause problems that you really don’t want. It’s best just to keep her secluded to your yard and home. We have even seen a male sire impregnate a bitch through the holes in a chain link fence - so be very protective and cautious.

After reading all that, both your experiences and what that site says....I'm hesitant to get a female puppy now! I've always wanted a female, but perhaps I'll adopt my future girl instead of getting her as a puppy. That way, she'll already have been spayed and I won't have to worry about any heats.

Best of luck to you - remember, males can get very creative when they smell a receptive female. She'll very likely be flirty with other male dogs, too...a friend of mine has a female husky that is always flirty during her heats.

Also, now that she's receptive, she'll WANT to mate. You have to watch her behaviour too, don't let her slink away even for a second!

Don't be hesitant to get a female puppy. We live in a house with only female dogs for a reason. Soshanna is not fixed because I'd like her to have a litter of puppies with a Kelpie first. Mixie was waiting for some medical test results, and then came into heat, and then I was caught up in kennel building for a while, and then she went into heat, and now she's getting spayed after the holidays. The rest are spayed, and they all integrate new dogs in and out of their pack very easily. Its amazing how in sync with us our female dogs are, especially the ones we raised since puppies.

So Eric...is it generally recommended to get them fixed before their first spay or should you wait until they've had atleast one? I just don't want to deal with the heat cycles ...though I suppose I can put up with ONLY one if spaying her too early would negatively affect her health or behaviour.

There are varying opinions on that. Some trainers and behavioralists say that it's good to let them experience a heat cycle before spaying, because it gives them a chance to fully develop mentally and chemically(hormones) into a female. Also, if a dog is dog aggressive, it can help not to spay them, because they have more estrogen(whereas a boy gets neutered, and calms down because he has less testosterone). Your vet will tell you, and I stand behind this, that you should get them spayed after all their puppy shots, but as soon as possible afterwards. Every heat cycle increases the risk of cancers, infections, pia(sp), and other health risks. Not to mention unwanted pregnancies, and litters going to shelters, and euthanized, etc. Mixie had problems that had to be solved involving that area before I could spay her. Locca was done young, and the rescue that Dayzee came from also did her before first heat. If you're not intending to breed, I absolutely say spay before first cycle. Dogs can be trained, Cancer can't be.

K9_Eric wrote:

There are varying opinions on that. Some trainers and behavioralists say that it's good to let them experience a heat cycle before spaying, because it gives them a chance to fully develop mentally and chemically(hormones) into a female. Also, if a dog is dog aggressive, it can help not to spay them, because they have more estrogen(whereas a boy gets neutered, and calms down because he has less testosterone). Your vet will tell you, and I stand behind this, that you should get them spayed after all their puppy shots, but as soon as possible afterwards. Every heat cycle increases the risk of cancers, infections, pia(sp), and other health risks. Not to mention unwanted pregnancies, and litters going to shelters, and euthanized, etc. Mixie had problems that had to be solved involving that area before I could spay her. Locca was done young, and the rescue that Dayzee came from also did her before first heat. If you're not intending to breed, I absolutely say spay before first cycle. Dogs can be trained, Cancer can't be.

Thanks! But I heard spaying them:
- increases their risk of osteosarcoma (bone cancer),
- triples the risk of hypothyroidism
- Causes them to put on weight (though I'm guessing this can easily be controlled by more exercise/less food)
- Causes incontinence
- More chance of getting UTIs

The things that concerns me the most are the incontinence and the UTIs...though I suppose its worth it cause I would never consider breeding...and don't want any accidental litters!

Thanks for the info thus far...and sorry for 'hijacking' the thread!

It's an issue like vaccinosis to me. I've heard a lot of risks to both sides, but in reality, I haven't personally experienced a dog who had vaccinosis from standard vaccination. I have, however, seen parvo dogs, a whole entire kennel infected with(and in turn all the employees dogs) get Bordatella, because a new strain developed that hadn't been vaccinated against yet, rabid dogs, distemper dogs, etc.

I haven't seen many problems more than a lab with a weight problem in the spayed dogs, especially the ones spayed young. Usually the weight problem seemed to effect the owners weight as well, though. I have, however, had a fellow trainer come to work bawling that he lost his 7 yr old dog in an emergency spay because she had a piya (sp?), and multiple unaltered dogs with cervical cancer, or who contracted cpv later and had to be spayed late in life, with huge risks of complications. Ive seen a lot of bad in the unspayed, or spayed too old dogs, and not much in the spayed. Ill be breeding Soshanna and spaying her after the first litter, and I will be going to the best vet anybody I know, knows to avoid problems. Usually, my vet is great, but even as long as Soshanna will have waited worries me.

I've heard that the more heats the higher increase of the mammory cancer (I can't remember a name, my friend's cat had it) and its scary. The stunting of the growth is definitely a myth. I'm getting Karli spayed at 5 months so I wont have to worry about a heat.

I thyink it was something like 12% increase chance of mammary cancer for the 1st heat and every heat after that is an extra 3%.

Elyse - All of the health problems you've listed can be controlled. Cancer cant be, and puppies can cause alot of problems in themselves as well as adding to the already high demands on shelters and rescues.

My eldest son (5 years) has cancer. The last thing I want is for Freya to get it too. If there is one thing I know that can help prevent it, it's spaying. Although she's gone into heat this first time, I am most certain that I'm going to get her spayed before it happens again.

Also, with the whimpering indicating that she's ready and receptive. She has been whimpering for a couple of days. I thought it was maybe because she didnt like the pants I got her, but she didnt seem unconfortable in them or even try to get them off. Then I noticed she was whimpering when they weren't on as well.
Does that mean she'f fertile now? Because her drips, although they have lessened and are some that lighter than before, are still present and far from a straw colour, or even light pink.

She's probably just come into fertility in the last day or so, then.
My dogs usually bleed for about 2 weeks, sometimes closer to 3 weeks, and then are fertile for another 2 weeks,

is it possible that because it's her 1st it's just a light one?

I did read somewhere they can blead any where between 4 days to up to a few weeks.
She has been bleeding now for 6 days.

Its definitely possible. Soshannas first was only 10 days, and not a heavy flow.

Thanks Eric, you've been a wealth of knowledge and advice. I appreciate it

I'm glad I could help. Doggy periods are the great mystery to most people.

Yes, well I admit I thought she was fertile as soon as she started bleeding. It took some googling and talking to others to really figure it all out.

I've not had a female go into heat on me before. My Mum had a maltese go into heat twice before she got her spayed, but that was when I was a kid and I didnt much care about the reproductive cycle of a dog then.

Okay so I thought Freya's heat (bleeding part) was slowing down or coming to an end at least a couple weeks ago, it turns out it wasnt. It has slowed down, but she is still bleeding. At one stage I thought it was getting lighter and she was coming into her fertile stage.

It is only now that I see the colour of the drips on my white tiles, that I notice that they have really started to change colour.

She's exhibiting some behaviour that she's never done before.
She has a BFF a spaniel x golden retiever called Shadow. I always believed shadow to be the dominant one of the pair, they spend quite alot of time together playing and folling around as pups do. Freya is 8 months old while Shadow is about 10 months.

Freya is mounting her, and thrusting. I'm not sure if this is her showing dominance over Shadow all of a sudden, or it's related to the heat. Shadow was sniffing around Freya's vulva, but I presumed that normal, especially with all the extra feramones going on.

Freya has never mounted Shadow before. I mean they limb on top of eachother all the time in play and try leap over one another, but never the full blown mount and thrust combo.

Is this a sign that Freya is wanting to seek males and is now fertile?

Has the blood turned more of a yellowish color? That and the mounting sounds like she is fertile now.

it's a really pale pink, some spots look a bit like yellow. it was a deep red.