Dog breeders: Is this heat cycle normal? When is she fertile?

[IcarusSomnio]

My DanexBoxer girl is in heat again. She last came into heat roughly 4, maybe 5 months ago. Now she's in heat again, right now she's bleeding (normally, not excessively). I was wondering, is this really normal?

She's a year and seven months old. Not too terribly active exercise wise at the moment, due to the horrible heat 24/7. Usually I work her over small jumps, practice send-away, retrieve, and heel commands, things like that. Nothing in particular, really. She is a VERY healthy dog, perfect weight, shiny coat, bright eyed, UTD on everything. Very energetic, just lacking minor muscle tone (when we train her hindquarters get HUGE and her back is nothing but muscle).

I first noticed that her nipples seemed baggy, and that she was licking excessively. My first thought was, "OH DEAR GOD NO SHE'S PREGNANT" then I got a hold of myself and realized, nope, she's just in heat again

I was also wondering: When do dogs become fertile? After the bleeding period or before? Hazel normally sleeps outside on calm nights (i.e, warm with no rain). The past three days though, she's been finding new and creative ways to escape. First she found a weak spot on the bottom of the door, squeezed out through it. Fixed it as soon as I found out. Next she found a weak spot between two posts, so she squeezed through them. Fixed it. THEN today I watched her, honest now, JUMP OVER THE TOP OF THE KENNEL. This is a 7-8ft high kennel and she was able to get over the top. I couldn't believe it.
She hopped over the chainlink fence this morning when I went out to feed the chickens, I thought she chewed through the chainlink somehow!
It's covered for shade except for one small area in the front, which is were she decided to escape.

On the one side, I'm amazed at her athletic ability, on the other side, it really worries me. For one thing, she's far to young for that kind of bodily strain. And, thats a great way to get pregnant by a passing mutt.

 

[ShrekDawg]

ok first off, unless you plan to breed her you should really spay her, there are already enough homeless animals in the world and with her athletic abilities she could easily get loose and find a passing mutt, in which case you would be contributing to this problem, so you should really spay her, if you cant afford it i am sure there is somewhere that could do it for cheap, maybe try an animal shelter or humane society, sometimes they offer low cost spay/neuter clinics or call your vet and explain your situation, they may be able to do it for cheap, its worth a shot, so your not contibuting to the already major problem of pet overpopulation. sorry to sound blunt but unfortunately its the truth.

secondly, now to answer your question, i think that is fairly normal, the ideal age for a 1st litter is 2 yrs old. and they usually first come into heat at about a year old, more or less, depending on the dog. also, i think i read somewhere that they usually come into heat about once or twice a year (about every 6 months, with slight variations above or below that depending on the dog).

this is from "The Ultimate Encyclopedia of Dogs, Dog Breeds & Dog Care" (great book by the way, I highly recommend it), in the Mating part of the Breeding section on page 48, (it was written in 3 columns w/a pic on the bottom but writing in columns was too much of a nuisance to bother writing in here so i didnt write it that way, written pretty much exact same though, except i edited the word for female dog a bit, aside from that, pretty much exact same, right down to the punctuation), also i think it was at least partially written by UK people so the terminology may sound a bit odd/different to us but its a very good book and I hope its helpful:

"THE BREEDING CYCLE
Male dogs become sexually mature at about six months of age. From that time their sexual behavior is not cyclical, and they are capable of mating at any time and almost any place!
The b!tch usually comes into season for the first time when she is aged about nine months, and fairly regularly every six months thereafter. It is not unusual, nor is it in any way abnormal, for the first season to be earlier, even as young as six months, or for it to be postponed until the b!tch is over a year old. Neither is it unusual or abnormal for the interval between seasons to be longer than six months. If the interval between one season and another is very much less than six months, and particuarly if it has become irregular in this respect, there may be some abnormality, and advice should be sought from your veterinarian.
A b!tch's season lasts for about three weeks. She will show some swelling of her vulva shortly before presenting a blood-stained discharge. The discharge is usually very bloody at the start of her season, becoming paler after about ten days.
Although no risks should be taken from the first signs of season, the b!tch will normally not accept a dog until about halfway through the the season, at which time she will become fertile (i.e. capable of conceiving). There is normally no odor detectable to a human from a b!tch in season, but there is a very powerful one detectable by dogs a considerable distance away. Do not assume that because you live a mile from the nearest male dog, your b!tch will not be mated.
Do not assume, either, that a dog that lives together with a b!tch, though they may be brother and sister, will not be interested.

MATING AND CONCEPTION
True estrus begins at about twelve days from the first signs of the b!tch coming into season. From that time she will accept the male's attempts to mate her, and she will be fertile, for about five to seven days. Ovulation, the release of eggs into the uterus, takes place during this period. The timing is variable, and the dog and b!tch are the best practical arbiters of the b!tch's fertile period, although laboratory tests are available to help timing if the b!tch fails to concieve."...

I hope that information was helpful to you, although by this time someone has probably already posted since im kind of a slow typer... lol

but i hope this is/was still helpful. good luck!

 

[dutchhollow]

Mixed breed female should have been spayed by now. Do not leave her outside by herself, if she doesn't jump out, someone else will jump in.

 

[rodriguezpoultry]

Or breed THROUGH the fence.

My dog must be odd...she has only had one heat cycle in 3 years.

 

[IcarusSomnio]

I don't intend on spaying her, because I DO intend on breeding her. She has the agility, stamina, and bravery of a true hunting dog without the unmanageable energy, incredibly trainable, great with kids, friendly, smart. Her only true lacking quality is her utter failure as a guard dog...she's just too friendly! She has almost all the traits I love and want in a dog, and I think her offspring, from the right stud, would follow along the same lines.


This is Hazelnut, my dear girl, I unfortunately don't have any good side photos of her yet:

Lounging in the grass

Looking for her Jolly Ball, you can see her hindquarters better. This was February-Marchish time.

Returning with it:

She wants to play

 

[Redyre Rotties]

And a merle to boot.

 

[bock]

PLEASE don't breed her! There are so many great puppies and adult dogs getting put down in shelters every day. I don't even agree with breeding a purebreed, but a mutt! I rescued my Lab mix from a shelter that kills 30 dogs a DAY. She is beautiful, friendly, and very gentle around all animals. What else could you want in a dog, right? Well she was almost put down 3 times before we found her. Thankfully an animal rescue took her in for a few days so she wouldn't be killed. I can almost guarantee at least one of her puppies would end up at the shelter, even if the do nothing wrong. And for every one of the puppies she has, one other dog will be put own in a shelter. Don't add to this problem. Give the dogs a chance that are already alive to find a family. Be a responsible pet owner, SPAY AND NEUTER YOUR PETS!

 

[rodriguezpoultry]

Quote:
Bob Barker...

Guys, she didn't ask whether or not you believe she should or should not spay her dog. It's her decision because it's her dog. The weight of the decision rests on her shoulders and hers alone.

 

[Jamie_Dog_Trainer]

She'll be fertile after the bleeding stops. At the stage she seems to be in at this time she'd probably be coy with a male for a few minutes but if he tries to mount her she'll give an aggressive response. If you really want to keep her from being bred, since she is an escape artist you should crate her INSIDE your house unless she is supervised. Otherwise you are just not doing your part to keep your dog from having puppies. Its only for a couple weeks, lots of dog owners have to do this twice a year. Good luck

 

[aggieterpkatie]

Quote:
Uh, so you don't want your mutt to be bred by a mutt?

IMO, it's irresponsible leaving her out when you know she can escape.


And, are you specifically trying to raise hunting dogs? Or are you just breeding for pets?