Is this normal?

brittk

Kaiya went into heat earlier this week and I was just curious what your dogs are like in heat. She has been very lethargic and not really wanting to do anything other than sleep and sometimes snuggle. Is this normal? Thanks

sjp051993

my girls do that alot when they are in season.

lindsayt

Normal for some. My girl got cranky/argumentative at first and tended to appreciate some alone time.

BradA1878

Some of ours (like Masha) get clingy and mellow, other get kinda hyper (Mochi and Kumi), while other become less tolerant of the other dogs (like Loa). Our Akita, especially Lani, used to get very mellow when they came into season.

I've noticed females get more clingy on their first heat, I think it kinda scary for them the first time.

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brittk

Thanks all, this is making me feel a little better. With all her other issues she has going on, and being a little confused about this, I think she may be a little bit depressed too. All of her normal activities are on hold because of her heat (she cant go to day care which is usually 2-3 times a week), obedience class doesnt start again for another week and we have not been doing play dates because most of our friends have males. The only thing she is going to is her PT, which we do all day once a week.

Luckily we were able to get to a secluded area for a little hike yesterday and that seemed to cheer her up a bit.

Do you think we going overboard with keeping her away from her friends? I highly doubt any of them have experienced a female in season before, which makes me nervous.

dlroberts

I think its fine to have her around neutered males or other females while she's in season. If you're really concerned, try one neutered male at a time to see how they do. My suspicion is that she'll either be happy to have the attention, or will just feel crappy and not be interested in being around another dog. Either way, no harm can come from it (provided you manage it just like you should any dog-dog interaction).

lindsayt

I still did play dates with spayed and neutered dog friends. They didn't care at all. I took her on walks outside the neighborhood in safe areas, to Lowes/Home Depot and on car rides. She kept herself really clean anyways, but I always brought a little towel if we went into a store. We had to skip 2 puppy class sessions, but were able to make it up later.

Heidi

In our city, the bylaw states that you have to keep dogs in heat inside all the time, except to take them out to relieve themselves. I always thought that would really make a heat suck for a dog. If I had a female in heat, I'd probably take her on walks anyway.

brittk

We are still doing walks on the occasion that she actually wants to go and we did take her for a short hike on Sunday in a secluded area not far from our house. She just isnt her peppy little self and I think its a combo of exhaustion and depression. Puppy class round 2 starts next Thursday (there was a month between the two sessions) and I think we are going to have one of her little friends over tonight and see how it goes.

Hopefully by next weekend we can be back to life as usual...

ayk

Some say that when a female is in heat and given a walk in the neighborhood, the scent on her paw pads will leave a trail home for loose males to follow.