How to survive the heat of your female dog
without problems
written by Gisela Aach
(Any copies, or excerpts, only with permission by the author)
1. Always try to find out the first day of bleeding/heat - this can be done the closer the time of the heat gets by gently wiping a clean white paper towel over the vulva of your female every morning, before she licks herself clean.
2. If you (just) have a female dog, not also a male, there are only a few things to consider ...
3. If there are many male dogs in your surroundings, place your female in the car and drive further away to go for a walk. That will help prevent having male dogs sitting and maybe even "singing" in front of your house, as males are attracted by the scent of a female.
4. Observe the behaviour of your female towards other dogs
5. Observe the bleeding - colour, how much, how long
6. Observe her vulva - changes in size, differences in tightness, appearance (smooth, wrinkled ...)
7. Start a special "female-folder" and make notes of your observations (points 4 to 6). In the following heats, these notes will help you assess your female's status of heat, and it can help you detect any deviations quickly.
8. Latest from day 7 of the heat onwards, your little lady belongs on a leash, to help prevent any unforeseen happenings. Keep her on a lead throughout her heat and only let her off from the leash at the end of her heat, when she barks the males away vigorously and visibly wrinkles her nose at them. Rather keep her longer on a lead than necessary!
9. Even in your own garden supervision is always necessary during that time because female and male dogs can be very inventive when it comes to outsmarting humans. Not always does "safe from breaking out" also mean "safe from breaking in"!
10. In the house, it might be a good idea to have your female wear a special pantyhose during the time of her heat; this helps against blood stains on your carpets.
11. It goes without saying that contacts with other dogs are restricted during the three weeks of a female's heat, but to make up for this, walking and exercising - always on a lead - could be a little longer. Also, keeping your female occupied, as well as playing with her, will let her be happy and content throughout her heat.
12. If you have a "dog couple", a female and male dog, in your household, you need to plan how to keep them separately during the time of the heat. Great, if a close member of your family could take your male dog along to work, that way quite some time during the day would already be "safe" (taking the female during her heat would pose a problem). Especially during the "hottest" days of the heat - the time when a female welcomes a male to mate (this time can last approximately 3 to 6 days) - you must, of course, keep your female and male separately from each other. This can be easily done if two members of your family now sleep in different rooms and each take one dog with them. Both lock their doors securely - Eurasiers have learned how to open doors! Basically, during the time of the heat, there should always be a closed door inbetween the two, even better if there are two closed doors between them: That way it cannot happen that one lies on one side of the door, the other on the other side, constantly whining and blowing their breath underneath the door towards each other.
13. When the heat is over, take your calender, count another 6 or 7 months further (according to the rhythm of your female) and mark the next possible dates for her heat. All you have to do now, is, arrange your holidays and special events away from that time, teach your female to read the calender, and then enjoy a happy life in harmony together with your female and male and your human family.