The dog’s estrus is a topic of interest, first of all, to the person who first encountered this problem. Most often these are people who have got a pet and intend to properly care for it. To do this, you need to know how long the estrus lasts in dogs, to understand the main points of this process and how to behave the owner.
basic information
First you need to understand what this fact means for the dog. Scientists call estrus in dogs with the word estrus. Naturally, this process can only be a bitch. The beginning of oestrus means that the dog has reached the age when it is possible to mate it with a male, and it is able to endure offspring. Some owners are not well acquainted with the characteristics of the maturation of dogs and do not expect estrus in the first years of its life. It is not right. This phenomenon can occur already at the age of six months in some breeds, and on average estrus begins in the first two years of life. How often and how long it lasts depends on what breed your dog is.
How often?
Answering the question of how often dogs have estrus, one can only say an approximate figure, because this is a rather individual process. If we talk about average indicators, then estrus is repeated once or twice a year. This largely depends on the breed. There are times when this happens three times in fourteen months, while others only once in a year and a half. Of course, any deviations from the norm should make you pay close attention to the dog. If estrus is not present for more than eight months, or if it occurs every three to four months, this means that there is a malfunction in the health of the pet and is a reason for consultation with a specialist in this field.
If everything goes fine, then after a couple of years the cycle will be fully established, and you will know in advance when to expect the next period. If we talk about small breeds, then it happens to them even earlier, by one and a half years of life. It is very convenient for the owner to clearly record the start and end dates of estrus.
Do not forget that living conditions and weather also affect the frequency of estrus. For example, in a domestic dog this usually happens only once a year and mainly in the spring, and in domestic dogs in the winter and autumn.
How long?
In addition to the fact that the owners are interested in the question of how often estrus occurs in dogs, they also care about its duration. After all, the conditions in which you want to keep your pet depend on it. It is worth noting that this is a considerable period of time. Estrus lasts about a month, and all this time you will need to carefully monitor the animal and observe all hygiene rules.
Several factors also influence the duration of estrus. So, if a dog lives with a bitch in the house, then the duration increases. But in the presence of strong loads and trainings in the dog, on the contrary, estrus is shorter. The current season also affects the duration: in summer it lasts longer than in winter. But if you have absolutely indoor breed, then this will not greatly affect the duration of estrus. Age is also reflected in this process. The older the dog, the shorter the duration, and, accordingly, vice versa.
First symptoms
So, as we have already said, as soon as the dog is six months old, you can expect the onset of estrus at any time. Do not worry that you will miss this fact, since its symptoms are quite obvious:
- the dog begins to go to the toilet much more often;
- pet behavior is different from standard;
- extraneous males begin to show close attention to the dog;
- the animal develops discharge with blood;
- some breeds begin to shed heavily.
If you have a small breed, then the first estrus can pass almost imperceptibly. Therefore, you need to carefully monitor the dog to mark this first period. The time when the dog can be knitted depends on the number of leaks. You need to carefully record all the dates in order to calculate the right moment.
Estrus Stages
In addition to information about how many dogs have leaks, you need to know how this process goes. Everything is divided into four stages:
- The first is a preliminary stage, which means that heat will begin soon. The dog’s behavior begins to change, it becomes more active, may stop listening to the owner and is intensely interested in males.
- The second is heat itself. At this time, maturation occurs, blood begins to flow, the tail of the dog is taken to the side, and she is looking for a male dog.
- The third is the stage that marks the end of estrus, when the discharge ceases and the bitch ceases to have an interest in individuals of the opposite sex.
- The fourth is a period that lasts until the beginning of the next estrus. It can last up to one hundred and fifty days.
How to behave to the owner
What should the owner do as soon as the dog starts estrus? To get started, you need to immediately record when it happened, what symptoms you noticed and how long it lasted. All this is important if you plan to knit in the future. You should know that if you do not want to breed dogs, then you need to limit the communication of your pet with males. Always use a leash, because the dog becomes naughty at this time. She can easily run away and you will no longer be able to tear some street dog from her. Also, during this period it is not necessary to plan participation in contests and exhibitions. There you cannot guarantee to protect the dog from accidental communication. If you do not want your dog to catch an infectious disease, keep it from swimming in various kinds of water.
Basic hygiene requirements
Regardless of how long the estrus lasts in a dog, certain actions are needed to care for it. The first thing that interests the owners is whether it is possible to wear special panties for animals? Much depends on the circumstances.
From the point of view of health, we do not recommend constantly putting them on the pet. It’s useful and natural for her to lick herself in a given period of her life. But if this causes certain inconvenience, then it is permissible sometimes to still use such panties. For example, if your dog sleeps with you or your child in bed. Or are you used to taking the dog with you in a car or bus. This protects not only the host, but also prevents the penetration of various infections. After all, the dog becomes more vulnerable during this period of its life. In case you decide to use such a hygiene product, you need to carefully study the different options presented in specialized stores. Choose products only from natural fabric, make sure that there is a place for ponytails in them. The presence of straps to adjust the volume is very important. The fewer seams on the product, the less it will irritate the pet. Options with suspenders, Velcro, locks, etc. are available on the market. Some owners even sew custom-made wardrobe items for their dogs. Inside these panties, a special gasket is inserted, which must be changed as necessary.
Possible difficulties
What can be the problems associated with estrus in dogs? The most common is the carelessness of the owner, who did not notice the beginning of an important period of life in the pet. In this case, you are in danger of accidentally knitting. If the beginning of estrus has gone unnoticed for you, then your dog has matured for males, and they feel it. On the street, letting the dog off the leash, you can lose sight of it, and she will let one of them. And this does not always coincide with the plans of the owner. If you are completely at a loss, and you can’t determine for sure whether the estrus started or not, the delivery of special tests will help you. Along with this, you can understand why the beginning of this process took place without obvious signs. After all, the lack of blood means hormonal disruptions, the presence of a tumor or other health problems in the dog.
Getting ready for knitting
The time when it is possible to plan a mating depends on how much the estrus lasts in a dog. It all depends on the particular animal, in one it happens earlier, in the other - later. Watch the dog regularly, and you will understand when she is ready to let the dog in. On average, this is a couple of weeks from the first symptom. In this process, it is important to pay attention to the little things. For example, you do not need to feed the dogs before mating. It is necessary to happen on the territory of neutral or at the dog’s house. The situation should be calm, and the number of people should be minimized. This is especially true for children. Most often, the dogs themselves understand what they are doing and manage without help, but sometimes they need specialist advice.
In the end, to summarize, let’s repeat what is important for any dog owner to know. Carefully monitor the behavior of your pet, do not forget to write down all the dates of the beginning and end of each estrus. Do not disregard the dog, regardless of whether you plan to mate or not.