When Does a Dog’s Heat Cycle Begin?
A dog’s heat cycle may appear to be something quite difficult to understand. Unlike other species, the dog’s heat cycle does not seem to follow any logic (e.g., following a specific seasonality of temperature change). Rather, it occurs regardless of whether.
Many times the dog’s heat cycle—better known as the estrous cycle—seems to be quite unpredictable. The first heat generally occurs around six months in small- to medium-sized dogs and around 12–18 months in larger breed dogs. However, it is not unheard of for some giant dog breeds to go into heat at around 30 months of age.
Phases of the Dog’s Heat Cycle
The cycle is divided into four distinct phases explained below.
Proestrus
This is when the dog’s reproductive tissues swell and appear puffy. A bloody discharge will take place as the female carefully licks herself quite often in order to keep herself clean. Loss of appetite and irritability are not very uncommon. Male dogs may be interested in the female but she will not be interested as of yet. This phase generally lasts seven to 10 days.
Estrus
This phase is also known by breeders as ”standing heat” because this phase is actually when the female dog will stand still for the male to breed. Gradually the bloody discharge seen in proestrus will be replaced by a pink- or straw-colored discharge signaling this important phase. This phase generally lasts 4 to 14 days.
Diestrus
This phase concludes the mating process, as most females at this point will no longer be interested in males. Males, however, may still stick around. This phase if the dog has been impregnated lasts generally from the end of the estrus until the birth of the puppies, averaging therefore 60 days. If the dog has not been impregnated, the diestrus phase will not be any different from the Anaestrus stage.
Anaestrus
This is the longest phase of a dog’s heat cycle, indeed it ranges from 100 to 150 days. It appears to be a quiet time for the dog’s reproductive organs, however, the dog’s pituitary gland and ovaries are really getting ready for the next proestrus cycle.
Heat Abnormalities faced by the dogs
Split Heat
In this case, the dog’s heat is interrupted and then continued at a later time. Basically, a female dog will exhibit signs of proestrus (including the typical bleeding), but then once estrus approaches the symptoms may disappear for some time.
Induced Estrus
It appears that in some cases, the presence of a female in heat may awaken the heat cycle in other females as well.
Silent Heats
In this case, the heat is silent, meaning that there are hardly any outward signs to suggest that the heat has occurred.
Common Questions About Dog Breeding
1. How Often Does a Dog Come Into Heat?
Most dogs generally go into heat every six months, or better said twice a year. However, Basenjis and wolf hybrids tend to go only once a year.
2. At What Age Can a Dog Be Bred?
Professional breeders know that dogs should never be bred on their first heat cycle. Rather, the second or the third cycles are preferable because the dog is more mature and makes a better mother. Of course, only top-breeding quality dogs should be bred to decrease the pet overpopulation problem.
3. What Are Common Breeding Difficulties?
Picky Females: While males seem to have no problem breeding with the female in heat, females on the other hand may be selective at times.
4. Will the bleeding stop completely when she’s ready to breed?
The discharge usually turns from red to a straw-like color when she is ready to breed.
5. My female dog discharged dark red blood once or twice a day after mating. Does this mean she is not pregnant?
It is normal for a dog in heat to continue to have some bleeding even after they’ve been bred. As long as the discharge isn’t excessive and she’s not acting abnormal (not eating, being lethargic, having vomiting or diarrhea) then you are likely simply just seeing some remnant bleeding due to the continuation of her cycle.
Bleeding or not after mating has no indication of whether the breeding “took” or not. In other words, it doesn’t provide any clues on whether your dog will be pregnant. The only sure way to determine pregnancy is by seeing the vet. An ultrasound can help confirm pregnancy and that is done around day 25.
6. At what age does a heat cycle end for a female dog?
Heat cycles never stop in dogs. In other words, female dogs do not go into menopause as people do. It is advisable to have an intact female dog spayed because, with age, they become more and more prone to a potentially life-threatening condition known as pyometra.
7. What is a dog’s gestation period?
The gestation period of a dog is approximately 63 days.
8. When will my female dog go into heat after having puppies seventeen weeks ago?
Usually, most dogs tend to go into heat every six to seven months. There can be individual variances with some dogs going into heat as early as four months, or as late as every twelve months.
9. Will a female dog bleed/spot after heat?
A normal heat cycle in dogs typically lasts an average of 7 to 14 days. If a female dog’s bleeding goes on longer than that, then it is worth of wondering whether something’s going on. At times, some dogs may develop ovarian cysts, and these may cause irregularities in a dog’s heat cycle.
Even more worrisome, bleeding after heat can be indicative of Pyometra, a uterine infection that may turn life-threatening if treatment is not sought in time. Affected dogs though are normally quite ill.
Other possibilities include the presence of a growth or tumor in the uterus that is bleeding. If the dog has been bred or accidentally mated, bleeding after a cycle may also be indicative of a miscarriage. If a dog is bleeding/spotting after a heat cycle, it would, therefore, be important to have her examined by a vet. The vet may wish to rule out serious disorders and perhaps run some blood tests to evaluate the dog’s hormone levels.
10. If my dog is in heat, can she be spayed?
Yes, but vets prefer to have the spay procedure done after the heat cycle considering that there is more swelling (due to increased blood flow to the ovaries and uterus) when a dog is in heat which can lead to more bleeding and possible complications. It will also cost more to have a dog in heat spayed compared to not in heat. Waiting for the heat cycle to be over may be a wise choice.
11. Can my dog become pregnant with a few 2-3 minute penetrations and no 30-minute tie with the male?
In general, a tie (when both dogs are locked together) lasts anywhere between 5 and 30 minutes. These 2 to 3-minute penetrations sound more like slip matings, especially if the male tries the whole routine all over again after slipping out. Ideally, for successful mating, the male would have to mount long enough for getting locked and discharging over a period of time.
During this time, the first fluid discharged is the ‘prewash’ followed by the actual fluid that promotes pregnancy, followed then by the final fluid which cleans out the pathway. However occasionally (although somewhat rarely) pregnancy can occur in matings where an official tie does not occur and this happens if the dog is discharging very shortly after penetration.
12. Will a female dog continue to bleed if she is pregnant?
No, it is not normal for a female dog who is guaranteed to be pregnant to be bleeding. Bleeding in a pregnant dog can be a sign of a miscarriage, and therefore a veterinary exam would be needed for the investigation. In some cases, the bleeding may stem from other causes such as trauma, or maybe the blood is coming from the urinary tract, as is common with urinary tract infections. Bleeding disorders may also be a cause, as it happens with exposure to rat poison.
In an intact (not spayed) female dog who is NOT pregnant, bleeding can be worrisome, considering that this may be a sign of Pyometra. Pyometra is a uterine infection that often starts within 3-4 weeks following the heat cycle.
13. My bulldog puppy is 7 months, can she be in heat that early?
Yes, it is very possible. Generally, female dogs go into heat anywhere between 6 and 24 months old, depending on their breed and size. Larger dogs are usually closer to the higher end of this range. With Bulldogs, you should generally expect them to go into heat going between 6 and 8 months of age.
14. At what age does a dog stop going into heat?
They never do. Indeed, intact female dogs do not go into menopause as humans do. However, as they get older, their cycles can become very abnormal, but they still may remain to a certain extent fertile. For this fact, it’s important to be extra careful with older intact dogs as a pregnancy at an older age can be risky. On top of this, as older dog’s age, they become more and more prone to pyometra which can be life-threatening.
15. Does the discharge changing color and the female dog willing to stand for mating mean that she has ovulated?
I wished it was that easy. There is no way to tell exactly when dogs ovulate. Sure, if she is receptive that can be one sign, but to up the chances of determining the right time, it may help to check vaginal cytology to look at the cells and do a blood progesterone level which with serial testing can allow you to know when ovulation should occur.
VLogs about dog heat cycle – https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=What+is+the+dog+heat+cycle%3F
Related Post – https://dogs1000.com/a-list-of-dogs-with-long-ears/
I’m Revathi Bodduri from India. I’m a blogger and a young entrepreneur who is really a dog lover. I am eager to educate dog owners by sharing dog-related knowledge worldwide. You can contact me at any time through contactdogs1000@gmail.com.