Hey - hope this is the right place to put this. I figured with the number of breeders, you might be the best to ask.

I've never had a bitch before, so I've never seen a season, and wanted to ask how imminent you thought it might be.

My Guide Dog pup Luffy (Lab x Golden Retriever) is just over 8.5 months old.

Last saturday, her friend Dylan (9.5 month old border collie) who has never showed any interest in her started sniffing her back end. He's sniffed her several times on each walk since, which has been most days (both on lead).

Yesterday, her vulva looked a little swollen, and she began licking herself like crazy - at one point every few minutes. This morning, there were no blood spots on her bed, and i haven't seen any discharge on her, but she's still licking quite a lot, so I dunno if she's just licking the evidence away lol.

Am I going to be waiting for another week, or are we talking a day or 2? She's not *that* swollen atm. Enough that I noticed, but not enough that it looks particularly different... if that makes sense.

Thanks in advance for the advice. And I know not to let her off lead or near boys for 3 weeks from first bleeding. It's Guide Dogs policy to spay them after first season, so she will be spayed, but it's not my decision when

Pop a white sheet or blanket where she normally lies down, it's the easiest way to spot any discharge/blood, as when they wake up, that's when they're most likely to spot, having rested there's usually a slight build up. She's around the right age, but having said that, they can keep you guessing.

I've already got a sheet over her bed. Figured since her bed is dark brown I was unlikely to spot anything unless i put something lighter on there lol. But thanks. No sign of anything on the sheet this morning :/

I do the tissue test every morning when I think they might be due. I piece of white tissue pressed against their vulva first thing in a morning usually picks up the spotting.
My young bitch is just coming on for the first time and she is almost a year old (BC) so they do vary a lot

Well she had a wee today which had a nice splat at the end. I went out to investigate, and there was a nice large blob of thick white mucus. Lovely.

For those more experienced: Can I walk her with other dogs etc if there's discharge but no blood? Or should she be alone on lead from this point on?

Thanks

sounds like she is well and truely started!
As soon as dogs start sniffing my girl lots and she starts to spin a few times before stopping whatever she might be doing to flop down and lick herself i know it has began and can be a couple of days before i notice any blood.
Trouble's first season we were down at my parents for the month so could walk her normally but did notice she was very skittish and did run home a couple of times if chased or freaked out. i wouldn't let your girl near any full males and if she's got lots of dog sniffing her non stop she's going to get the hump. If you've got someone you can walk with so she's not completely alone for 3 weeks I found Trouble came back afterwards much happier.
Just another note on that I noticed with her and some other girls a similar age that after she came back from being on season she was still very interesting for a couple of days but also she was very snappy with other dogs for ages, like she had to be reintroduced to everyone. Another girl we know got into a fight with another dog which is very unlike her.
She's just had her 4th season (and her last i think) and only this time did she start to be aware what it was all about. I walk her in a park barely and fully secure used hen she is in season so she can still run off the lead but she was showing herself and lifting her tail to a staff she fell in love ith-fall too small to do much and 7 years without testicals-silly pup hehe.
Hope this helps, I'm no expert but this was my experience

I'm sure you're aware, some bitches bleed very little in comparison to others, if you *think* she may be in, but there's no signs on the sheet you've put over her bed, I'd give her a quick exam and possiby tissue test, by pressing kitchen roll into the creases of her vulva, to see if there's any pinkish discharge indicating she's starting to bleed.

I don't walk my girls in season, once they've started to bleed, that's it, they don't go anywhere except the field next door to the house. Without premate testing it's impossible to say exactly when a bitch is ovulating, so you couldn't tell when she's at her most ready, and some bitches may appear to say yes, no, maybe and keep your head going in circles as to whether they are actually *ready* and could be caught out. Mine are pretty text book, and once they start bleeding, do so for approx 10 days or so, usually appearing to stand by flicking their tail over around days 11-14, although as it's entirely possible they could be late ovulators (never tested them) I tend to keep them away from dogs for a good fortnight after they have finished flicking their tail over. So it's usually between 3-4 weeks I keep them away from the possibility of bumping into other dogs. Bitches can also be a nuisance to in season bitches, as can neutered males, for me, it's not worth the hassle, and as the scent carries a good distance, nor worth the risk for other dogs who may want to find your girl having scented her some distance away possibly.

Just as an aside, Tau's vulva swells up like a baboon for her seasons, and she looks positively mortified about the whole thing. Both my Labs first seasons the blood was a slightly darker colour than *normal*.

Thanks for the advice.

I do normally walk her quite late, so we don't tend to bump into anyone much, but I decided a long time ago that we wouldn't go out very much - if at all - and if we did, it'd be at times i knew were quiet and we were unlikely to bump into anyone. plus, she can run in the garden. I don't normally let her play in the garden. Normally just take her for walks a lot, but I'm already prepared to let her in the garden instead. it is fully secured.

Guess that's us locked in for a few weeks then hehe.

What do guide dogs recommend about walking when the bitch is in season. I am not sure why but I thought they spayed before the first season as they would not want the pup losing out in its socialisation time. What do they do if the bitch still isnt in season when they want to start training.

Quote: "she can run in the garden. I don't normally let her play in the garden. Normally just take her for walks a lot, but I'm already prepared to let her in the garden instead. it is fully secured."

Don't want to put frighteners on here but still keep eye on her in the garden even if secure as a friend of mine has over 6' fence around garden & when his bitch was in season a greyhound managed to get in (he still doesn't know how other over fence) & mate her so she off to vets next day for jab.