Female heat cycle?

[ricbak]

I have a 15 month old female brittany and as far as I know she has not had a heat cycle yet. Some tidbits here: my dog spends the day in the outside kennel and she comes in and spends the night in the house, she did have a navel hernia repaired "hope this has nothing to do with this" and she is always humping our spayed 5 year old GSP. I know the 1st heat can be lite but I haven't seem it yet. Shouldn't a female dog usually have the 1st heat cycle from 6-12 months? Thanks Rick

[SpringerGuy]

Hi Rick,

A female should come into heat around 10 - 14 months and then every 6 months give or take a little. I had one come into heat at 8 months when she was with another female who was in heat. I have also had a female who never did come into heat. After we found her a new home, she came into heat for the first time at 3 years of age.

The dogs first heat cycle is usually pretty light and some females will kept them selfs licked clean so you will not notice the discharge. However her backend will still swell up to at least twice the size of normal and that you should notice.

So 15 months is a little late, but not unheard of.

[ricbak]

Thanks for the reply Tom, I am just becoming abit concerned that this female has not had a heat cycle yet "that I have seen", and like I said my dogs come into the house in the evening for all night and than go back out in the kennel for the day. I will wait another month or so and than take her to the vet for an opinion.

[SpringerGuy]

Great minds think alike!