Female in house during heat - Page 1

For those of you who's dogs live in-house 100% of the time and who own females, how much of a mess do they actually make while in heat? Do you limit what areas of the house they can visit during this time?

Depends on the female.  I have one you would never know she was in heat because she is very clean, and another who isn't so clean and leaves pools of grossness wherever she lays down.  I put sheets where they like to lay.  Tried a diaper thing once, but everybody in the house would forget to take it off when they let the dogs out, that ended up being a bigger mess than the blood!  Will use the diaper if we go out to training, shows, or to the vet though.

so depending on the home, a male might be a better choice, just based on a cleanliness aspect? My wife is ok with the house-breaking period a pup requires, but not sure if having a female will create an issue every 6 months.

It's a trial, that's for sure. Some people put a t-shirt or underwear on the dog to protect the floor. Most bitches want to lick themselves to stay clean, so it's a good idea to have a garment that's loose enough for them to push it aside and clean themselves.

With my first intact female, I bought this little harness that would hold a small menstrual pad. It was held in place by elastics which allowed her to push it aside to clean herself. If I could ever find one of those again, I'd be very pleased!

Tasha was intact only temporarily. She was a stray, and the vet coudn't say for sure if she'd been spayed. Of course, I had her done shortly after she finished that first heat. It was quite a messy one, too. She left blood wherever she lay down for any length of time, and since the house (which didn't belong to me) had wall-to-wall broadloom, a pad or diaper was a necessity.

I've tried diapers meant for bitches in heat, but my females really WANT to clean themselves, so they rip the crotches out...

i was sucessful with getting a bigger diaper than my female needed and she could clean her self and never make a mess. but she knew at night she had to lay on her blanket. and she always did.

I hate cleaning up blood drops on the floor, my bitches are kenneled during heat cycles.

Just spay her, then you won't have to worry about it.

Margaret N-J

Sure, just rip out her guts rather than mop the floor. 

Gus, it's not a big deal; there might be a day or two where it's heavier and you might see a few drops of blood. To me, it's a non-issue. Nothing a little carpet cleaner/Nature's Miracle can't handle if it does occur. Most of the time, the only indication is the males' behavior. If it's bad, keep the dog confined to a non-carpeted area for a few days when she's not outside. 

My girls wear bloomers LOL. They hate it but tolerate them because I told them they have to. I have to
be careful going to bed our out because they will rip the pad out when no one is watching and eat them,
so I crate them when I can't watch them.

I don't think it's that difficult to kepp intact females in the house. I am the only one who lets the dogs out
and I've only forgotten to take their bloomers off once or twice.

Melissa

so it's basically just 2 days to deal with? That's not too bad.