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ForumsGerman Shepherd Dog > Female in house during heat (61 replies)
Female in house during heat by Gusmanda on 25 June 2012 - 04:20 |
| 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? |
Gusmanda by SummertimeGSD on 25 June 2012 - 04:33 |
| 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. |
by Gusmanda on 25 June 2012 - 04:53 |
| 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. |
by Sunsilver on 25 June 2012 - 05:27 |
| 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...  |
Sunsilver by Siantha on 25 June 2012 - 05:33 |
| 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. |
Siantha by Felloffher on 25 June 2012 - 05:57 |
| I hate cleaning up blood drops on the floor, my bitches are kenneled during heat cycles. |
Felloffher by Kaffirdog on 25 June 2012 - 07:30 |
| Just spay her, then you won't have to worry about it. Margaret N-J |
Kaffirdog by Jenni78 on 25 June 2012 - 12:19 |
| 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. |
Jenni78 by melba on 25 June 2012 - 13:29 |
| 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 |
melba by Gusmanda on 25 June 2012 - 15:31 |
| so it's basically just 2 days to deal with? That's not too bad. |
by ziegenfarm on 25 June 2012 - 15:38 |
solution is very simple. if you can't handle the "heat" stay out of the kitchen. in other words, spay your bitches or else have males. |
ziegenfarm by Gusmanda on 25 June 2012 - 20:05 |
| solution is very simple. if you can't handle the "heat" stay out of the kitchen. Indeed. Just trying to figure out if it's workable or not, hence the question. Any more opinions/experiences on how to cope welcome. |
by gaf on 25 June 2012 - 20:55 |
| Here's my stupid question of the week: do you take females in heat to training classes or shows???? |
by Gusmanda on 25 June 2012 - 21:09 |
| I would take her training, and if titling I would do that too. My trainer warned me that it would be an issue during nationals/competitions, however I'm not an acomplished trainer, so that's not something I feel would be an issue (at least not now), being honest with myself. My only issue is the possible messes made in the house, since I traditionally have my dogs follow me wherever I go to in my house. |
by brynjulf on 25 June 2012 - 21:09 |
| Our girls get booted out to the kennel . Cleaning blood off the lamps , walls etc isnt my cup of tea. Everytime they shake their heads blood will fly all over , yuck. 14 days of blood every where ...no thank you. 2 weeks in the kennel won't kill them :) So much easier to clean the floors out there! |
by DebiSue on 25 June 2012 - 21:31 |
| Get the diapers that you can put pads in and tell her to "leave it". It's really not that big an issue. Crate her at night without the diaper so she doesn't eat the pad. My girl never ate the pad but she would pull it out and tear it up until I pointed at it and told her it was a no-no. After that I just let her roam with her diaper on. She wore to get her herding instinct test done. The judge called her miss fancy pants. LOL You do have to remember to take it off each time she goes out to potty. I forgot once or twice. It used to be a wrestling match to get it on her but she soon figured out it was easier on everyone if she just stood still and submitted. We found the ones with Velcro tabs with a hole for her tail...had to pull her tail thru it. I've seen other people use little boys underwear and poke the tail thru the fly. I've always said I would rather put up with a bitch in heat than deal with a male marking my sofa...and now we are getting a male puppy. Echo is spayed so the heat is no longer an issue. I'll just have to watch for little man to hike his leg and put a stop to it. Whole new experience for us. LOL |
DebiSue by macrowe1 on 26 June 2012 - 00:10 |
| I keep my girls in unless they're going to the bathroom. But they make little dog diapers for when they go into heat. With males you may have to worry about marking. With females, it's heat. It's like a 50/50 with cleanliness. But the different sexes have different personalities. Depends on what kind of dog you're looking for. |
macrowe1 by Kalibeck on 26 June 2012 - 00:24 |
| My Kali was as clean as a cat. Her first 2 heat cycles she was a little messy, & seemed totally embarrassed, licking up her little messes & whipping around to inpect herself every few minutes. We tried a pair of panties with a ruffle that held a pad, she tried to remove them, & when I said "No!" she acted like she had been humiliated beyond all repair. So a compromise was reached, no panties as long as she kept herself nice & tidy, & she did. Her 2 daughters were wild Bohemians, a wag of the tail & look out! They are still fairly oblivious to their own 'functions', but Ansgar is a little tidier. Her sister, however, is a stinky pig. LOL! Good thing we love her! And it has been my experience that females heat cycles are as individual as a women's periods, no 2 are just alike. Some are regular, some not, some short, some long. My girl would bleed 2 days, take a day off, then have dark old bloody discharge for 3 more days. Her daughters are each different. And remember, they are 'fertile' for a week (or more) after the bleeding stops, so still use caution. And mine were/are all indoors. I buy disinfectant wipes from the big box stores, but it's really no big deal. jackie harris |
Kalibeck by CMills on 26 June 2012 - 00:33 |
| I've used the doggy diapers and never had a bit of trouble, not hard and the dogs got to say inside where they were used to be. |
CMills by swingfield on 26 June 2012 - 01:26 |
| .. also keep in mind.. the male isnt the only one that has desire to mate during estrus.. a female can be just as tenacious in finding a "mate" so if you are in a situation as to not being able to "babysit" your girl for at least 2-3 weeks.. to keep from an accidental breeding.. maybe kenneling her will keep her safe and you from any 'oooops' breeding to an indiscriminate mating! just my opinion..crating and a kennel can be your best friend for keeping them safe and healthy !! I personally spay who I am not going to breed.. as I am a tech and I see a few mammary issues and pyometra with unspayed female.. but I also have breeding females that I keep in down time.. at a show.. or away from any male.. it only takes a second for a "tie" to happen and then you are just standing there asking yourself if it would have just been easier to leave her at home and safe for a couple of weeks.. They can (not all ) get a bit 'bitchy' when in heat too.. so they arent really up on their game for training.. (not all ) !! just for some thoughts !! sherry |
swingfield
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