Pet Forum

Knowing the symptoms and signs of a dog in heat are critical to anyone that wishes to breed their canine. In order to time the breeding correctly so that you allow the dogs to mate at the most fertile time, you need to have a basic understanding on what to expect when your dog is in heat. These tips for spotting signs that your dog is in heat ay be useful to you.

The first part of heat you will notice bleeding from the vulva, swelling of the vulva, possible increase in urination and the most noticeable, male dogs hanging around the house. During this period (proestrus), females will not allow the males to breed with them although the males will be very persistent. The symptoms at the beginning of the heat cycle usually starts with her paying a great deal of attention to and licking at her vulva frequently, and there is some hard swelling around the vaginal area. The flow may be fairly heavy the first few days and usually decreases in amount over the next week. The color also changes from dark red to salmon colour as the heat progresses. The vulva, or area around the vagina, swells considerably and then begins to soften, as her progesterone level rises and her body prepares to release the eggs from the ovaries. She will curve her tail over to the left or right side as she becomes closer to the actual mating time and will urinate frequently to spread her scent for the males.

The second part or estrus is the time in which the female will allow the male to breed her and this can last anywhere from 4-21 days. A female, most of the time, will allow most any male to breed during this time. As the female starts to go out of heat or enter diestrus, she will be less willing to breed.

If you are still not sure that your dog is in heat (no obvious signs that they are in heat), you can also order a test to determine it. The vet can even determine exactly which day your dog will ovulate.

i only know that my dog is in heat because he is already sticking out his tongue. after that i give a bath using the hose at the backyard

living in Florida I see this all the time... and your hear all the time of dogs dieing inside of cars... sadly not just dogs... The indise of a car get reach temp of 115f in just 15 mins... wow.. talk about heat stroke.

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I think the previous two posters have misunderstood the meaning of ' heat'
The first poster is saying about the signs which can suggest of the breeding period of the bitch.
By the way, a very informative post