Your Ultimate Guide To Dogs In Season

 

Estimated Read Time: 6 minutes

Summary: In this blog, we learn all about a dog’s season stages. We’ll learn what the term means, the signs, how long a season lasts, how it affects behaviour, whether male dogs can go into season and how often it happens. This is your ultimate guide to dogs in season…

Dogs In Season

Just like humans, dogs reach puberty and begin to move from puppy to adult. In female dogs, this will be marked by oestrus, or going "on heat” or “in season”. This happens anywhere between 6-18 months of age, but varies from breed to breed. The larger your dog is, the later she will most likely enter her first season. 

Dog In Season Stages

A dog's season is made up of four stages:

Proestrus Stage: This stage lasts between 3 and 17 days. This is when the vulva typically swells and changes to her appetite, personality and behaviour occur. She also may tuck her tail between her legs more frequently.

Oestrus Stage: This stage lasts between 3 and 17 days too. This is when she is most fertile and is most keen to be in male company. She may raise her rear toward male dogs if allowed to be around them. 

Diestrus Stage: This is when the cycle begins to come to an end. Her vulval swelling will decrease and her interest in male dogs will diminish.

Anestrus Stage: The resting stage. A female dog is in this stage any time she is not in season. 

Signs Of Dog Is Coming Into Season

Your dog may exhibit physiological and behavioural changes when she is in season. The signs a dog is in heat include;

• A swollen vulva
• Bloody vaginal discharge
• Urinating more often
• Self-cleaning that area more often
• Becoming more clingy
• Becoming more distant
• Seeming stressed
• Having her tail tucked in between her legs
• Her behaviour towards other dogs changes (more defensive, more/less friendly)
• May mount furniture, dogs or people
• Male dogs will show an increased interest in her
• She may try to escape to find a mate herself

Your female dog’s urine will contain an increased amount of pheromones and hormones when she is in season. This indicates to male dogs that she is on heat and these scents encourage them to mate with her. 

Some dogs may not show any adverse signs at all to being in season.

How Long Does A Dog Stay In Season?

A season can last anywhere between 2-3 weeks, but symptoms of being on heat may not last this long. Your dog can become pregnant any time during this period and for a few days afterwards. 

How Often Do Dogs Come Into Season?

If you haven’t had your dog spayed, you can expect your dog to come into season about twice a year. Again, this will vary depending on her size and breed. Like a human period, some dogs' seasons are long, some are short but most should regulate themselves out as they grow into adulthood. 

Most owners, if they don’t intend to breed their dog, will have her spayed (neutered). Spaying is a small surgical procedure where the ovaries and uterus are removed from the dog. This has numerous health benefits for female dogs (e.g. it reduces the likelihood of some cancers). It also means she won’t have a season at all and will not become pregnant. 

How To Help A Dog In Season

When your dog is in season, to help make her more comfortable and to protect her, you’ll need to:

• Avoid stressful events and situations (like putting her in boarding or taking her to busy places etc.)
• Keep her routine consistent and predictable
• Monitor any symptoms of complications and contact your vet if you’re concerned
• Walk her at less busy times, and away from other dogs
• If she lives with un-neutered males (including relations), keep them separated from her if you don’t want her to fall pregnant
• Keep her on a lead at all times when out
• Keep her secure
• Do not leave her unsupervised outside
• You may want to try dog season pants during this period, as she will bleed and discharge around the house. You should remove these when you leave the house so she can urinate and defecate freely. Ensure you get the right size of dog heat pants to avoid leakage. 
• Give her extra attention
• Give her some extra baths to help reduce her heat scent
• Consider things like scented sprays that are designed to minimise the scent of her pheromones to help protect her from male attention

Can A Dog Get Pregnant When Not In Season?

No, she cannot. But, be mindful that she can be impregnated for several days after her oestrus symptoms seem to have ended. 

What If My Dog Mates When They’re In Season?

If you catch your dog being mated with, do not intervene. Separating them can lead to injuries that can hurt both dogs. Speak to your vet after they’ve separated themselves as there are things your vet can do to help prevent an unwanted pregnancy after mating.

The best way to ensure your dog does not get pregnant is by spaying her. 

Can You Spay A Dog In Season?

Yes, this is possible but not advisable. A veterinarian will usually only spay a dog in heat in a medical emergency. Professional advice is to wait for several weeks after a season has ended to conduct this procedure.

Can You Put A Dog In Season In Kennels?

This is at the kennel’s discretion, and whether they have an isolated facility away from other dogs that could impregnate her. Boarding and kennel stays can be stressful for a dog, and female dogs in season can already be stressed, so it is worth considering that this may not be the best or most comfortable option for your dog. 

Do Male Dogs Go Into Season?

No, they do not. They are fertile all year round and typically become able to make a female dog pregnant from the age of 6 months. 

Sources

“Dogs In Season” Blue Cross, Dec 17. 2021 https://www.bluecross.org.uk/advice/dog/dogs-in-season

Author Farracelli, Adrienne “How To Help A Dog In Heat” Pet Helpful, Apr 02. 2021 https://pethelpful.com/dogs/How-to-Help-a-Dog-in-Heat

“What You Need To Know About Dogs In Heat” Four Paws https://www.fourpaws.com/pets-101/health-and-wellness/female-dogs-in-heat#:~:text=The%20estrus%20stage%3A%20A%20female,male%20company%20in%20this%20stage.