Run, she's in heat!

Being in heat

On average, a bitch comes into heat twice a year, but this can fluctuate. While some dogs only get into this state once a year, others might be in heat as often as three times a year. Think of being in heat like teenage puberty: hormones galore and mood swings deluxe. The female proudly presents her new "scent" and magically attracts male dogs. Almost as if she had an invisible sign on her chest saying "I'm single!" The fertility cycle of a bitch lasts about six months. It consists of four phases, namely:

Anoestrus:

A resting period that lasts several months until the whole cycle starts again.

Heat

So let’s get back to “heat“ itself. The heat, proestrus and estrus, lasts about 3 weeks in total. The real "danger" period for the female being unintentionally mated, is during days 8-15. How does the female indicate her intentions? If she is not ready, she makes it very clear for male dogs that she attracts by refusing their advances, perhaps growling or even biting. When she enters the Estrus phase, she is ready. She shows the male dog that she is receptive by exhibiting certain behaviors. One of the clearest signs is when she puts her tail to the side, often referred to as "showing the flag."

Mating

So, now she is willing to mate! Here’s how that works… The actual act of mating in dogs is a unique and interesting spectacle of nature. It begins with the male dog mounting the bitch. After penetration, the bitch's vagina closes around the male's penis, causing the bulbus glandis – an area at the base of the male's penis – to enlarge. This prevents the male from withdrawing immediately, and the two dogs remain "stuck" for a while. This phenomenon is called "coupling" or "hanging together" and can last 5-30 minutes. It is a safety measure of nature to increase the probability of successful fertilization. During this process, it is important to leave the dogs alone and make sure they do not feel disturbed or threatened as separation can cause them both injury.

Pregnancy

A bitch's pregnancy, also called gestation, lasts about 63 days from fertilization to the birth of the puppies, so about nine weeks in total. Signs of pregnancy may include changes in appetite, behavior and body size. It is important to pay attention to the bitch's health during pregnancy and make sure she receives the right nutrition and care to deliver healthy puppies. It is best to ask a veterinarian about proper nutrition and exercise during pregnancy.

Not mated but pseudopregnant – nature’s clever engineering

The false pregnancy is very interesting. It is fascinating that bitches, although not mated, sometimes show symptoms of a real pregnancy. But why? Nature gives the answer!

In the wolf pack, usually only the alpha females are mated. But heat is contagious, and almost all females in the pack come into heat at the same time. This has the advantage that when the alpha bitch has pups and then goes back to hunting and taking care of the pack's needs, other bitches are ready to nurse and care for the pups even without having their own. Transferred to dogs, when a bitch in the street goes into heat, she stimulates all the others in the area, meaning that many females in the area become pseudopregnant after six to eight weeks.

If you notice that your bitch starts hoarding her toys and in extreme cases defends them, prefers to remain laying down rather than participate in family life or doesn't really want to go out, it could be that she imagines that she actually has puppies: her toys. So what helps? Distraction! Don’t give her free access to the toys, go on lots of walks in new, exciting surroundings, teach her new tricks or do some exciting hobby together.

If she happens to have a severe case of false pregnancy so that the udder is swollen and she is actually producing milk, cooling the milk groins will help. If this does not improve within a week's time, then a visit to the veterinary practice is inevitable. In this case, medication may be needed to treat the false pregnancy.

Did you know...

... that bitches should not swim during the three weeks of heat? That’s because during heat their cervix is open and bacteria can enter the uterus unhindered. After heat, the cervix closes again, and if any bacteria has come inside the uterus, they have an ideal breeding ground. If this happens, they multiply and may even cause a purulent inflammation of the uterus, also called pyometra. Here we distinguish between a closed (the cervix is not open, the bitch has no discharge) and open pyometra (the cervix opens and pus and/or blood may come out as discharge). Unfortunately, the symptoms are very general, including Increased water uptake, lack of appetite, and an indiscriminate malaise. In general, if the female's behavior changes or becomes “strange” six to eight weeks after heat, have her checked out by a veterinarian.