Dog in Heat

[pride&prejudice]

Our dog is a little over 1.5 years old APBT, and she has gone into heat again. The first time it wasn't that bad, but this time I'm having problems. :o She is mostly an indoor dog, going out for walks and such, and she is leaving marks all over the place.

We tried penning her in the kitchen since its linolium and easier to clean, but our kitchen is too small for her and she doesn't like being in a differnet room than anyone else. When she cuddles up with us on the couch, we've just put an old towel there for now.

Getting her fixed right now is not an option, she's a purebred, and we've planned for one breeding before getting her fixed.

So I guess my question is, how do you deal with dogs that are in the house and in heat? TIA!

[Hello Kitty]

Put some pants on your dog!

We let our dobe go into heat last summer before getting her spayed. It wasn't too bad, but she had two different bottoms she wore while in heat. The first was a pair of Size A control top tights, with a tail hole cut out. We cut the legs to be 'capri' length, and used a regular women's pad changed periodically.

The second was a pair of infant (I want to say 6 months???) pants, again with the tail-hole cut out. I think the tights stayed on better, but they didn't last as long as the pants. We took the pants off when we went outside. Good luck!

[pride&prejudice]

Put some pants on your dog!


I almost choked drinking water when I read that. That sounds like the most reasonable thing I've heard. DH had called up one of our friends to borrow some diapers, but I didn't see that lasting too long since she'll probably tear at it.:o Thanks!

[Sue]

May I ask why you want to breed her? There are so many dogs ESPECIALLY pit bulls that are dying everyday in shelters.

What titles does she hold? Does she have her CGC, TDI or TT? Have you gotten her health tested?

[pride&prejudice]

seb's kitty~ Thanks for the suggestion. We tried it, but she wasn't cooperating and kept chewing at the material.

sue~ Although that doesn't pertain to the OT. We've had her tested an all that. She is a purebred from a very strong family line of show dogs and champion weight pullers. We got her because of the excellent tempermant that her family has and that we knew the breeder.

Through this breeder we have raised money to help raise money for animal shelters as well as funding temporary homes for homeless dogs. Although I will support finding homes for these animals, I cannot take them in because of bad past experiences that I have had with these shelters.

Please do not let that fact that we vary in opinion of where our dogs come from interfere with our support of APBT and me getting information from people with similar experiences.

[Rico'sAlice]

I actually sprung for the special pants they sell at pet stores and felt it was worth it. Growing up my mom always used tighty-whities with the tail stuck through the crotch slot, but they were always falling off and also not a solid barrier. When my Anya went into heat (not deliberate, but I wanted to wat until she was six months old, and figured she wouldn't have her first heat until 8-10 months. Well we were moving from MA to TX when she hit six months and she went into heat at 6.5 months. Argh!)
she was really good about keeping those pants on. Normally she pulls off bandages, Halloween costumes, etc. But when she was in heat all she did was lay on the floor and eat. Sorry, guess I've gotten a bit rambling.

Anyway, my point was that if you want to pay for them, they do make doggie diapers.

[Sue]

seb's kitty~ Thanks for the suggestion. We tried it, but she wasn't cooperating and kept chewing at the material.

sue~ Although that doesn't pertain to the OT. We've had her tested an all that. She is a purebred from a very strong family line of show dogs and champion weight pullers. We got her because of the excellent tempermant that her family has and that we knew the breeder.

Through this breeder we have raised money to help raise money for animal shelters as well as funding temporary homes for homeless dogs. Although I will support finding homes for these animals, I cannot take them in because of bad past experiences that I have had with these shelters.

Please do not let that fact that we vary in opinion of where our dogs come from interfere with our support of APBT and me getting information from people with similar experiences.

I was just asking a question to be sure you were taking the proper course of action if you had planned on breeding. Do I agree with it? Nope. But if you are going to do it, do it correctly.

Back to the original topic, go to a pet supply store and buy a diaper, you can find them anywhere.

[Chile]

...
Getting her fixed right now is not an option, she's a purebred, and we've planned for one breeding before getting her fixed.

So I guess my question is, how do you deal with dogs that are in the house and in heat? TIA!

You answered your own question. The only answer is to have her spayed. Regardless of her certifications and her titles (or the titles of her pedigree) unless she is for the betterment of the breed (which is what ethical, responsible, intelligent breeders breed for), then I don't see how bringing more puppies into the world is a reasonable decision.

But regarding the OT: "How do I deal with dogs that are in the house and in heat?" My female is spayed. That's how I deal with it.

[pride&prejudice]

rico,alice,bellfior~ yes, I had heard they had "doggie diapers", but DH and I were reluctant to get them, becuase if she didn't take to them we'd be stuck with them. We've tried the pants and stocking thing, but she's not comfortable. Me, I'll be glad when we do get her fixed. I guess I feel for the little girl, going through this. I was optimistic that maybe there was something out there that I was missing, that someone else had sucess with. :)

sue~ point taken, and I understand where you are coming from. She is only going to be bred once, and all of her puppies have already been spoken for since they know who she will be bred with and the blood lines pre-determined, so we feel good that we are not just "doing it".

[pocket]

She shouldn't be bashed for that decision, even if some people don't agree with it.

Why not? I think breeding your dog is a bad idea, and everyone should be required to spay and neuter their pet.

[justHB]

Ugh.

My cat is two generations removed from a Grand Champion. We spayed her. Why? Because she didn't need to have any kittens.

[Lanapoo]

I can see both sides of the breed or get a dog from the pound issue.

Frankly I would never want a dog from the pound because you don't know how they've been damaged mentally previous to you getting them and you don't have the hip, heart, and eye clearances from the sire and dam. Clearances don't guarantee a completely healthy dog but they sure make me feel better. I know that this is my bias because of having been raised by a breeder of goldens.

On the other hand, tons of people have dogs that come from champions of the breed. However, if these dogs were sold as pets than that means that they are 'pet quality' and therefore not a dog that I would breed to perfect the Breed Standard. My mom had a bitch that was absolutely gorgeous, definitely 'show quality', she was a champion by the age of two. But when her eye clearances were done they found a cataract. Mom spayed her. End of story, breeding her would not have furthered the breed. But she made a wonderful pet and we loved her dearly :)

So I may get flamed but I'm going to post anyway :p

[pride&prejudice]

Admin - Please close this thread. I've gotten what I need out of it and if people want to debate spaying and neutering/ or whether pound or purebreds are better they can start their own thread.

Sorry to sound harsh, but apparently I didn't realize what a heated topic this is. If I had asked what your opinion on breeding was, then that would have been different.

[Chile]

Many of us here support responsible breeding for the betterment of the breed, not because a dog is of great bloodlines or has certifications. We also don't believe in adding to a pet population where thousands of animals are euthanized in shelters because there aren't enough homes for them and because people continue breeding for irresponsible reasons.

None of us are saying anything is wrong with purebreds. I have a purebred, champion line, certified male Rottweiler. He also comes from a bloodline that is born tail-less which is sought after because it's becoming illegal to dock tails in many countries. The difference is that he is neutered and we would never have thought of adding more dogs to a breed that is constantly under fire. All of his puppies would have been spoken for too but it was more important that we didn't add more puppies to the world.

[batgirl]

I'm just curious??? Since all of your future puppies are already sold... just how much does a champion pit bull go for these days? Of course, I'm sure your not doing it for the $$$, but the, what was it? betterment of the breed?

Frankly I would never want a dog from the pound because you don't know how they've been damaged mentally previous to you getting them and you don't have the hip, heart, and eye clearances from the sire and dam.

Frankly I would never buy a pure bred dog because of the insane amount of inbreeding (resulting in an enormous number of genetic conditions as well as possible aggression). At the vet hospital I used to work at we used to refer to breeds by their ailments. For example, boxers are known as "tumors with legs"... And yes, we worked with breeders with champion dogs all the time.

[greenbunny]

My purebred cat is from a rescue. The breeder used her up and then dumped her. So yes, you can adopt a certain breed and still save a life.

[LittleFredPunkinHead]

That's not fine and no one should be attacked (or judged) simply because their point of view doesn't mesh with yours.
Disagreeing with a point of view doew not equal "attacking." As far as "judging" someone's point of view being somehow wrong... What? If you have an opinion on something, you're judging. You can't be human and not judge.

[Nigellas]

You answered your own question. The only answer is to have her spayed.

Yup.

[gayle]

ITA with Bellfior.

I used to show and breed Springer Spaniels, and there ARE reasons to breed a good quality animal, particularly if the health, soundness and bloodlines are top-notch, AND the owner is willing to follow sound protocol and ethical breeding and puppy placement practices.

I know it's not PC these days to EVER breed an animal, but as a very experienced dog breeder, and veteran of the dog show world, I call BS on the blanket of being so PC that NO one should ever have a litter.

Off soapbox now...

Most definately get your girl some pants!!!! She will hate em, and tear at them, but it's your best option.

[PG-rated]

Disagreeing with a point of view doew not equal "attacking." As far as "judging" someone's point of view being somehow wrong... What? If you have an opinion on something, you're judging. You can't be human and not judge.
Well, I think it's reasonable for the OP to ask that people stick to the topic she posted about. If someone posted about formula-feeding techniques over on the Parenting board and people started coming in and saying that they couldn't answer her question because she should be breastfeeding, people would freak out about how she was being "attacked." The OP here didn't ask for anyone's opinion on whether she should breed her dog; she asked for help with a specific situation regarding a dog in heat. If someone wants to talk about why it's wrong to breed a pet, they should start a new thread.

[LittleFredPunkinHead]

Well, I think it's reasonable for the OP to ask that people stick to the topic she posted about. If someone posted about formula-feeding techniques over on the Parenting board and people started coming in and saying that they couldn't answer her question because she should be breastfeeding, people would freak out about how she was being "attacked." The OP here didn't ask for anyone's opinion on whether she should breed her dog; she asked for help with a specific situation regarding a dog in heat. If someone wants to talk about why it's wrong to breed a pet, they should start a new thread.
I'm not sure that I agree. Suppose I started a thread asking how I could best have an affair with my neighbor without having my husband find out. Does my saying "please stick to the topic," really mean that no one should be allowed to disagree or comment on what I'm asking to do?

[PG-rated]

Well, we could go round and round on this, but I think that there's a difference between posting about a topic where there's a consensus, and one where there are two or more competing opinions about what constitutes appropriate behavior. Hence the BFing example. I think it's reasonable to say, "I know there are different opinions about this, but I would prefer that this not become a debate." People can say whatever they want, of course, but it's the OP's right to ask, and it's her right to have the thread locked if it's not meeting its purpose.

And even in your example, I think that the OP would be justified in asking to have the thread locked if people wouldn't answer her question.

[gayle]

Thread still open. This is just a reminder to please keep the thread on-topic. If you would like to continue the debate, please feel free to start another thread. Thanks :).

[Hello Kitty]

bump for May...