Heat cycle....my saint is a year old yeasterday

[arabianequine]

I never noticed the first heat cycle if she had one at 6 months old or about.

I guess this explains why she likes me so much and I mean really likes me

and won't stop licking herself....I need to get her tampons or something.

 

[BorderKelpie]

lol - eww.

This very well may be her first heat. Large breed dogs take longer to mature. Small and some medium sized dogs will go through their first cycle between 6-8 months. Larger breeds can take up to 18 months before their first. Most of my dogs (medium sized - Kelpies and Coolies) wait until one year as well.

Patience, oh, and keep her off the furniture and carpets. Supervised visits outside only. I have seen some amazing obsticles overcome by dogs. (Think of them as teenagers - where there's a will, there's a way.) lol

Best wishes!

 

[arabianequine]

She is unfortunately an inside dog and will drive us nuts for the time she is kept outside the only fenced area is hooked to the house and she jumps on the door and barks which in turn makes others bark high pitched barks. My dogs are not left unattended ever if loose. She is always leashed with an adult outside the fenced area cause she does not listen very well and our fence is 8 foot. Everyone else is spayed and neutered thank goodness. The worst I won't be able to keep her off my bed....urggh! Do they go into heat every 6 months after the first time?

I love that saying and true.

 

[BlacksheepCardigans]

Every girl is different. Six months is the most common spacing but it's certainly not unusual for them to be 8-monthers or 9-monthers. And I agree, this is probably her first. Even a year old is a bit early for my dogs; I feed raw and I find that the natural first heat is 13-15 months even in the small dogs. I've got a litter of Cardigans that's going to be one in a couple of weeks, scattered all over the country, and only one of the girls has come into heat yet.

If you plan to spay her, which will certainly make your life a lot easier, wait until three months from now to give her uterine blood supply time to go back to normal. Be sure you find a vet experienced in giant breeds and strongly consider following this protocol: http://www.gdca.org/health/surgery.htm . In a giant breed a spay is not "routine." They have problems because their blood vessels are abnormally large (canine blood vessels are "built" for a wolf-sized dog, so when you stretch them to three times that size they get ornery - specifically, they leak and they do not clot well after surgery). Giants fall into DIC at a greatly higher rate than normal size dogs. If you prepare, she'll come through it beautifully.

 

[wolftracks]

Quote:
My Corso was over a year her first heat and the next 8 months later. Her heats now are between 6-8 months apart.

My Rotties were always right now time as were my GSDs. The Akitas were longer between. Masties were like 10 months between. Cam't remember the others except Toy Poodle. Always 6 months. They were most recent breed and and first toy size. I love BIG dogs.

 

[Crazyland]

Good luck. My girl is going back into heat again. She was 10 months with her first. She had a split heat. And she has them about every 3-4 months. Nuts isn't it? I guess she just wants to be special.

 

[babyblue]

our lab was every year on thanksgiving

from 1 year till about 10. from 10-14 almost 15 she no longer went into heat. didnt die of reproductive issues. my parents kept her ridiculously fat (all of the kids were grown and out of the house and neither lived close nor could take her) she become diabetic and eventually the diabetes issues got the best of her. with proper care I think she could have gone a few more years.

 

[Karrie13]

My Rottie girl was 14 months when she had her first heat cycle and we are finaly just finishing up my son's corgi's first cycle at 8 1/2 months. She was driving everyone crazy!! The Rottie was spayed at 2 years old and never had a 2nd.

 

[arabianequine]

She has been showing some dominate behavior....she will jump on me from behind even while standing and I have been getting after her for it telling her off. She thinks I am playing more so I usually have to make her sit and stop.

Her nails hurt and she was even tried to mouth my back area one time when she jumped up there. Also if unexpected could knock someone over but has just been me she is doing this to.

 

[sourland]

Larger slower maturing breeds tend to have their initial heat cycle at 9 to 12 months. Frequency of cycling I believe is genetically programmed. The best indicator of how frequently she will cycle is the frequency with which her mother and grandmother cycled. We have a golden retriever in the house. She first cycled at 9 months old. She has run 2 more heat cycles at 6 mo. intervals. (She is scheduled to be spayed now that she is fully mature.) I have a family of beagles that only cycles once a year- has run true for 4 generations so far.