Starting when your female puppy is between six months and one year old, she'll begin her reproductive cycle, or “go into heat.” During this 3- to 4-week period, she's ready to mate and looking for dates.
The earliest sign of estrus is swelling or engorgement of the vulva, but this swelling is not always obvious. Bloody vaginal discharge is often the first sign that an owner notices when their dog comes into heat.
The typical heat cycle will last between two and four weeks. Your dog or puppy will be fertile during this entire time but there is a small period, 9-10 days into the cycle, where they are especially fertile.
Although six months old is the average age of a dog's first heat, this can vary widely. Some dogs can go into heat as young as four months, while larger breeds may be as old as two years before their first heat. Responsible breeders never breed a dog on her first or even her second heat.
Always accompany her outside and keep her close during her heat cycle. A diaper for dogs in heat can help prevent pregnancy if a male dog begins to hump her, but it is best not to allow the situation in the first place.
Q: Should I let my dog have a heat before I spay her? A: Medically, it's better to spay your dog before their first heat. It greatly reduces the risk of mammary tumors. People who wait to spay their dogs until after their second heat greatly increase the risk of mammary tumors in their pets.
The Estrus Cycle
1.Proestrus: The beginning of heat lasts between 7 and 10 days. During this time, the vulva begins to swell and your dog begins to bleed. She will start attracting male dogs, but she isn't ready to mate yet.
Experts believe that heat is not painful for dogs, though it's not uncommon for dogs to appear agitated, anxious, or whine excessively when they come into heat. Other normal changes you might notice include more frequent urination, bloody vulval discharge, licking the genital area, nausea, and changes in appetite.
Silent Heat Cycle
This occurs when your female will have a heat cycle without the normal symptoms such as bleeding and swelling of the vulva. Females will still be receptive to males and can become pregnant. Your veterinarian can check for a silent heat cycle by performing vaginal cytology and progesterone assays.
The short answer is- yes it will. Spaying and neutering both involve making permanent changes to your dog's reproductive system, whether male or female. Dogs' hormonal systems change based on their reproductive system, just like in humans! Hormones are in part responsible for some of our behaviors.
Full Maturity (1-2 Years)
After adolescence, your pup will become a dog. They will stop growing bigger, though they can still gain muscle over time.
A dog in heat can bleed for around seven to 10 days. During this first stage of the reproductive cycle, the female will not accept a male.
Dogs usually go into heat twice a year, or every 6 months or so, McCarthy says, and small dogs tend to go into heat more frequently than large dogs. Smaller breeds may cycle three times a year, but very large breeds may only cycle once a year.
Heat usually lasts between 2-4 weeks. Early in the cycle, a female dog may not be receptive to male dogs, although some are receptive through the entire cycle. It can be shorter or longer and you'll know the cycle is over when all her vulva returns to its normal size and there's no more bleeding or discharge.
The dog estrous cycle is made up of four stages. These are the proestrus, estrus, diestrus, and anestrus. The proestrus is the most obvious stage, while the other stages are more subtle.
An age of six to nine months of age may be appropriate for neutering or spaying a toy breed puppy or small breed puppy but a larger or giant breed may need to wait until they are near or over 12-18 months of age.
The best time to get your female dog desexed is when she's about 5-6 months old. This age is optimal for many reasons: Your female dog is still young enough to go through the surgery without stress, pain or complications.
To get to the heart of your question, male dogs have excellent senses of smell and can sense an intact female in heat up to 3 miles away. Dogs have geographic territories, and they can generally detect any intact females within those boundaries.
The most challenging time of raising a puppy is the adolescent period. Dogs become “teenagers” and seem to forget everything they have ever been taught. This period is individual to each dog, but it may begin when he's about eight months old and continue until he's two years old.
Progesterone hormone can become higher which can lead to aggressive behaviour in a female after a season has ended. If your dog is having a phantom you will also start to see nesting behaviour. She will attempt to create a safe area for her puppies (though non-existent) picking an area within the home.
However, while paw-size can be a good indicator of whether your dog's growth spurt is done, it doesn't tell you how much bigger your dog will actually be. To figure out your dog's adult size, you will need to know your dog's current weight and their ages.
The short answer is that no, your dog isn't likely to be less hyperactive after getting spayed or neutered. It won't change their personality much, if at all. Each dog has its own positive and negative social habits.