My dog is in heat what can I do?

All female dogs will go in to heat usually within their first year if not spayed first and it can last up to 3 weeks. If you do not intend on breeding your dog then spraying her is recommended which can be done around 6 months of age.

Many people choose to allow their dog one heat before spaying, there is large debate over whether or not this is necessary however regardless of this a dog in heat can be stressful for an unprepared owner.

So what can you do?

There are many ways to prevent unwanted attention from male dogs and ways to deal with bleeding to make life easier for the modern dog owner.

There is a ‘bitch spray’ available that can be used to mask the odour of a female dog in heat to help reduce unwanted male attention. However, this should be used in conjunction with other precautionary measures to avoid unwanted mating. Bitch spray is made by Johnsons it is no longer available on the Pet Bliss website however just drop us an email or phone call and we can get for you try if you would like to give it a try.

There is also an array of ‘dog pants’ and ‘disposable diapers’ that can be used to keep your floors and furniture clean while also preventing breeding.

Pants and diapers can be found here: Dog Pants

It is advisable to keep an unsupervised female indoors during this time as male dogs can go to many lengths the reach an in heat female, if necessary you can use a crate for her to sleep in, if there are other dogs in the house she needs kept away from, just make sure she does not perceive the crate as a punishment it should be a safe place for her.

Crates can be found here: Dog Crates