How long does a dog’s heat last?The reproductive cycle of dogs, more commonly known as heat, consists of 4 phases during which their body undergoes various changes. If we have a dog as a companion, we must know this aspect of her life to be able to offer her the best care, since her reproductive instinct will be heightened and she will suffer a series of symptoms.
It is very important that, if you do not want your dog to have puppies every time she is in this period, you prevent her from having contact with a male during the active stage of this cycle or that you sterilize her.
How long does a dog’s heat last?
If you want to know how long a dog’s heat lasts , keep reading this unCOMO article in which we are going to explain the different phases and the time that passes in each of them.
Index
- How to know if my dog is in heat
- How long does a dog’s heat last, its stages and time
- What can be done to calm the anxiety of a dog in heat
- Spaying and neutering in dogs
How to know if my dog is in heat
To know how long your dog is in heat, the first thing you need to know is what the heat of bitches is like . The first thing to keep in mind is that the first heat of dogs occurs depending above all on the type of breed they are, specifically if they are a small breed this can begin around 6 months, on the other hand if they are larger in size it can given around 12 or even 14 months. Other factors are the environment and the state of health of the dog, in addition to genetic factors.
There are several signs that can indicate that our dog is in the fullness of this period, among these symptoms of heat in bitches we find the following:
- Bleeding.
- inflamed vulva.
- They urinate more frequently to mark.
- More irritability and aggressiveness than normal.
- Restlessness and anxiety.
Depending on the phase in which our bitch is, we will see that she rejects the males or that she seeks and accepts them. Another important symptom to take into account is the sadness and depression that can arise when the cycle ends and there has been no pregnancy. This is a delicate point because the dog can develop a psychological pregnancy , for this reason if we are not going to allow our furry companion to reproduce, it is better to sterilize her, thus avoiding many serious health problems that can arise.
How long does a dog’s heat last, its stages and time
To answer the question of how long a dog’s heat lasts , we must think about what a dog’s heat is like and start by taking into account that the reproductive or sexual cycle of dogs is divided into 4 parts. In these different stages, our dog undergoes hormonal and, therefore, behavioral changes so that the body is prepared to reproduce. This reproduction cycle means that our furry can reproduce 2 times a year.
The different stages of heat are the following:
1. Proestrus
It is the phase in which the dog’s vulva is very inflamed and due to this vasodilation of the walls of the vulva, bleeding occurs that has nothing to do with the way women bleed. This bleeding can be small, which we may not notice, especially if our dog cleans herself a lot, or it can be much more abundant, but it will always be a bright red color. The males are attracted to the female’s pheromones during this period and, at this stage, she rejects them and can even become aggressive at their insistence. This phase lasts between 6 and 11 days .
2. Boss
Ovulation occurs at this stage, which is why it is the fertile phase, and although the vulva is still swollen, bleeding is reduced or even ends. Bitches start to urinate more to attract males and accept them to breed. This point in a bitch’s reproductive cycle typically lasts between 5 and 15 days .
3. Metaestrus
Eta is the phase in which, if there has been at least one copulation, the bitch is pregnant. This stage lasts between 110 and 140 days , which include pregnancy, childbirth and breastfeeding. During this time, dogs are not fertile as the body recovers and rests, focusing on lactation.
4. Anestro
It is the last phase of a dog’s reproductive cycle and is the period of complete rest from reproductive activity. Progesterone levels are reduced and the body begins to prepare to reach the first phase, proestrus, again. This phase has a variable duration that depends on each female .
How long does a dog’s heat last – the time
In summary, regarding the time of heat itself or, what would be the same, how many days the bleeding of a dog in heat lasts, we can say that:
- Proestrus: lasts an average of 9 days, although it can range between 6 and 11.
- Estrus: lasts between 7 and 9 days, but can last between 5 and 15 days.
Thus, putting together the two main active phases in which the dog is in heat, we can say that a dog’s heat lasts between 2 and 4 weeks , going to the most extreme cases of shorter and longer periods of time.
We recommend you read this article about My dog is in heat and doesn’t want to eat: why and what I do .
What can be done to calm the anxiety of a dog in heat
Is your dog in heat and anxious or do you hear her crying? Follow these recommendations to help calm the anxiety of a dog in heat who won’t stop crying :
- Remember to give your dog more nutritious food while she is in heat, since the effort that the body has to make at this stage is greater than usual and she needs more nutrients so as not to weaken and feel unwell. Make sure it is always healthy nutrition for her.
- Don’t stop walking her so she is as active as possible physically and mentally. To do this, we also recommend that you play with her a lot and prepare scent games for her at home, such as sowing food or pieces of food, hiding them in certain places in the house and encouraging her to track them.
- Spend time with her exercising her, as we have already mentioned, but also playing, offering her a lot of affectionand caresses, cleaning and grooming her, etc.
- You can give her plants for anxiety that are good for dogs in heat. Plants that are very good for when dogs are very anxious during heat are valerian, chamomile and St. John’s wort.
