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Males sensing females about to go into heat?

E

Elude

Well-known member
Zoey and I love to visit our local doggy park. She normally does quite well and is getting great socialization out of our visits, and exercise.

The last two days however many of the male dogs have been paying very close attention to her and continually try to mount/chase her. These guys have all been fixed so i'm not concerned in that regard.

My question is can male dogs sense a female about to come into heat or is this strictly dominance behaviour and trying to establish order? Zoey is very close to being 5 months old. I had planned on spaying her before her first heat. From the behaviours today and yesterday of the males i'm worried her first heat is a lot closer than I thought. Shes showing no signs of already being in heat.
 
Our neutered boy always seemed to sniff around the girls as they were coming into season. Often this was my first clue that a heat was imminent, even though he never tried to mount, just sniffed a lot. So it could be! On the other hand, doggies enjoy sniffing each other's rear ends and the mounting behaviour is often present in play and trying to assert dominance.

Have you done the tissue test yet? Seasons don't always start with bright red blood, but often with a small, almost clear wheat coloured discharge, not dissimilar to a dark coloured urine. I'd be doing the tissue test over the next couple of days. Just don't do it right after she has done a wee as a drop of urine could confuse you. Maybe each morning before you take her out to the toilet.
 
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Like Caraline said, it very well could be that she is getting ready to come into season. Time to start keeping a close eye on her. Look for swelling to start with, then a very slight discharge, sometimes almost clear. You can spot the discharge with a kleenex held on her for a minute or so.

There is no question the boys can tell when a girl is coming in season. Our boys always tell us when one of the girls are close, even before there is any swelling. There usually isn't much humping, just a lot more sniffing and flirting than normal. In fact, before our girls are in standing heat, they will seldom tolerate being humped. And the sniffing and flirting happens with the neutered males as well. There have been a number of times that we have been dogsitting for our puppy people when their neutered male has been right in there with our boys. They may have parts missing, but they definately know what to do.
 
The boys certainly do know, and with lots of notice.

Monty, who has never really had any sex drive (he's entire), once started the teeth chattering routine, when near a certain bitch at a training class. I warned the bitch's ower what to expect , but she said I must be wrong, as her girl wasn't due....She was missing for the next few sessions.

More recently, another dog, a castrated sheltie did the same... and the bitch had come on heat by the next class.
 
My little Stewie has heat sensing radar!! He is always SPOT on when it comes to girls coming into season. I think in a past life, he was a rabbit because he has been humping since he was 6 weeks old :rolleyes: . He is a little shih tzu Valentino!!
Now that he is neutered, he has settled down in the "romance department" but will always 'turn on the charm' (read: hump the living hell out of her) if a girlie is within a month of her cycle. :eek:
 
Barbara Nixon said:
The boys certainly do know, and with lots of notice.

Monty, who has never really had any sex drive (he's entire), once started the teeth chattering routine, when near a certain bitch at a training class. I warned the bitch's ower what to expect , but she said I must be wrong, as her girl wasn't due....She was missing for the next few sessions.

More recently, another dog, a castrated sheltie did the same... and the bitch had come on heat by the next class.
Click to expand...

ROTFL--- the first time our Topper did the teeth chattering thing I thought my boy was desperately ill (then I learned he was just desperate). Our neutered boy will indicate when a girl will be coming into season FIRST - and he was never bred.
 
the first time our Topper did the teeth chattering thing I thought my boy was desperately ill (then I learned he was just desperate).
Click to expand...

:rotfl::rotfl:
 
Thanks again for all the replies and confirming what I thought. I have done the tissue test and there is nothing yet. I think I will be calling the vet today to book her spay and hope that she doesn't come into full blown heat between now and then.
 
moniechris said:
My little Stewie has heat sensing radar!! He is always SPOT on when it comes to girls coming into season. I think in a past life, he was a rabbit because he has been humping since he was 6 weeks old :rolleyes: . He is a little shih tzu Valentino!!
Click to expand...

lol shih tzu Valentino!
 
moniechris said:
My little Stewie has heat sensing radar!! He is always SPOT on when it comes to girls coming into season. I think in a past life, he was a rabbit because he has been humping since he was 6 weeks old :rolleyes: . He is a little shih tzu Valentino!!
Now that he is neutered, he has settled down in the "romance department" but will always 'turn on the charm' (read: hump the living hell out of her) if a girlie is within a month of her cycle. :eek:
Click to expand...

:rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl:
 
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