Dogs coming into season

[Bambi_1]

I have a 13-month old German Shepherd X, who had her first season at 7 months, the next at 10 months and has just started again. It seems she has a three-month cycle. When she came into season the second time my vet thought it was because she was young and she would settle down to less frequent seasons, but this seems to be a bit too regular to confirm that opinion. Does anyone else know of dogs this happens to? She is otherwise in perfectly good health and since I hope to breed from her in a year or so I don't want to get her spayed. My last dog had her seasons at 9-monthly intervals and all the other dogs I know vary between 6 and 12 months, although a friend told me he does know of dogs who even have monthly seasons. That sounds a bit much for the owner as well as the poor dog!

I hope this goes into the right place this time, as it found its way into Media and TV last time...

[lankeela]

Its not unusual (as Tom Jones once said) but it can be distressing for the bitch, and having her spayed would solve the problem, as well as take away any chance of pyometra resulting from infection after a season. As she is a cross, I am surprised why you want to breed from her. Chances are she would have a fair sized litter as she is a Shepherd X and I know how difficult it is to find homes for purebreds let alone crosses.

[Bambi_1]

Thanks, Lankeela - she doesn't seem at all distressed or unwell at the moment; as I say she is otherwise quite healthy. I accept your arguments on the breeding of cross-breds, but I am a firm believer in the hardiness of same as opposed to pure breds. For instance, pure-bred GSDs tend to have more joint problems than crosses. I don't live in the UK - here in Germany there is a market full of good homes interested in cross breeds and she is a lovely, well-built dog with an excellent temperament. Obviously if she were to be ill I would have no hesitation in having her spayed if necessary, but I am interested in finding out how common it is to have such regular seasons.

[Clanad]

German Shepherds, especially cross breeds (along with Rottweilers) tend to have more frequent estrous cycles. Additonally, most cycles tend to last for about 21 to 25 days, meaning that a slightly longer duration of one cycle can shorten the time before the onset of the next. A German Shepherd breeder near us here in the U.S. says that the cycle tends to become more stable after the first pregnancy. He also states that if the female is near several other females, she may tend to come into heat each time they do (as do wolves).
He does say that if the periods continue to shorten, a Vet should check the progesterone levels as well as test for hypothroidism.
Finally, are you sure you're observing an actual cycle or are there symptoms you may be mistaking for heat? Some female dogs tend to lick themselves almost constantly as well as have slight swelling between heats. The telling factor will be, of course, the reaction of the neighborhood male dogs. Long way of saying I wouldn't be concerned about it at this stage...