bitch in season please help

[lisa2007]

hi i have 2 dogs and the bitch is in season she is in her second week and no way do i want to mate her my male dog is driving me nuts panting crying shaking and howling all night long because he wants to mate her, apart from getting her spayed has anyone got any bright ideas to calm the male down please help im pulling my hair out !

[Booldawg]

You have to not only keep her separate from your own dog, but from others. I spend a few sleepless nights with our two bitches downstairs whilst the same happened upstairs with wife and full dog! Always walk her on the lead throughout the season, her scent will carry for miles! The time when she's at her most fertile is when the blood turns from dark red to pink (known as 'pinking'). Three weeks max; hold in there - yes its tough!

[kita1]

You could always put the male dog into boarding kennels.

I would get the bitch spayed before her next season if I were you - otherwise you will be going through this every six months!!!

I have a giant, entire male dog and he is murder when ever there is a bitch in season in the neighbourhood. Doesn't eat for three weeks and howls the house down day and night (not good for the next door people who have to get up to work). Towards the end he even gets aggressive with me because I am stopping him going out of the house, he has growled and confronted me on a number of occasions.

After 12 years I have still not found a way of calming him down and 'switching him off' - I understand men alot better now though!!!

I think there is an injection you can have him given at the vets, but as it takes a couple of days to take effect it is probably too late for you now. It is called 'chemical castration'.

[pastafreak]

eeerrrmmm...this may seem a silly question coming from someone with only a limited experiance with keeping dogs-have had females,not males.......but wouldn't it be a good idea to have the dog 'done' as well as the bitch?? Then no problem-both for your own dogs,but for the whole neighborhood?

[gelda]

You took the words right out of my mouth Pasta!!

[lisa2007]

thanks for your answers i cant have the male dog done because he is now 10 yrs old and has breathing problems i will deffo be getting the bitch spayed asap ! i am managing to keep them apart ok its just im getting a bit worried because he hasnt eaten for four days now is this normal ? he is drinking ok its 15 days into her season now so only a week to go but when will the male start to calm down please say soon !!

[lankeela]

Don't worry, he will start eating once she has gone off. What I find so annoying is that the males take absolutely no notice of anything you say or do while they are in this state - they are like things possessed. Please be careful
when you do decide to let them back together, as a dog will still try to mate a bitch for several days after she has finished. I had an accidental mother/son mating on day 30, after the dog had been in kennels for three weeks. He came home and I found him tied to his mother on my bed.
I didn't think anything would come of it, but she had five puppies (turned out one of the best litters I have bred!).

The only way is to put him in kennels or get a friend to look after him (although he needs watching as he will try to escape from anywhere to get to her). The bitch will start to reject his advances quite violently after she has gone over the 'crucial' time (trying to bite his face off) but he may still try. As for the barking and howling, welcome to the world of dog breeding!

[lisa2007]

thanks so much for your advice lankeela you certainly have put my mind at rest and your so right about him not taking any notice of me he is so defiant oh well a week to go lets hope its goes quickly and i will deffo be getting her spayed after this nightmare lol thanks again x

[jules77]

OMG, I have kept an entire dog with a bitch before, but had almost forgotten how bad it can be......I have all this to look forward to. Deep joy!!

[goodlooking]

I hope this might help ?
There is a spray out for bitches in season
I dont know what its called but you spray the bitch when in season it takes the scent away they give off that attraccts dogs

[lisa2007]

thanks i will deffo try that spray hope it works but im willing to try anything !!

[jules77]

Lisa, the only spray I found that had any kind of effect was the Bac to Nature one.

http://www.bactonature.com/bitchspraytest.html

[jules77]

Forgot to mention other ideas are lavender and/or eucalptus oils put on the bitches tail and her back legs, and also on the dogs chest.

[lankeela]

'Fraid you'll need more than a spray, if they live in the same house! It might put off some neighbourhood dogs from sniffing where she has been, but a full blooded male will take no notice if its in close proximity.

Whenever I smell that Bob Martin's Antimate Spray it reminds me of a neighbours Standard Poodle that always smelt of it.

[lisa2007]

hi just to let you know he didnt howl last nite had a lovely nites sleep but hes bk to his old tricks again this morning !

[snakeyes]

nope sorry, u have about another week to go an it will be like this every six months with out fail cos the dog gets the scent an his hormones drive him nuts as well as u. spaying, neutering or lettin em at each other is the only answer

[julie8400]

We are also in the same position. Thursday through to Saturday was a complete nightmare. I checked the Dorwest Herbs website and it mentioned Scullcap & Valerian, but that wouldn't arrive until at least Tuesday and one of us would have gone mad by then. It also mentioned Gelsemium 30 which is supposed to suppress desire. I got this at Boots on Saturday morning and from Saturday evening he hasn't taken any notice of her at all even though she is day 14/15.
Hope this helps, but it might be too late for this time.