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Permalink Reply by Frances P Moloney on April 13, 2015 at 1:14pm

Hi Hayley,

It really depends on how squeamish you are. You will get a biological "tip off" that heat is approaching as she will seriously blow her coat.In our house, our neutered male get very affectionate towards our bitch, several weeks before the actual heat arrives, in that he will start licking her ears and being generally attentive in a gentlemanly, eunuch kind of way!

If you place newspaper in her crate, you will know when the first discharge arrives: it is recognisably blood red in colour and get paler as the heat progresses. when it is a pale pink (around day 12, she is at her most fertile).

I find baby wipes are the most efficient for mopping up little splatters, and my dogs don't have access to furniture (unless Dad's back is turned!!!) but strategically placed towels will probably offer enough protection.

Take no risks about leaving her unsupervised in your yard : "Amour omnia vincit" Love conquers all and hounds with loving on their mind will travel huge distances and scale surprising heights. She will urinate with greater frequency, which is basically her leaving her "come up & see me , big boy" card.She will also be inclined to make an escape (think hormonal teenagers) but she is not being badly behaved but responding to a very primitive biological urge.

Obviously, she should not be bred for her first heat: she may not be mature enough to mind puppies and possibly will not even have reached her full adult size, so carrying and whelping the pups could run into complications.

I think doggy diapers are a bit like puppy training pads: a disposable consumer product that requires a commercial transaction & I can't see any frisky corgi leaving them on....oh, but the fun they would have shredding them.

With regard to exercise, I bring my lady away from home in the car, to open countryside and spray her with a specific product that is meant to mask her odour. While I normally have free exercise as part of their walking routine, when she is in heat, I never let her off the lead.

There is lots of information on breeding in the forum (most of it anti it seems), but managing the heat shouldn't really be too big a deal once your canine security is vigilant.

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Permalink Reply by Hayley Roda on April 13, 2015 at 7:13pm

Thank you Frances.

I know there is a lot of discussion about it and a lot of people are really against breeding, but in the UK the breed is very much at risk over here, so I am working with the breeder I got her from and when she is old enough (at least 2) and ready and healthy enough for it we will try and breed her with one of their new studs from the States. (: I have been talking to them of course about preparing for the season, but it is always nice to get lots of input!!

Sadly, we don't have a car and are in the city, so the only way to transport her is by walking her around. What is this spray that may help mask the smell?

I definitely won't be taking her off lead anywhere while she is in heat, too many intact males around, and waay too risky!!

I am considering getting a cloth diaper I can put liners in just for nighttime as she sleeps on the bed with me at night and I'd rather have more protection than not, if she will have it!! :-)

Thank you for the advice and for not being judgemental, I think there are a lot of people who are so so against breeding but we really have good reason to, otherwise I wouldn't!  :-)

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Permalink Reply by Frances P Moloney on April 14, 2015 at 8:26am

Hi Hayley,

We are neighbours across the Irish Sea, so the product should be available to you as well. 

It is called "bitch spray" (!!! apologies to those of finer feelings and I think it is manufactured by Johnsons, who make lots of doggy products). It is only a mild deterrent and I wouldn't use it indoors because I don't like the smell. A breeder I was talking to said that she doesn't use it at all, because nothing will really deter an amorous stud.

The reason I am informed about breeding is similar to yourself,(but my girl is now 3 so if I am going to breed her, its really now or never.) because less that 250 PWCs (pupppies) were registered with the Irish KC last time I checked, so it is a very endangered breed over here....& also very misunderstood.

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Permalink Reply by Anna Morelli on April 13, 2015 at 11:48pm

I too would caution you about your fenced in garden, it is no match for a hardy suitor! It's safe if you are outside with her, but do not leave her out alone AT ALL!!!  Unless you have a lot of loose dogs where you live, I would still take her out on leash, especially in the first part of the heat season, as they are not fertile then, so it is really low risk.  The scent will be in the urine and that will attract males to the area.  I would keep her on a very short leash when I take her out to walk and keep her from peeing until we are at some distance from the house.

If you find a loose dog, in a pinch, a Corgi is small enough that you could pick her up :-D

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Permalink Reply by Linda on April 14, 2015 at 12:15am

I most definitely would not leave her unattended in your yard.  When I was a teen our male dog (it was not common to alter them back then) would easily climb a 6 foot chain link fence to get to a female in heat.  I wouldn't believe it if I hadn't seen it with my own eyes.

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Permalink Reply by Jane Christensen on April 14, 2015 at 11:16am

Usually their 1st heat cycle will be a little lighter. I have tried many things and had some nice cloth but plastic lined panties. These works OK. I would use sheets and blankets to cover the furniture. If you use wipes use the "natural" one with no perfume etc.

Is your yard fenced in? If not when she starts becoming more
'interested" I would not let her off the leash even in your yard. Male dogs can be very persistent....and if it would be a larger male...you could have some problems. About 2 weeks into her cycle you may see her moving her tail to the side and this means she is getting ready to accept a male. Do you have room to let her chase a ball in the house?

Do be aware that even if a male is neutered he can still mate with her but there won't be pups...I did not know this until it happened to one of my females. Hope this makes sense.

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Permalink Reply by Beth on April 14, 2015 at 3:30pm

Just remember that they are actually fertile after the spotting stops. :-) More than one whoopsee litter has happened when an unsuspecting owner thought things were safe.

Good luck!

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Permalink Reply by Vicky Hay on April 15, 2015 at 2:40pm

Had the same idea about one of the Late Great Gersheps... When she came into heat, I confined her to the kitchen / dining room/ and a long hallway, which were all continuously tiled. She had room to roam around but couldn't defile the (white!!) rugs or furniture. A mop permanently parked in a bucket of diluted Simple Green is helpful...

Always stay outside with the dog while she's doing her business. Love conquers all, including a six-foot fence.

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