Layla is in heat

[Laylasmommy]

I have a 117 lbs 10 month old female English Mastiff. Almost three weeks ago I had a family surrender their three year old 200 lbs non neutered male to me. Before you get on to me, I knew what I was getting into. I absolutely love this breed, they are so wonderful and big and perfect for me. I am set up well for both dogs. I am a single 30 year old female and I have the money to take care of them. They have lots of room and I take the boy to the park daily and when Layla is out of heat she will go too. &nbsp;I have always taken her to the park in the afternoon And although they don't walk far, we go for walks every morning and night (I take them separately). Anyway the next day my baby girl came into her first heat. I was somewhat proud yet scared to death. I do not want to spay her as I want her to grow and develop more and I do not want to neuter him either. I have read so many conflicting reports on having them spay and neutered including talking to the breeder. I have also thought about maybe breeding them someday. There is only one English Mastiff breeder within a 3 hour drive from me.&nbsp;Being a responsible dog owner I have kept them separate. I have a wooden fence and a large backyard. I have alternated them letting one inside while the other is out. She quit bleeding about two days ago but since this is my first experience I want to make sure I do not let them be around each other until I know she is done with heat. I was told just because they stop bleeding doesn't meant it is over. Can anyone clue me in?&nbsp;<br><br>My girl is acting pretty normal, she always lays around. My boy I think might be having some separation anxiety combined with the hormones (I am not sure what it is called-Layla being in heat) and when it is his turn to be outside he has been scratching the door. He has scratched up the door frame and the door. I tried putting carpet on the door but he scratched it of. I will yell "no" but it hasn't helped. I put some items of clothing outside that belonged to his former owner because I was told that might help. Does anyone have any ideas about how I can help him with this?

 

[Duetsche_Doggen]

Can't help you with the female but if your going to breed them at least test them out and see what they have to offer. There are folk on here who keep intact pets, and can give you pointers on separation.

 

[Mamie2shoes]

If he is 3yrs now, snip him, go for it. He has grown and will do fine. As far as breeding, that is a huge responsibility. If it is something you are serious about, please research these threads and as many sources (vets, forums, breeders, AKC, etc.) and get ALL of the information and guidelines for doing it healthy. I know there are tests that should be done on each parent to ensure proper health and genetics is passed on. I know lot's of people have different opinions on this, but truly, being cautious is always good. And I wouldn't breed her til 2yrs. That being said, I think a season is a full 28 days, so keep them separated that long. Someone else may have a better time line to follow, but I always go for the longer side of caution. Good luck with this cycle, 10 months is just around the corners for us, yikes.

 

[Laylasmommy]

@duetsche_doggen Are you speaking of vet tests? My vet has been a large breed vet for my whole life, I have spoken with him about testing. I am not looking to sale any puppies that she does have. I honestly don't know if I want her having puppies. With a c-section and risks that are involved I am not sure if I can let her go through that. It would more be him as a stud. Both are of championship bloodlines with charts. She has had genetic testing. I had this done when I first got her. My best friend had a bull mastiff and he had to be put down due to done problems. I know I jumped the gun but still. He is absolutely beautiful. I have never seen a mastiff face look the way his does. He has a gorgeous coat and great posture. He has a classic mastiff personality. He is a "leaner". I am not sure what people look for when trying to find a stud but I promise to research. I would never compromise my dogs or the breed.

I will leave her inside with me for the full 28 days! Thanks for the information!

 

[Jadotha]

I really can't offer much advice on how to best keep your pups effectively separated, as we have always had intact males (no girls). Over the long term, you may want to use an option a couple of my small (but reputable) breeder friends do, which is to build an outdoor run -- so if your girl is in the house, your boy can exercise and potty in the run or vice versa. This shouldn't be a major problem as bitches generally only come into heat twice a year.

Although I am not a breeder, I personally am not a big fan of spaying and neutering dogs -- unless someone is not prepared as an owner to invest the time and effort to ensure their dogs are not running about propagating.

If you do consider breeding in the future (which is a huge commitment), please wait until your girl is old enough, get the Ofa and other genetic tests done on your boy, find a good mentor, have a go in the show ring or ask someone with judging experience of the breed to evaluate your pups against the standard, and be very clear on your goals. Research, research, research.

 

[Duetsche_Doggen]

@duetsche_doggen Are you speaking of vet tests? My vet has been a large breed vet for my whole life, I have spoken with him about testing. I am not looking to sale any puppies that she does have. I honestly don't know if I want her having puppies. With a c-section and risks that are involved I am not sure if I can let her go through that. It would more be him as a stud. Both are of championship bloodlines with charts. She has had genetic testing. I had this done when I first got her. My best friend had a bull mastiff and he had to be put down due to done problems. I know I jumped the gun but still. He is absolutely beautiful. I have never seen a mastiff face look the way his does. He has a gorgeous coat and great posture. He has a classic mastiff personality. He is a "leaner". I am not sure what people look for when trying to find a stud but I promise to research. I would never compromise my dogs or the breed.

I will leave her inside with me for the full 28 days! Thanks for the information!

Health tests meaning hips, heart, eyes, elbows, temprament test etc. With large/giant breed dogs these defects plague the mastiff breed. To a possible buyer it can be heart breaking to put a pup or dog down. I forgot the link but there is a website that shows the types of tests that should be done for the breed. Champions in line mean nothing health and temprament are or at least SHOULD be the primary goal for any one considering to breed. Structure is important as well but it shouldn't take a rocket scientist to see any obvious defects in a dog, you don't need rulers or protractors.

Like everyone mentioned it is a huge responsiblity and anything can happen both good and bad. Just think long and hard before you jump in with both feet.

I really can't offer much advice on how to best keep your pups effectively separated, as we have always had intact males (no girls). Over the long term, you may want to use an option a couple of my small (but reputable) breeder friends do, which is to build an outdoor run -- so if your girl is in the house, your boy can exercise and potty in the run or vice versa. This shouldn't be a major problem as bitches generally only come into heat twice a year.

Although I am not a breeder, I personally am not a big fan of spaying and neutering dogs -- unless someone is not prepared as an owner to invest the time and effort to ensure their dogs are not running about propagating.

If you do consider breeding in the future (which is a huge commitment), please wait until your girl is old enough, get the Ofa and other genetic tests done on your boy, find a good mentor, have a go in the show ring or ask someone with judging experience of the breed to evaluate your pups against the standard, and be very clear on your goals. Research, research, research.

I agree with this too, but that is just my personal opinion. Not many people are prepared to handle a "full" dog.

 

[Jadotha]

I totally agree with DD's specifics about the health testing, and if you access the OFA site you can see all that is required, or recommended but optional.

Not many people are prepared to handle a "full" dog.

I have heard this a lot, but I have to say I don't understand it....we never had a problem with intact males (sometimes up to four in our household when we were actively showing), or at least two.

 

[Duetsche_Doggen]

I don't either to be honest. *shrugs* I had chows growing up intact males, we didn't show, just family pets, in the same household no problem. Every now and again they had "yelling" contests but nothing like some people make intact animals out to be. It just requires a little more discipline and training. Granted there are some exceptions.

 

[neomama]

I bred Alliseaa on day 14 from when she first strated bleeding, she had stopped bleeding at day 12, I had progestin test done every other day to make sure the time
was right, DO NOT let the boy and girl together just because she has stopped bleeding, they can still get pregnant up to 4 weeks after they start bleeding,
unlikely but it could happen.

 

[BlackShadowCaneCorso]

Each female will have a different cycle. The first time our oldest female came in heat she came in heat she bleed for 3 weeks, second one was normal where she bled for about 6 days and then spiked fast. Each one will be different but the general average is 3 weeks for a heat cycle. Keep them seperate for at least that long. We have runs here for the dogs that they can go in but we still don't leave the females out when in heat because there are other intact males in our area and we have heard of males getting at female through the fence.

 

[Laylasmommy]

You guys are a wealth of knowledge. You are talking about "runs" I have never heard of those. Is it bad that I let Zeus have the whole back yard. Layla is extremely content inside. I was alternating them but as one of you mentioned I don't want any accidents from other males in the neighborhood. She is just too young. I still take her out obviously. I come home several times during the day and see both of them. Should I still build him a run? i am assuming this is a large and long fence area.

I appreciate you all. I feel like I call Layla's breeder 5,000 times a week. I know she doesn't mind but I keep coming up with all these questions and I hate to bother her everyday.

 

[BlackShadowCaneCorso]

You guys are a wealth of knowledge. You are talking about "runs" I have never heard of those. Is it bad that I let Zeus have the whole back yard. Layla is extremely content inside. I was alternating them but as one of you mentioned I don't want any accidents from other males in the neighborhood. She is just too young. I still take her out obviously. I come home several times during the day and see both of them. Should I still build him a run? i am assuming this is a large and long fence area.

I appreciate you all. I feel like I call Layla's breeder 5,000 times a week. I know she doesn't mind but I keep coming up with all these questions and I hate to bother her everyday.

Yes sorry I call them dog run but they are the chain link kennels you can buy to put outside. You don't have to have a run if they stay in your yard it is just our way of keeping our dogs contained when we aren't there but that still always them to stretch out and get some fresh air. I know it seems mean to keep her locked up so much more but in the end it is the safest for her and will prevent some unwanted puppies at the moment until you decide what you would like to do with her. Our yard isn't fenced as of yet so our girls go out on leash so that we have control and then back in. It can be trying for 3 to 4 weeks to do this but it is a commitment we made when we got them. Where your yard is fenced I would just make sure when you put her out that you are close at hand as males will do just about anything to get to a female in heat.

 

[Laylasmommy]

Thanks all! Layla made it through her first head successfully and is enjoying all of her friends at the dog park again. Whew - I will be getting runs for the next time she comes into heat, but otherwise I will let them wander. They enjoy discovering my giant backyard and it is theirs to play in. The only difference in it and the dog park is there aren't other dogs.

Do you guys always keep your dogs outside? Our weather is getting awful here as around most of the country. I keep plenty of water and a huge tent with wood floors in the back to keep them cool but I am wondering if a box fan might help?

 

[Mamie2shoes]

nope, Mamie and Sofie are strictly inside pups right now. I take them out to go potty as needed, but they stay inside in the a/c all the time. I don't even let them play outside, too hot, too risky. We are already hitting 109 heat index and I just rearranged the living room furniture to allow them space to run inside. We have a large family room so now the furniture makes a box shape in the middle and they run laps around it. LOL It is a little noisy but effective. We even have a dog toybox that they pick toys out of for playing catch with in the house. Well Mamie doesn't fetch, but Sofie the mutt does. We freshen the water daily and I often add ice cubes, they love it. We even had Ziggy (the neighbors shih-tzu) over to play yesterday since they can't go exploring anymore outside. This is how it will be til about October- Summer sucks in Alabama.

 

[BlackShadowCaneCorso]

No they don't stay out all the time. We are in Canada on the east coast so a probably a little cooler here than most places but we still do only during the morning. We then put them in during the heat of the day and back out in the cooler evening. We are looking at what we can do as far as covering so they can be out all day while we are working. Their kennels back onto our garage so it might just be a/c in the garage but we will see

 

[dpenning]

Mine are all indoors too. Not sure where you are Laylasmommie but it is too hot for these big babies to be outside in the heat full time. We had some rain yesterday afternoon so it cooled off to about 85* so we went for a walk about 3-4 blocks but Daisy was done for sure when we got home. Ice cubes and cool ceramic tile under the ceiling fan after that.

 

[Laylasmommy]

We are in Arkansas. It gets 120! They have a large tent and a horse trough of water outside. I have been bringing them inside but I need to find kennels for them, I am having trouble finding any bigger than Xl but that's just too small. I tried the toy box idea in the living room, it's so adorable to watch them pick out of it! They even get their blankets at bed time! They also love the ice cubes in their water, Especially my boy.