Attention all dog owners or breeders! Living with a female dog comes with a few facts of consideration and understanding, such as their reproductive stage or more commonly referred to as “the heat cycle.”
When a female dog goes through a “heat cycle” after having puppies, she has a high possibility of going through fertilization or has been pregnant.
Therefore, I will help you understand the dog’s heat cycles and relieve you from worrying about why your dog behaves differently when going through her heat stage.
Understanding of Dog Heat Cycles:
A dog’s heat cycle begins when they reach sexual maturity, around the age of six months or a year old. The maturity period does vary for different breeds, as larger dogs take more time to reach the heating stage than smaller dogs.
You can be aware of your dog’s heating cycle when you notice signs such as an inflamed vulva, seeking the attention of male dogs by wagging her tail, howling, frequent urination, and vaginal bleeding.
Due to raging hormones,a female dog’s primal urge to mate will increase; if she is unable to fulfill her need due to hormonal rush, she will have behavioral issues, such as increased frustration, can be challenging to control in female dogs.
Female dogs have four stages in which their heat cycle progresses.
- Proestrus – This is the first level of the heat cycle, which lasts for nine days – during this period, a female dog’s vulva swells, and she also experiences some bloody discharge.
- Estrus is the second heat cycle stage, which lasts the same period as proestrus.
- During the estrus stage, a female dog’s urge to mate is at its peak, and she may exhibit sexual behavior to attract male dogs, such as flagging her tail and vocalizing.
- Diestrus is the third stage; after a successful mating, a female dog’s reproductive system prepares for pregnancy. The last stage is Anestrus, when a female dog’s fertility process stops, and she is less interested in mating.
What is the Period When Dogs Go into Heat After Giving Birth?
When a female dog gives birth, the chances of her getting pregnant are mostly high if she is in good health—dogs’ ability to remain fertile stays even if they age.
A female dog’s heat cycles occur twice a year, once every six months. The cycle can also take place three times a year, which depends on the circumstance that could take place.
The pregnancy or the gestation period lasts for two months. After this, the female dog goes into labor and then nurturing puppies, such as breast-feeding them and switching them to solid foods, takes place.
After birthing puppies, a dog’s heating cycle returns in four months.
The four-month time after giving birth is a matter of approximation since the heat cycle can take longer to arrive.
Moreover, A dog’s pregnancy depends entirely on the longevity of the Estrus stage of the dog’s heating cycle.
Spaying for Optimal Health and Preventing Health Issues:
Spaying is the perfect option for you to prevent your dog from producing more litters of puppies. When spaying is performed, a dog can never produce as its reproductive organs are removed- the ovaries, the uterus, and the fallopian tubes.
The process of spaying is entirely like a hysterectomy when performed on a female human.
After this process, a female dog will never go into the heat cycle again and not produce any more puppies.
Dogs can be spayed through drugs as well, which are used to prevent fertility for a temporary period.
Once this period is over, you must give your dog drugs again. If not, you will have your dog pregnant once more.
Although spaying through drugs is not entirely practical as there is no guarantee that your dog will be fertile again, drugs are not a safe alternative as they might affect your dog’s health and cause side effects.
Another reason you should have your dogs spayed is the inability to take care of plenty of puppies because female dogs require much less time to recover, and then they produce a whole litter of puppies.
This will be challenging for you and difficult to take care of so many puppies. Hence, spaying is the most suitable method of preventing any unwanted puppies.
The recovery process of dogs after having puppies.
Dogs are prone to go into their heat cycle during their nursing period; this can also depend on the breed of the dog.
Therefore, if a dog currently goes into heat after a short time of giving birth, there is a high chance of being pregnant while she already has a litter of puppies.
The personality changes of a dog are somewhat the same as humans when they go through pregnancy, such as – weight gain, due to more food intake to birth healthy puppies.
However, a female dog loses weight and returns to its normal body after giving birth.
After giving birth, a female dog can appear possessive of her little ones for at least four weeks. She will also be requiring some privacy.
Therefore, you need to provide your dog its space and time for her to return to her affectionate dog behavior.
After one month, puppies tend to be more explorative and become independent. Therefore, this is the best time to give away the puppies to their new owners, where they will start a new happy life.
How many Litters of Puppies a Female Dog can Produce?
A female dog can go into her heat cycle almost three times a year, which means she can fertilize and get pregnant easily when near a male dog.
This means a female dog can produce three litters of puppies yearly.
The heat period varies for different breeds of dogs, a larger dog may take two years to experience their first heat cycle, and a smaller dog takes six months to achieve their heat cycle.
Whereas the male dog reaches its maturity when it is 15-24 months old.
It is suitable for female dogs to stop producing once they are five or seven years old. As the pregnancy will be unhealthy and so will the puppies.
Therefore, female dogs should stop breeding once they are old.
Final Words?
A female dog can go into its heat cycle twice or thrice a year or even when she is nursing.
Although the period of a dog’s heat cycle returning varies, it is important to your female dog from other male dogs to prevent any unwanted pregnancies.
It is suggested that you should spay your dog after her heat cycle is over to avoid any complications.
You can also give your dog hormonal injections or other drugs to prevent the dog from going into heat.
Still, discussing the drugs’ side effects with a veterinarian is crucial to ensure your dog’s safety.
FAQs:
Q: Can dogs be spayed during their heat cycle?
A: Yes, you can spay your dog during its heat cycle, but waiting until the heat period is over is recommended just to be safe.
Q: How to keep my dog away from male dogs during the heat?
A: You can keep your dog indoors or on a leash outside and avoid taking it to the parks where there is a high possibility of other male dogs being present.
Q: What are the main signs of a female dog in heat?
A: There are certain signs you can easily recognize during heat, such as swollen vulva, vaginal discharge, behavioral changes, and howling.
