Heat is one of the most important periods in a dog’s life, indicating the onset of puberty. At this time, the animal behaves differently, which can alarm the owner. Knowing how to handle a German Shepherd in heat is necessary to provide proper care.
The German Shepherd’s estrus begins when the female reaches puberty at 6-12 months and continues regularly throughout her life, once every six months. Animals not involved in breeding are sterilized to avoid problems and failures of the reproductive system.
In German Shepherds, the first estrus is quite bright. Still, there are cases when the discharge can be scarce, not significant, and even without color.
The owner needs to prepare in advance and mark the calendar’s beginning and end. If the female is preparing for mating, then it is necessary to correctly calculate when ovulation occurs. The first estrus in a shepherd dog is not suitable for mating. It should be skipped.
When is the First Heat of a German Shepherd?
The first estrus in a German shepherd begins at 6-10 months – after the complete change of milk teeth to molars. A fully formed and ready-for childbearing female can be considered at 2-2.5 years. However, puberty comes earlier.
German Shepherds are large breeds, and therefore their maturation is a little slower. Males become sexually mature at the age of 12 months. However, their sperm is still poorly suited for fertilization at this time.
Stages of heat and their duration
Each German Shepherd estrus cycle includes several stages:
Proestrus lasts 8-10 days. The vaginal bleeding starts at this stage. In beginning, the color of the bloody discharge will be dark. However, it gets lighter as the period progresses.
Males will start flocking around her. At this point, she is not interested in them. She can’t get pregnant during this period.
Estrus lasts 4-21 days. The bloody discharge becomes less frequent, and it is lighter in color. The female starts to mark their territory by urinating a lot. This sends signals to males in the nearby area.
At this stage, the female GSD is ready to mate and can also get impregnated.
Metestrus lasts 8-9 days. During this period, the hormonal background is normalized. There are cases that during this period, symptoms of false pregnancy are observed: the female’s nipples swell. If fertilization does not occur, these symptoms soon disappear.
Anestrus lasts 100 to 150 days. This is the period between estrus. At this stage, fertilization is not possible.
Usually, a German Shepherd is in heat for about 20-22 days. In some cases, it can take up to a month.
Symptoms of estrus and pet behavior
You can understand that the first estrus begins with swelling and redness of the vulva (outer vagina). If a clean white cloth is applied to the vulva during this period, a pink discharge will be noticeable.
The onset of the first estrus is often accompanied by a change in the behavior of the German Shepherd:
- She can stop obeying, become passive, or the opposite, hyperactive.
- In the early days, the girl will try to attract the attention of other dogs.
- With the owner, she will become more affectionate, or the opposite where she will try to avoid contact.
- This period is characterized by short refusals to eat.
Behavioral changes are different for each individual.
When exactly does the estrus begin?
It is impossible to say for sure. It all depends on the characteristics and personality of the female. Some dogs mature earlier than others. Large representatives ripen significantly late.
Often a person does not accurately recognize the whole process. If you encounter it for the first time, it is better to check for yourself whether blood is coming from the vulva or not.
Take a light-colored cloth (white) and blot the vulva and see if there are any marks left. Visually, it does not increase significantly, but there will still be external edema.
Why is there no leak?
The estrus cycle of the German Shepherd stabilizes by the age of 1.5-2 years. Until then, there may be minor hiccups and delays. If the first estrus has not come when the dog reaches the age of one, it is recommended to consult a vet. Perhaps the dog is sick or infertile.
But there is a variant of asymptomatic estrus. In this case, the female does not show any external signs of readiness for mating. At the same time, a German shepherd may well become pregnant when mating with a male.
Hidden estrus may result from a malfunction of the thyroid gland or be hereditary.
The German Shepherd’s estrus is a physiological process that indicates the female’s readiness to conceive offspring. If the owner does not plan to let the animal into breeding, it is best to sterilize the pet. This will avoid all the problems associated with estrus.
In addition, the risk of diseases of the genitourinary system will decrease, and the body will not suffer from periodic hormonal surges.
Why is it important to mark the start date?
From the first day – a particular time is counted when ovulation occurs. As the eggs are ready for fertilization, if the female mates with the male, the litters will be numerous.
There is more than a 90 percent chance that the female will become pregnant during this time. She will not miss the sperms of the male.
Laboratory diagnostics
During estrus, the entire body of the female and her genitals are preparing for coitus. You can fix the changes taking place with the help of laboratory tests.
Vaginal cytology
Diagnostic value has a study of the epithelium of the vagina. During estrus, its thickness increases several times, and the surface cells become keratinized. This provides protection against infections and physical injury.
During proestrus, smears will show leukocytes, erythrocytes, and keratinized epithelial cells that have lost their nucleus. At the time of estrus, erythrocytes and leukocytes become single, and keratinized epithelium prevails over all other cells.
For comparison, between estrus, a vaginal smear will contain cells from the middle layers of the epithelium: intermediate and parabasal. This is the so-called atrophic smear during the period of reducing the concentration of estrogens in the body.
Determination of the level of progesterone in the blood
When progesterone in the blood begins to predominate over estrogen, the dog ovulates. They start donating blood for hormones 5 days after the onset of estrus, every 2 days. Such analyzes help to find out the terms favorable for mating. Ovulation occurs when progesterone levels reach 5-10 ng/ml.
Health impact
During each sexual cycle, the body of the female prepares for conception and bearing offspring. This causes significant changes in the uterus. The cervix relaxes, its canal is open. The mucous membrane (endometrium) sprouts with vessels and thickens. It is with this that spotting during estrus is associated. Although they resemble monthly discharge in women, they appear according to a different mechanism: the blood “leaks” through the walls of the vessels and does not come out with a sloughing mucosa.
During diestrus, even if the female is not pregnant, high levels of progesterone continue to stimulate the reproductive organs. For successful fertilization, the immunity of the uterine mucosa is reduced, making it susceptible to infections. The uterus stops contracting (atony), and the endometrial glands produce fluid intended to nourish the embryos. All this can lead to a dangerous disease – pyometra, especially in older animals.
Sex hormones also affect the mammary glands, causing false lactation, and at an older age even tumors of the mammary glands. Under the influence of high hormonal background, cancer can develop in the uterus itself or in the ovaries.
Should You Breed Young GSDs?
Under no circumstances should small German Shepherds be mated. And also take care that you do not let them meet with others outside your supervision.
Early pregnancy can lead to severe consequences for the mother’s body and the death of puppies. That is why in the very first estrus, the dog should not be allowed to mate.
The young girl has not yet fully developed. The body has not matured. If pregnancy occurs, there is a chance that the female will not be able to bear offspring and give birth. The animal will completely ruin its health, and the entire hormonal system will go astray. There is a possibility of death.
Puppies from a one-year-old father can be weak and sick. Best suited for mating is a male who is 2 years old. At the same time, he loses the ability to fertilize at the age of 7-8 years.
How to Handle a German Shepherd in Heat
The whole heat period in a shepherd dog is from 2 to 3 weeks. It will be necessary to monitor the female as carefully as possible, avoid accidental contact, and be tolerant of her behavior.
The female may be prone to runaways and out-of-character behavior. It is better to cover all surfaces with fabric flooring, which will prevent stains on furniture and beds.
The rest of the care does not change, feeding according to the schedule, less active walks, avoiding contact with males, and not letting off the leash. If there’s any vaccination left, it should be postponed, or take an opinion from your vet about it.
Caring for a dog during heat
During estrus, the body of the German Shepherd is very vulnerable. To preserve her health, it is necessary to provide her with exceptional care:
- The dog should not freeze or swim in dirty water.
- Often the female licks herself, so there is no need to wash her.
- It is necessary to provide a complete diet, including meat, vegetables, fruits, and cereals. You can use vitamin supplements.
- Physical activity is reduced.
- The German Shepherd needs to be protected from stress. Don’t disturb her if she wants to lie down on her bed.
Smelling the smell of a female in heat, the surrounding males will not remain indifferent. Some owners lock their pets at home for several days to avoid unwanted pregnancy. But this is the wrong approach because German Shepherds need to spend their energy or else, they indulge themselves in destructive activities.
Medications to reduce activity
If you have multiple dogs at home, the female will gather a pack around her. Some tools will help prevent the crowd “under the fence” at your home.
In order not to attract surrounding males, many owners use special preparations. They help suppress estrus symptoms and reduce the amount of pheromones your dog releases. Such drugs most often affect the level of hormones in the animal’s body. This is quite dangerous and not consistently effective.
There are also special sprays that suppress the smell of the female. In addition, you can use folk methods. For example, a strong infusion of bay leaves is quite effective.
The effect of this tool is not enough for a long time, but for walks or urgent trips, it is enough.
Below are some sprays you can try out:
Protecting Furniture And Carpets
To protect furniture and carpets from secretions, underpants can be worn on the German Shepherd. You can buy special diapers on Amazon.
You can also buy regular dog panties and attach a feminine sanitary pad to them. Ordinary human diapers are also suitable, in which you can make a hole for the tail.
In extreme cases, panties can be sewn on their own. To do this, you only need a small piece of fabric and an elastic band.
Supervision
If you suddenly have an unpleasant odor or heavy bleeding, it is recommended to consult a specialist. Changes in the uterine cavity are often accompanied by copious secretions of a specific odor and a strange consistency.
If the process is delayed, there is a possibility of opening and bleeding. Measure the temperature and monitor the behavior of the pet. The more carefully you observe the animal, the faster you are at determining non-typical conditions.
Conclusion
German Shepherds are an active breed of dog that loves to play but the heat period is tough for them. For first-timers, they don’t know what’s happening to them and they feel stressed about it.
The heat cycle only lasts 21-28 days and occurs twice a year. Make sure that you mark the calendar for it so that you can be ready to avoid any unwanted pregnancy of your GSD.
At this time, they need more love and care. Just because it gets troublesome for you, don’t lock them in a room or crate. Don’t make them think that they are being punished for it. It is only natural.
Just make sure that you know everything that there is to know about this period and take care of them.
If you can’t be vigilant all the time protecting your GSD from males and are tempted to use hormone-controlling medicines, think twice! Do you want to put your girl in danger? If you feel confused or are not confident in what you are doing, ask a vet about it.