So while talking to people I often found that they owned entire females but have no idea of the breeding cycle of one, often being shocked when they come into season and the mess they make as well as behavioral changes.
So after attending an online course in Canine Breeding on Cousera (https://www.coursera.org/), an online community that holds oline lectures taught by lectures at top Universities around the world.
Anyway after doing that I put together a little document that can help the average owner understand when not to take their dog outside to avoid unwanted pregnancies.
The first cycle can occur anywhere between 6 and 24 months, the smaller dog usually comes into season earlier than the larger breeds. So a Jack Russel Terrier is more likely to have her first season at 6 months with a larger dog such as St Bernard possibly taking up to 24 months to have her first season.
The season is as follows:
Proestrus
Lasts about 9 days
Vulva size will noticeably increase.
The bitch will NOT stand to be bred, but the male will approach.
If bitch is not keeping herself clean then use a damp cloth or baby wet wipe.
This is the stage everyone notices as the dog will bleed around the house and owners often get upset, its is natural, if you don’t want to deal with it then get her neutered.
Estrus
Lasts about 9 days
Ovulation usually occurs 2 days into this stage, releasing eggs.
Discharge becomes straw- coloured.
Bitch will stand to be bred, and tying will occur between the bitch and dog.
You cannot separate them at this stage, the dogs penis is now stuck inside the female, pulling it out will damage both the male and female.
Diestrus
Occurs 6 days after ovulation.
Discharge will occur for 1 or 2 days.
Then continues into the uneventful Anestrus till the next season begins
So this all happens about every 7 months in most dogs, so about twice a year. During this time there is a change in behaviour in the bitch, she could become more unpredictable or aggressive. They could also begin nesting at some point, this could lead to stealing cloths and shredding paper.
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