Hormones And Performance

[MonElite]

If you have an entire bitch do you notice a difference in her performance in the sport you do? Im mainly interested in obedience.

My Divani has recently finished her season and right now she is a different dog to what she normally is. Just before the season she was a "bitch" to other dogs, during the season she loved me no end and looked into my eyes and cuddled upto me so much that it was sickening. Right now she is lazy, doesnt want to do anything other than eat and sleep and me thinks she is having a phantom. Her nipples are bigger than normal and she seems to be for ever starving.

She had a phantom before but the behaviour didnt change as drastically as this time.

Basically she isnt interested in doing any excercises, her attention span is 3 seconds.

Im am thinking Im either over training her or its the hormones.

So this week I decided to practically do no obedience training, took her for long runs and a bike rides and Im wondering how long will this go for.

Would like some of the experienced people share some of the observations and give me some advice on how to go about this, please.

[Miranda]

I don't do dog sports, but I do show my dogs and one of my bitches is exactly the same. After a season she doesn't want to do anything but eat and lie around, she'll kill for food and if I take her to a show I have to drag her round the ring because she just doesn't want to be there. It's totally different before she comes in, she's really cocky at that time and shows brilliantly. I no longer bother showing her after a season.

The trouble is that their bodies 'think' they're pregnant and the progesterone that's released is a calming hormone that knocks the edge of them and 'tells' them to eat up big and take it easy because they've got puppies. You'll find that she'll start to come good about 10 weeks following her season, until then you'll probably just have to put up with it.

[MonElite]

doG give me strenght to survive another 6-7 weeks of this than...

I took her to a show last weekend and as you said - I had to drag her around the ring. Mind you she was happy to inhale treats if I showed them to her.

[mollipop]

I have one of those too!

She has PMT and sulks for about 4 weeks, is in season for 3 weeks then weird for another 3 or 4 weeks after.

It's no wonder we are having trouble getting her UD title.

She is also very lazy and I was thinking of having her Thyroid tested.

[MonElite]

Mine normally isnt lazy at all, always happy to do things, go places, annoy others :rolleyes:

Now its like someone has swapped my dog for something that look like my dog but isnt acting like mine.

I had Divanis thyroid done and she was fine, so Im guessing its the after season hormones.

[FHRP]

I had a bitch who was definitely uninterested in tialling or training for about two months after her season. She had a phantom pregnancy every time and was unmotivated during that time and definitely worse towards the end of the phantom. Initially I was unaware at how bad it was until she got over it, after a couple of times I was prepared. Another reason it sucks to trial an entire bitch!!!

[leopuppy04]

Definitely hormones.

Kinta is never 'uninterested' to train really - but she becomes very sensitive - to training and her environment as well as being sooky and just less.... lively I guess .

It can happen just before, just after her season or at 8-9wks post season (when puppies would be due) lasts a few days to a week.

I can still work her- but usually if she isn't working up to scratch, I can count back to her last season and know why ;).

I've been doing things such as making training really simple and enjoyable during these times which really helps keep her in the frame of mind that training is fun

[Ptolomy]

I kept a diary and the same thing happened each season. For a couple of weeks before she came into season we would have vague episodes where simple things that she knew well fell in a heap - you know like "come"

Once she came into season she would be back on track - although there were 3 days when I guess she was ready for mating, that she would be a little less switched on. Then 9 weeks after being in season we would get a week or two of the lethargics. Funny enough, this usually coincided with the Royal Show.

Argh the joys of trying to trial an entire girl........

[leopuppy04]

I kept a diary and the same thing happened each season. For a couple of weeks before she came into season we would have vague episodes where simple things that she knew well fell in a heap - you know like "come"

Once she came into season she would be back on track - although there were 3 days when I guess she was ready for mating, that she would be a little less switched on. Then 9 weeks after being in season we would get a week or two of the lethargics. Funny enough, this usually coincided with the Royal Show.

Argh the joys of trying to trial an entire girl........

Pretty much the same for me too Ptolomy! Only Kinta goes completely wired just before and during her seasons ... The 8-9wk hump comes just when you have 'forgotten' about seasons then all of a sudden 'huh' - why is she so 'dull' ;)