Working Entire Bitches

[Staranais]

This is a question for people who train & compete in any dogsport, or any working pursuit, with an entire bitch.

I'm wondering, do you see any difference in your girl's behaviour during work when she is in proestrus/estrus? If so, how does her season affect her?

Do you still train or compete or work her during her season, or do you give her a break?

Edited May 15, 2011 by Staranais

[ness]

ANKC rules mean you can't trial a bitch in season. The only exception as far as I am aware is in herding where they can be run at the end of a class. My own experience is limited to the fact Kenz went through one season and I didn't really notice a huge different in her. We still trained but she was only 8.5 months at the time. Worked the same as she was previously and continued working the same when she finished. The only thing I did notice is she went through super nervy patch a few months later (just before I ended up desexing her) but not sure if that was hormone related gearing to come back into season or just age related.

ETA. Love the just like answering polls option.

Edited May 15, 2011 by ness

[Erny]

Love the "I don't have an entire bitch, I just like answering polls" option.

I don't have an entire bitch, by the way. I do like answering polls. But I didn't vote as the results of this would be interesting and would be great if they could remain as true and accurate as possible.

ETA: Just noticed Ness also got a giggle out of the "just like answering polls" option. Sorry - I wasn't copying. Genuine laughter.

Edited May 15, 2011 by Erny

[capanash]

I have trained & trialled to CD an entire bitch. She would be silly and sooky a month before her season and the same for another few weeks after. Then there were the phantom pregnancies! Much easier with a desexed bitch.

[JulesP]

My last bitch I trialled to CD level (old rules) I never really noticed when she was in season. After her CD she had pups, then a serious of accidents so never went any further. Even when she had her pups she would have done some work.

Amber is currently in season. Would have to say she is working better. Did a great session today. But that might be because she is really hungry, she gets funny with food during her season, so treats had massive value today.

I still train but don't take her out to club.

[Staranais]

LOL @ Ness and Erny, I guess I just didn't want anyone to feel left out.

I was wondering about it since my own dog, and the other entire bitch that we commonly train with for SAR, seem to have no problems working during their season. But have just recently met a bitch that is completely scatty and unfocused during her seasons & just can't be worked (they're having her desexed because of that). I'll be interested to see how many DOLers have had either experience.

[Sayreovi]

Jovi is my first bitch and she has only had one season so far, but she worked just the same during her season and she still got trained every day

[Tay.]

I just like answering polls :p

[FHRP]

I don't know about during a season, but the entire bitch I had had full on false pregnancies and was terrible to train 6-8 weeks after her season for a few weeks. She becamse really hard to motivate and wasn't interested. I never trained her during seasons though as she went to her co-owners so my boys didn't drive me completely insane

[Vickie]

I never noticed any difference with Trim. She is desexed now, but I trained her through a number of seasons. I also had her mother for a while & did not notice any difference with her either.

I have a bitch here in season ATM. She arrived nearly 3 weeks ago & came into season a few days later. She is training well, but it will be interesting to see whether she changes once her season is finished.

[PAX]

After a season they seem to gain fat and lose muscle...hormones and girls.....lol. I notice a loss of fitness but soon goes, not with the season but with the phantom pregancy .

[Sherlot]

my bc bitch does herding and agility training on heat.. no real difference, it affects my boy though.. he's more interested in her!

[Greytmate]

After a season they seem to gain fat and lose muscle...hormones and girls.....lol. I notice a loss of fitness but soon goes, not with the season but with the phantom pregancy .

I once had a bitch that went lame during a phantom pregnancy. The pregnancy hormones allowed her ligaments to relax and stretch and she couldn't even walk normally. I took her to the vet, and he told me what was going on. I wouldn't think it would be wise to give a bitch hard exercise in that condition.

[ness]

Yep I was going to make a comment about ligaments being looser post season. I had the same issue with my girl post first season and apparently not uncommon for them to pull up lame easier.

[dasha]

I have 2 entire bitches that do sheepdog trials.

1 is definately sooky leading up to her season and when is in season, she lacks confidence in herself. She seems to be a little more self preserving. And a lot more sooky

I still work her during this although maybe not as much as this temperment change really annoys me. I fidure I need to know how to work her in season so even if trials are on I can still compete. I just have to be aware her strengths and weakness' are different at that time.

The other bitch I have only had for 4 months and she came in season. She didn't really change much that I could put down to being in season. I worked her in season too.

They are both now pregnant and due in 2 weeks and bitch 1 is showing similar signs now as she does coming into season. The second one is becoming sooky now as well and a bit clingy. But both still keen to work.

[pie]

Wow that's really interesting! Trixie still ran around like a mad thing while having phantoms (she would even produce milk with hers)and I never noticed any lameness. An interesting thing to know for the future, she has been spayed now anyway.

I never really noticed any difference with training her while in season.

[OSoSwift]

My Dobe I had I did not train while she was in season, immediately before or during her 15 week - yes 15 week phantoms!

She was a complete bitch leading up to her season, a total cannot think while in season, then while having a phantom if you looked at her the wrong way she looked like a beaten dog. Then she would go through a false labour and try and kill any dog that came close to her hole and babies, then a week later was back to normal. Needless to say the fact she gained her CDX while entire was a small miracle in it's self!

Once she was desexed she was great all the time and a pleasure to live with and train and the male dog was quite happy as before her moods could change between morning and afternoon!

Rommi doesn't change anywhere near as much but I still don't train when she is in season or immediately after, more through habit I guess more than anything and I don't want to risk stressing her out when she is a fairly soft dog anyway and I am sure the hormones will probably make her more sensitive than normal. A few weeks break is no major drama to us.

[DeltaCharlie]

Just wanted to add to what a few people have touched on. A bitch in season will have her body changing to prepare for mating and pregnancy (her body doesn't know she isn't being bred) and their ligaments and tendons will loosen significantly. They are at a much greater risk of injury and should not be doing strenuous work (I'm talking from an agility/flyball point of view here) for that 4 week period (and some take longer to get back than that). That's not to say they can't do anything, just be aware of the risk and take measures to minimise it, so no intense jump work etc and set them up with good approaches to contacts. We don't do any flyball box work during that time either.

[murve]

our little girl is relucted to work when she is in season

[Jumabaar]

I still train my bitch while she is in season. Usually refining small points that she doesnt usually care about but I can reward heavily because she is bored being kept in confinement. I dont do any jumping or anything though. I have never noticed any difference in her temperament.

Post pregnancy I am still waiting for ligaments to tighten up. She went quite flat footed after she had the puppies and so I will be taking it very easy with her.