Day 1 In Season And Sending Me Mad!

[dollygirl]

After researching the best time to desex my ESS pet bitch, I decided to wait till after 1 season.

This morning my desexed rescue male let me know she was in season, she is 7.5months.

She has been uncontrollable all day..thinks she is starving, running and jumping through the house, barking for attention, barking for food, barking at old desexed dog.barking barking barking!!!

She is super super hypo, she is a high energy dog though.

Is this normal behaviour? It has been a while since I had a bitch in season, but from my memory, I thought they went quiet.

Any suggestions?

[Diva]

Lol, not normal for mine but they are a different breed.

[The Spotted Devil]

Hey dollygirl

I've got a field bred ESS and you've just described her perfectly when she's in season. Up early and runs and runs and runs and hunts like a thing possessed. Normally she is a very intense little worker but has the most delightful off switch in the house. However for the first 10-11 days in season she goes quite crackers!

I have a well fenced and steep bush block (normally houses chooks) that I let her just run like crazy on. Twice a year, when she is in season, I take the opportunity to weed and maintain it no matter what the weather so I can supervise "just in case." I have an entire male so some juggling inside with crates is necessary. I do as much if not more training as usual and every meal is worked for - stuffed Kongs, scattered dry, reward for QUIET in crate etc etc. She normally gets chicken frames alternated with dry food but this is the only time I give her marrow bones. Keeps her occupied through the worst of it.

As Em starts to settle down a little she's actually at her most fertile. About day 15-16 she starts to sleep in again and, by day 21, you can't drag her out of bed early to toilet unless it's with the promise of some training.

I hope that helps!

Edited August 12, 2014 by The Spotted Devil

[VizslaMomma]

After researching the best time to desex my ESS pet bitch, I decided to wait till after 1 season.

This morning my desexed rescue male let me know she was in season, she is 7.5months.

She has been uncontrollable all day..thinks she is starving, running and jumping through the house, barking for attention, barking for food, barking at old desexed dog.barking barking barking!!!

She is super super hypo, she is a high energy dog though.

Is this normal behaviour? It has been a while since I had a bitch in season, but from my memory, I thought they went quiet.

Any suggestions?

Some bitches might.

ESS bitches are often hyperactive.

:)

[dollygirl]

Hey dollygirl

I've got a field bred ESS and you've just described her perfectly when she's in season. Up early and runs and runs and runs and hunts like a thing possessed. Normally she is a very intense little worker but has the most delightful off switch in the house. However for the first 10-11 days in season she goes quite crackers!

I have a well fenced and steep bush block (normally houses chooks) that I let her just run like crazy on. Twice a year, when she is in season, I take the opportunity to weed and maintain it no matter what the weather so I can supervise "just in case." I have an entire male so some juggling inside with crates is necessary. I do as much if not more training as usual and every meal is worked for - stuffed Kongs, scattered dry, reward for QUIET in crate etc etc. She normally gets chicken frames alternated with dry food but this is the only time I give her marrow bones. Keeps her occupied through the worst of it.

As Em starts to settle down a little she's actually at her most fertile. About day 15-16 she starts to sleep in again and, by day 21, you can't drag her out of bed early to toilet unless it's with the promise of some training.

I hope that helps!

It does help, Thank you.

My ESS is a show ESS but all the same it must be a trait that is normal.

I wish I had your set up. I have cooped her up a bit I am afraid, normally take her to a dog beach each day and this uses her energy up. I will need to keep her on our large back deck and inside the house and only give her supervised breaks in the yard. Will give some thought about what I can do to occupy her, difficult giving her kong and chews at the moment as old dogs suffers from pancreatitis and can't have any treats and the ESS is possessive of her food. Looking forward to her surgery. :D

[The Spotted Devil]

Ha! It gets easier with experience but surgery is definitely easier again. I have asked a lot of people if their bitches (of any breed and lots of Gundogs) do this and not had one person say "yes" so will be interested to hear if anyone on here has had a similar experience.

Can you separate the dogs when you are out? Shut off half the house...at least then you could leave your girl with lots of enrichment toys. My girl also turns food possessive in season - kind of handy though because I give her a marrowbone in her crate and she tells off my male good and proper - obviously I am right there to supervise. Normally she's incredibly tolerant of him.

Edited August 12, 2014 by The Spotted Devil

[JulesP]

Amber goes nuts :) She has been very demanding this time and has been doing the barking for food. She also gets sooky too and wraps her front legs around my legs.

I still walk her though. Just not at off lead dog parks.

[dollygirl]

Ha! It gets easier with experience but surgery is definitely easier again. I have asked a lot of people if their bitches (of any breed and lots of Gundogs) do this and not had one person say "yes" so will be interested to hear if anyone on here has had a similar experience.

Can you separate the dogs when you are out? Shut off half the house...at least then you could leave your girl with lots of enrichment toys. My girl also turns food possessive in season - kind of handy though because I give her a marrowbone in her crate and she tells off my male good and proper - obviously I am right there to supervise. Normally she's incredibly tolerant of him.

Yes I will be separating them when I am not at home..today had to go to Dr's and left her in the crate with a pigs ear..when I let her out she hadn't eaten the pigs ear, as the intent

ion seemed to be to parade it and tease the poor old dog on the special diet who thinks he is being starved. It is a circus at my house at the moment, well it has been a bit of a circus since she came to live with us, but now it is a 3 ringed circus!

[dollygirl]

Amber goes nuts :) She has been very demanding this time and has been doing the barking for food. She also gets sooky too and wraps her front legs around my legs.

I still walk her though. Just not at off lead dog parks.

Yes I should be driving her in the car to take a walk, but have been too sick for the last month or so, so have been just standing at the beach, not doing too much walking…was just about fit enough to start walking, but have shingles in the head now..so am way too tired, maybe soon hopefully.

[Dame Aussie]

Amber goes nuts :) She has been very demanding this time and has been doing the barking for food. She also gets sooky too and wraps her front legs around my legs.

I still walk her though. Just not at off lead dog parks.

We walk our girl too, just never off lead.

The only changes in her behaviour are that she becomes incredibly sooky with us, torturing for cuddles etc, teasing our male dog and digging her way to china :laugh:

[Dory the Doted One]

Willow becomes very naughty, annoying and destructive. Drives us mad too!

Thankfully we are still able to train at our club. She just had to go last.

[The Spotted Devil]

Ha! It gets easier with experience but surgery is definitely easier again. I have asked a lot of people if their bitches (of any breed and lots of Gundogs) do this and not had one person say "yes" so will be interested to hear if anyone on here has had a similar experience.

Can you separate the dogs when you are out? Shut off half the house...at least then you could leave your girl with lots of enrichment toys. My girl also turns food possessive in season - kind of handy though because I give her a marrowbone in her crate and she tells off my male good and proper - obviously I am right there to supervise. Normally she's incredibly tolerant of him.

Yes I will be separating them when I am not at home..today had to go to Dr's and left her in the crate with a pigs ear..when I let her out she hadn't eaten the pigs ear, as the intent

ion seemed to be to parade it and tease the poor old dog on the special diet who thinks he is being starved. It is a circus at my house at the moment, well it has been a bit of a circus since she came to live with us, but now it is a 3 ringed circus!

This is Em in season...she runs hard anyway but just never stops when the hormones hit!

[tesslc]

Our SBT bitch had two seasons before she was speyed. Her first day she was quiet and sooky. From there on in she was hyper (she's hyper normally so not much change there) but was also restless through the night. We walked her on lead and that calmed her down a bit. By day 10 (when the fun male stuff started) she calmed down. Although she didn't get that far with the second heat as she was already booked in to be spayed.