Female Yorkie in heat?
 

I am doggy sitting for a friend and it's a Yorkie she is almost a year old she is pretty swollen and cleaning her self so does this mean that she is in heat.how long does this last? Will she be bleeding during this?

I would say yes,she's either in heat or coming into heat, this is a 3 week process, and yes they do bleed, I had two unspayed girls, my experience with heat was, they always were cleaning them selves, so for me there was very little blood, I did keep my sofa and bed covered with an old sheet or blanket, they would stain it, but it was never dark blood. I pray you have no intact male in your house. Be extremely careful if you have to walk her for potty, male dogs can smell a female in heat from miles away.

Heat cycles last 21 days/3 weeks. If her vulva looks swollen I would say yes she is in heat or is going to start very soon. You can use diapers or panties so she won't stain anything. The bleeding lasts about 7 days.

I suggest you NOT take her out anywhere and keep her in your home and in a completely different room with a locked door in a crate away from any intact animals whether it be male(unless you're attempting to breed her) or female. If she urinates, etc outside make sure she is leashed and you are outside with her at all times.

Other intact females may attempt to fight her and intact males to impregnate her.

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The scent from a female in heat can easily be picked up by a male dog for 3 miles away......a male dog will climb a tree to get to a female in heat, and the female, if she is in the receptive period of her heat cycle, will throw him a rope or a chair to climb on to get to her!!!....keep this baby inside, away from any other male dogs, and females will have a tendency to fight among themselves....

This is an excellent site to help with this

Dog Reproduction, The Heat Cycle, Signs of Heat, Whelping and Raising Puppies

You need to be careful but don't let all the neurotic overly emotional approaches, articles and comments frighten you.

Unless you WANT a pregnant female, I would strongly advise you to listen to people that know what they are talking about, maybe because they have "already been there and done that"......people with females in heat often times end up with pregnant dogs....no "fake fear" involved, just the facts! Unless you want to end up with what is commonly referred to on this site as "an 'ooops' pregnancy", you had better take heed of what has been said, NONE of which were "neurotic, overly emotional" approaches! The drive to reproduce is overwhelming and nothing that was said to you was over the top! I have seen two dogs get tied under the most outrageous, unbelievable circumstances....through chain link fences, through chicken wire pens, under gates, in unbelievable circumstances and positions! Not an over reaction to this drive to reproduce.....and if you have a female in heat, unless you want a pregnant female, you would do well to watch this little girl every minute, never let her out of your site in the back yard, remember NOW is NOT the time to go for long walks in public or at the dog park, or you will more than likely end up with a female that has been bred.

"I have seen" = overly neurotic.

The exception isnt the rule.

If you dont want your dog pregnant it needs to be kept away from / watched like a hawk when it is in standing heat and any where near or can get to an intact male.

If you have an "accident" take the dog to a vet to get a pill.

A small dog or you can get hurt in a shagging competition.

It isn't complicated.

Keep her confined- leashed or indoors. Males can be very persistent and pull off some amazing stuff to get to a female in heat.

There will be blood, yes. Lay down a sheet or blanket on important items or purchase panties for her- they are made to keep blood contained, and work really well. Just take it off when she goes out to potty and make sure to change the lining often so she doesn't get chafing or soreness from moisture. You might wipe her down each night as well if you choose the panties route since she won't be able to clean herself with them on.

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Correct! It isnt complicated at all....spend a minute to get it done right and avoid the expense and trauma to your little dog.... In light of the fact that there are many people that would never consider "abortion" in their female, "the rule" is clearly preventing the incident to begin with.

"Overly neurotic"???? Not hardly!!


There are two kinds of people in this world....those that avoid complications/issues/problems/messes........and those that scurry around in a frenzy, trying to mop up the disaster caused by an attitude of indifference or neglect. I have always been one to avoid problems, rather than having to dash around trying to clean up a mess that was created because of my stupidity. When someone comes to the site asking a question they want help with, and you can clearly see from the question, the person is NOT a breeder, has no idea what a "standing heat" is or when it occurs, could not believe the lengths a male and a female in heat will go in order to mate, it is imperative therefore, as an educated breeder/dog owner one must share that knowledge. To neglect to impress upon that person, the unbelievable attempts a male and female will go to succeed in breeding, is neglecting the opportunity to teach.

There are people that do not believe in giving a pill that will abort a pregnancy. There are people that would not dream of aborting a litter of developing puppies. There are people like me, that believe PREVENTION is the best policy. Because "a small dog or you can get hurt in a shagging competition", it is clearly common sense to avoid that situation.....it isnt complicated.