# False heat, puberty, or something else?



## EuroVizion (Jun 8, 2014)

Friends,
Ivy is about a week shy of her first birthday, and was spayed several months ago. While there is no noticeable swelling of her vulva, and only a slight growth in her nipples, many of her habitual playmates we encounter on walks now apparently think it's time to mate. After a few seconds of play, her usual running buddies just try to mount her. It has happened several times in the last week.
I can't believe she is sending off any signals that she is in season, so I don't know what is causing the change in the other dog's behavior. Ivy appears to be fully developed, but is it a puberty thing? Spring fever?
Since this is my first springtime with the pup, is this a normal thing in male dog behavior? Should i schedule a vet checkup for another issue I'm not seeing?
I'd like to get to the bottom of this before any dog gets too excited and we have an incident between our new friends and running buddies.
Your advice and suggestions are welcome!


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## texasred (Jan 29, 2012)

It could just be the age of the males, are they teenagers?
Young dogs can get overexcited during play, and start humping. They are just not sure what to do with the excitement so they hump.
Most females will put a stop to the boys humping even when in heat, unless its in those few days of the cycle that they will accept a male.

But yes females can have a heat cycle after being spayed, if the vet missed any ovarian tissue. In young pups it can be very small, or not exactly where it should be at the time of the spaying. She wouldn't be able to get pregnant, but the males would be attracted to her.


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