# age of first heat?



## emilycn

Hi All,

Just thought I'd poll the forum members on this, as all my research says a first heat can occur anywhere from around 6 months to around 18 months. I asked my breeder, who said that Lua's mother, her mother's mother, and her full sister from another litter all first came in season at 6 months old. It sounds early to me, but you can't fight genetics...

So what age was your V's first heat?


----------



## Rudy

Willow hit Hers just shy of 10 months and its a big big Tester at times 

day 23 still having some :'( :-\


----------



## harrigab

Ruby had a "mini" one at 6 months, followed by the full monty a month later.


----------



## Darcy1311

My vet recommended that Darcy was neutered before her first season, so my little girl never got to have a season...


----------



## Rudy

That would be spayed  Nutter is nuts some fun ;D


----------



## Darcy1311

Sorry Rudy....spayed, just making sure you were paying attention.. ;D it's me thats been neutered... :-[ :-\


----------



## Carolina Blue

Wow! Yes 6 months does sound early! Kiya is 14 months and nothing yet. She has been whiny and nippy lately, so it may be brewing.


----------



## Rudy

Jenn has mine on ice of late as well ;D

thank Lordy for the Reds and I have downstairs Man cave  and a one only Harley 

freedom is not free  

she told me I will be clipped soon

I just yell upstairs when do we eat?

then Run

she said my communication skills need grilling ???

these Cougars have cruel attitudes and the "Scott Italy" blood dna mixer has me in a boiling pot most days 

these are days when are are Kids coming for a visit next honey Bunny?

they ran about age 20 out of the Cooko Nest :-\ :'( ;D

Maturity and old age are over rated

I am 25 alive and Happy Pants : and trust me a 5ft 4 Hits all the wrong Locations On a Biggen :-\

I taught Her The Great inside left Hook

The Body not the Nuts :-X ;D


----------



## mlg1900

Ginger started her heat at 8 months but I also counted her age in weeks since birth , which was 36 weeks.


----------



## lilyloo

Our girl is 18 months old and still hasn't had her first heat.


----------



## Saltwater Soul

Maddie just turned 12 months and nothing yet.


----------



## FLgatorgirl

Ellie is also almost 18 months and nothing yet. Her dam came into heat at 18 months, so we are expecting it anytime. Hope we can wait until after the Christmas trip to the cabin.


----------



## SteelCityDozer

Penny is 20 months and still nothing. Her mom was 11 months so not much of a sign for us.


----------



## anthonytaustin

Priya went into heat at 11 months.


----------



## Laika

It's reassuring to hear other pups are slow to have their first heat ;D

Laika is 16 months, and people always look at me weird when I mention she hasn't had her first heat cycle yet. It had gotten to the point where I was thinking about taking her in to the vet, to see if she needed to be tested for some form of hormone deficiency.


----------



## SteelCityDozer

Laika unless you plan on breeding her I wouldn't worry about taking for tests. My vet thought it was odd penny hadn't yet either when we took her in a few months ago for something else but she added there wasn't really much she could about it or test for. As long Penny is healthy Im more than happy to pass on spay surgery!


----------



## Baja

Baja had her first cycle at 10 months. And it wasn't one of these 7-10 day things, she had to keep a diaper on for about 23 or 24 days. Last Tuesday we had her spayed.


----------



## Carolina Blue

I guess I jinxed myself replying to this thread earlier. Kiya went into heat today :'( She is 15.5 months now.

I had a feeling this would happen as we are supposed to go to my inlaws for a few days before Christmas. She was not going to be welcomed with open arms by my mother in law anyway...now I'm not sure what is going to happen. If we go, she is probably going to be ordered to stay in the basement, which is where I will be for 3 days also.


----------



## FLgatorgirl

Carolina Blue,

Ellie is right at the age her mom went into heat and has been very crabby the last week so I am wondering if we will be dealing with this over Christmas as well. Luckily, we are going to our cabin, so there will be no family bad attitude about the dog. We have an RV and my plan is whenever we need to visit somewhere the dog is not welcome with open arms, we will just stay in the RV! My husband prefers the privacy and his own bed anyway.


----------



## Carolina Blue

The past couple weeks she has been biting hands, shoes, leash; loss of appetite; more snugly; whiny at times, restless. 

Normally we travel in our RV too..i would rather..the bed is much more comfortable in the traveling home than at his parents. We are going to PA - most likely there will be snow/ice..don't think the home will move through that very well! I'd rather just stay home.


----------



## FLgatorgirl

Ellie has been biting also and she has been growly sometimes when being handled. I am not sure if it is hormones or a setback in her behavioral issues (behaviorist said it could be either). She is also having little spazz fits like she used to have when she was a puppy where she just goes nuts barking, jumping, biting etc. No loss of appetite and only restless at night before bed, but that is pretty normal for her. 

I would not be thrilled about driving the RV in snow and ice either. If the weather and MIL are going to be unpleasant, I am afraid I would suddenly come down with a "stomach virus" .


----------



## Suliko

Pacsirta started her heat at 12 months and every six months after that... like her mom


----------



## SteelCityDozer

Penny is 21 months and still no heat!


----------



## Suliko

*SteelCityDozer*, oh wow, that's very interesting! When did her mom start her first heat?


----------



## lilyloo

Still no heat with Ruby, either. She'll be 2 at the beginning of May. Her mom went into heat sometime between 16-18 months. 

Our vet thinks it's very strange that Ruby hasn't had her first heat yet, but doesn't seem too concerned regarding health issues.


----------



## pippylongstocking

Ester had her first season at around 8months old I think. She is just finishing her 3rd (and hopefully last) season, and she's 2 in February. She gets a bit moodier than normal, tends to lose a bit of weight, possibly because she is even more fussy with her food and is generally downright miserable. Bless her.


----------



## haefen

Her first heat cycle started at exactly 11 months (which is when I'd been told by my breeder that her females usually would start their heat cycles). I think it's mostly genetic when they start.


----------



## FLgatorgirl

My post earlier in the thread where I thought maybe Ellie's attitude was hormonal was spot on. She went into heat two weeks later and a few days before the heat she was pretty crabby and not on her best behavior. We are at day 21 of her heat now. 

The breeder had said expect it at 18 months like her mom. She was only off by a few days!! 

She has been calmer, sweeter, listening better, almost 100% recall and better behaved than ever before. I hope it continues!


----------



## emilycn

Well, still no heat from Lua. She just turned 7 months last week, which is a month past the 6 months of her female relatives. Yay for me! And her, I guess?


----------



## BirdWatcher

Burdy is 21 months old and has never come into heat. I was going to consider spaying after the first one but it didn't happen. She is light (48lbs) but well covered, muscular and in good condition. I am not sure what the delay is caused by.


----------



## SteelCityDozer

Suliko, Penny's mom was 11 months so we are well passed that mark. Penny is now 22 months old and still nothing. 

Lilyloo, our vet has the exact same reaction. 

Bird watcher , I was also planning on spaying after age two, assuming at least one cycle by then. But since there's been nothing I'm in no rush. She'll be 2 in April. She's only about 34 lbs but is plenty healthy and solid. Hey, at least since I was educated enough to wait on spaying i didn't jump the gun and spay a girl that possibly can't get pregnant anyway.


----------



## saraandginger

Our pup started 12 months, though she smelled fishy a couple months before that, and it came and went. She's just finished her second heat, which lasted about 3 weeks total. And she's now 19 months.


----------



## VictoriaW

Gracie started her first (and as it turns out, only) heat cycle at 15.5 months. Her auntie was nearly 2, though, and then went on to have two lovely litters. SteelCityDozer you will likely still be booking Penny's spay someday!


----------



## MichelG

Hum! Nika started her first heat last week at the age of 7 months. Do any of you have early starters like mine? Is this unusual? Is it the sign of something?? [/color] ???


----------



## emilycn

Still nothing from Lua yet! Her breeder predicted 6 months given her family history, and we're still waiting at 8.5 months.


----------



## einspänner

Scout's first is here! She's a week and a half shy of 11 months, so I thought I had a bit more time before my little girl became a lady. I guess we won't be doing too much training for her test at the end of the month.


----------



## lilyloo

Ruby ended up being 21 months old at the age of her first heat. This Saturday will be 3 weeks, and we're almost done with it. Yay! I haven't been fond of cleaning up her mess and keeping doggie diapers on her.


----------



## emilycn

So what have you all been doing during "heat month" to keep your girls occupied? It is hard enough as it is to give Lua stuff to do on a rainy *day* --- I can't imagine what we're going to do for a whole month!


----------



## BirdWatcher

When I was at the vet last week I mentioned that at 22 months old Burdy still had never come into heat. He was surprised and said she was probably having silent heats. She stopped growing at 11 months so in that respect she matured early. I am still not sure about silent heats though - is that heat with no signs whatsoever?


----------



## lilyloo

emilycn said:


> So what have you all been doing during "heat month" to keep your girls occupied? It is hard enough as it is to give Lua stuff to do on a rainy *day* --- I can't imagine what we're going to do for a whole month!


It has been a little difficult. Thankfully, Ruby is sleepier than usual. She was also cranky the first two weeks. She was either being a little brat or passed out sleeping. We've used this time to work on training. I've been a little paranoid and haven't even taken her on leashed walks. Lots of playtime in our backyard. Our girl is rather mellow and doesn't require a ton of exercise --- so I am sure she's been easier than a more active V would be.


----------



## MichelG

emilycn said:


> So what have you all been doing during "heat month" to keep your girls occupied? It is hard enough as it is to give Lua stuff to do on a rainy *day* --- I can't imagine what we're going to do for a whole month!


Well, I've been doing the exact same thing I've always done. I was worried at first hearing what people were telling me, but I guess male dogs in my neighborhood are real gentlemen!! ??? Anyway, I've taken long walks (twice a day) with her without any incident. She is marking every corner which is something she was not doing before. 
I don't know if you have experienced this but she... well, I don't quite know how to say it in English... she's very fond of my legs! Acting like a male!! - if you know what I mean. I tell her I have a headache. That does not work! :-[[/color]


----------



## einspänner

MichelG said:


> emilycn said:
> 
> 
> 
> So what have you all been doing during "heat month" to keep your girls occupied? It is hard enough as it is to give Lua stuff to do on a rainy *day* --- I can't imagine what we're going to do for a whole month!
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I don't know if you have experienced this but she... well, I don't quite know how to say it in English... she's very fond of my legs! Acting like a male!! - if you know what I mean. I tell her I have a headache. That does not work! :-[[/color]
Click to expand...

Haha, humping is the word you're looking for. Perfectly normal behavior, but I sure hope Scout doesn't start that up. Time will tell.


----------



## texasred

> don't know if you have experienced this but she... well, I don't quite know how to say it in English... she's very fond of my legs! Acting like a male!! - if you know what I mean. I tell her I have a headache. That does not work! :-[


That's too funny.
I guess I don't need to explain what my house was like when both my females were in heat at the same time.


----------



## SteelCityDozer

Birdwatcher - I have never heard of this silent heat thing. I'm searching online but not finding anything overly helpful. Penny is less than 30 days from turning two and we still haven't seen anything from her. And I wasn't planning on taking her to the vet for an annual because she's perfectly healthy otherwise. But now I'm wondering if we should get a CBC or something.


----------



## lyra

It's nice to see Lyra isn't as unusual as I thought. 18 months and no sign (dam was 11 months). Like Burdy, she is light but muscular (and a small Vizsla) and I wondered if it was related to her weight.


----------



## Carolina Blue

Lyra said:


> It's nice to see Lyra isn't as unusual as I thought. 18 months and no sign (dam was 11 months). Like Burdy, she is light but muscular (and a small Vizsla) and I wondered if it was related to her weight.


Lyra - I think it is totally up to mother nature! Kiya was 15 months when she went into heat and she is petite -40 lb and about 21"


----------



## BirdWatcher

Well Burdy got there! 22.5 months. She didn't want to go for a walk yesterday morning and was all hunched up which was SO unlike her. By lunchtime she was full of the joys of spring and definitely in heat. So the next thing to think about is pros and cons of spaying .


----------



## MCD

Dharma is coming up on 10 months old this week and I have never had to go through a heat before. I am really putting off calling Cheri and asking her when Scarlett had her first.


----------



## einspänner

MCD, this is my first time too. Trust me, as woman you'll have no problem dealing with it at all! 

These threads were really useful. 
http://www.vizslaforums.com/index.php/topic,2933.msg41450.html#msg41450
http://www.vizslaforums.com/index.php/topic,6869.0.html
and RBD's post
http://redbirddog.blogspot.com/2009/12/female-vizsla-heat-cycle-explained.html

We're on day 14 here!


----------



## MCD

I ended up calling Cheri today. Scarlett's first heat was at one year. So with any luck I am safe for another few months any way. Cheri did say not to book Dharma's spaying until 4-6 weeks after her heat is finished though. I feel really sorry for my husband though- He lives with 2 female humans, a female cat, 2 female guinea pigs, a female vizsla, and lastly his own male cat. You don't think he is being ganged up on do you? :


----------



## einspänner

Sounds like my dad. When I was growing up there were 3 daughter at home, my mom, a female cat, and two female dogs. We're a bit more balanced now with 5 females and 4 males.


----------



## emilycn

it's HERE... dun dun dun. Queue the Jaws theme. Lua's first season is upon us. 10 months and a few days old. She's none too pleased with the diaper situation, but at least it comes with new toys. 24 hour supervision begins now!


----------

