# When your girl is in heat, have you actually had males hop the fence?



## Myah's Mom (Mar 25, 2013)

Just curious. Everybody talks about what "could" happen, and it makes total sense. Now, I am curious as to what people have *actually* experienced or heard about, first hand.

My girl is in heat (she's 9 months). It's the first time for me.

We live in a suburban area and there is a hill behind our house. I have heard coyotes at night. We also have several neighbor dogs, and being new to the neighborhood, I do not know if they are altered. Most seem to be shepherds, pits and labs.

Our yard is pretty big (for city living), about 12,000 sf. Part of the yard is low and next to the house (grass, patio area), but behind the pool is a landscaped hill that leads to our 4.5' fence (ugh, yes, I know it's too short! Just bought the house).

So, during the day I have Myah out with me, supervised. Then I bring her in. She spends most of her time inside, now. At night, I take her out on a leash (and she IS wondering what that is all about, lol). I don't plan on walking her outside her yard, etc. I know all the precautions.

But last night, I felt kind of paranoid. Again, this is my first time dealing with a girl in heat. I was peering all around the yard and every little noise in the bushes (it was breezy), caught my attention. Then Myah, sensing my tension, decided to bark into the night, as if something was there. I don't want to freak her out too! :crazy:

Good grief! This morning, I look at my yard and think - really? Do I have 4 weeks of paranoia to look forward to? 

So, rather than ask what "could" happen (I've read all those posts), I'd like to ask, what HAS happened, that you know of?

Thanks! :help:


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## Lilie (Feb 3, 2010)

I have had males tear through chain link to get to a female. And I'm talking about the ol' time thick chain link. Not the thin stuff you buy now. I had a male who would rather get zapped by our electric fence then to miss a sassy female prancing around through our pasture. 

Even if you think it could never happen...it will.


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## marbury (Apr 3, 2012)

I don't leave my kids in the yard, but they of course go out there to potty. My neighborhood is full of pits roaming around. I came home one afternoon while one of my girls was in heat to a big ol' intact male pit in my back yard sniffing around. I have 6 foot wood privacy fence. I still have NO idea how he got in, although the horizontal beams are on the outside so it is conceivable he climbed his way in and couldn't figure out how to get back out. As soon as I opened the gate he happily trotted away.

Had I left my girl in the back yard...


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## Myah's Mom (Mar 25, 2013)

marbury said:


> I don't leave my kids in the yard, but they of course go out there to potty. My neighborhood is full of pits roaming around. I came home one afternoon while one of my girls was in heat to a big ol' intact male pit in my back yard sniffing around. I have 6 foot wood privacy fence. I still have NO idea how he got in, although the horizontal beams are on the outside so it is conceivable he climbed his way in and couldn't figure out how to get back out. As soon as I opened the gate he happily trotted away.
> 
> Had I left my girl in the back yard...


Oh my! So, now I have a question: if the girl's smells are in the grass while she's in heat - and you had a "guest" sniffer in your yard - how long after the heat is over will the smells go away?

Should I expect sniffers long after her heat is gone, just because she left all kinds of nifty smells in the yard?


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## marbury (Apr 3, 2012)

Myah's Mom said:


> Oh my! So, now I have a question: if the girl's smells are in the grass while she's in heat - and you had a "guest" sniffer in your yard - how long after the heat is over will the smells go away?
> 
> Should I expect sniffers long after her heat is gone, just because she left all kinds of nifty smells in the yard?


I have no clue on that one. Of all the years and multiple bitches in heat, that's the one 'incident' we've ever had. And if that male REALLY wanted to get the girl he probably would have been back more often. We didn't see him any more often than usual after that (he wanders by every few weeks). My males are only interested in lady-marked spots for about a day.


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## Liesje (Mar 4, 2007)

I don't know if this helps, but when I've had females over for breeding, Nikon is usually interested in wherever they urinated for about 2 days.


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## pets4life (Feb 22, 2011)

never seen another dog around the fence and i was out in the country


I was more scared coyotes would show interest but even they never came close


there is only a certain stage where a female will allow a male to mount her but this mature female i dont know about a 9 month old


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## lennoxbradley88 (Apr 23, 2012)

I was at my aunt's house when her dog was in heat. I remember washing my plate and through the kitchen window I saw a black dog jump over her gate and run to the back yard where her female dog was. I heard stories of male dogs going the extra mile, but never in my life had I witness it till that day. lol


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## pets4life (Feb 22, 2011)

I had a bitch for 4 years till i spayed her and never saw anything crazy but like the other poster I hear things. Maybe males did not think mine was pretty or something. Which is good.


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## David Taggart (Nov 25, 2012)

This period you should care of her hygiene, blood is a food for many bacteria, here are good tips about grooming dog on heat:
How to Groom a Female Dog in Heat | eHow
The males very rarely fly over fences, they mainly dig. The best thing would be to build an enclosure with a wooden floor and a kennel 1ft above the ground if you keep her outside. But, I wouldn't reciommend it, it could be safer to keep her inside these 22 days. Find some trunks, make a hole for her tail closer to their belt, and change white hygienic pads every hour. Urban dogs do not have terribly acute sense of smell because of car gases, police sniffer dogs live in non-industrial regions for that reason. But, a dog who lives in a comparatively clean area can detect a bitch on heat from 2 miles away easily. So, if you keep your girl outdoor - many of them would escape from your neighbourhood and start gethering like butterflies with the light.


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## MadLab (Jan 7, 2013)

I've a dog which is the result of a lab jumping the back wall of a guy with his bullmastiff in her first heat. It does totally happen.

I had a male stalking my place over the weekend cos my girl was in heat.



> This period you should care of her hygiene, blood is a food for many bacteria, here are good tips about grooming dog on heat:
> How to Groom a Female Dog in Heat | eHow
> The males very rarely fly over fences, they mainly dig. The best thing would be to build an enclosure with a wooden floor and a kennel 1ft above the ground if you keep her outside. But, I wouldn't reciommend it, it could be safer to keep her inside these 22 days. Find some trunks, make a hole for her tail closer to their belt, and change white hygienic pads every hour. Urban dogs do not have terribly acute sense of smell because of car gases, police sniffer dogs live in non-industrial regions for that reason. But, a dog who lives in a comparatively clean area can detect a bitch on heat from 2 miles away easily. So, if you keep your girl outdoor - many of them would escape from your neighbourhood and start gethering like butterflies with the light.


I think this is over the top. A female bleeds so little it is not a worry unless you have white carpets. The danger zone for a dog to mate with the female is 5-7 days max. After first heat you should be able to notice this specific time. The time comes around 12 days after first sign of blood. I'm on 5 heat watch now and notice just 3 days which my female is accepting of males.


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## Chris Wild (Dec 14, 2001)

Friend had a male tear out of his chain link kennel in the back yard, then rip through the wall of the garage into the garage where the female was crated, broke her out of the crate, bred her... and pups 9 weeks later. So yes, with a determined male it can happen.


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## Springbrz (Aug 13, 2013)

When my Chow/Samoyed girl pups were young we would take them for play dates with their siblings (both males) across the street. Before we could get them spayed they went into heat at the same time. I didn't understand the heat cycle back then. When my girls stopped bleeding I thought it was safe for them to go play. I was so wrong. *My female* was actually the one who jumped a fence to get to her own brother. By them time we ran around to the other yard to get her it was all over. 
We emergency spayed both of our females the next week.


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## marbury (Apr 3, 2012)

MadLab said:


> I think this is over the top. A female bleeds so little it is not a worry unless you have white carpets. The danger zone for a dog to mate with the female is 5-7 days max. After first heat you should be able to notice this specific time. The time comes around 12 days after first sign of blood. I'm on 5 heat watch now and notice just 3 days which my female is accepting of males.


Two things: one, I have two females who PAINT MY HOUSE when they are in heat. I mean, if I leave them out it really looks like someone axe murdered and disemboweled a human child with serious high blood pressure issues.
Two, that's not actually the case for all bitches. I have a pup who was the result of a successful breeding on day 22 of heat.


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## hunterisgreat (Jan 30, 2011)

no, but I have a very large dominate male... also, don't have a fence


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## volcano (Jan 14, 2013)

My girl is in heat and alone in the backyard right now!


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## Daisy&Lucky's Mom (Apr 24, 2011)

Daisy was only in heat twice. The second time a Beagle/Basset camped out in our yard and tried to score through the fence. He was quite determined. We kept calling around trying to find his owner and the finally he went to the local shelter . He has escaped from his house while his owner was on VK.The shelter had handled the adoption. Daisy was scheduled for her spay as soon as her second heat was over.


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## Liesje (Mar 4, 2007)

Once at the house where I grew up, I walked outside to find two dogs breeding in my fenced in yard....we never had a dog, lol! No idea how either dog got in.

Each dog is different. The thing is it's not a problem...until it's a problem. Anyone can say they know their bitch's cycle or their male wouldn't never do bla bla bla until their dog proves them wrong.


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## onyx'girl (May 18, 2007)

volcano said:


> My girl is in heat and alone in the backyard right now!


seriously?


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## Cheyanna (Aug 18, 2012)

*2nd heat over*

Fiona just finished her second heat. I was terrified about the male camping out both times. Both times, no males showed up. I live in urban Orange County CA so the boys are all fixed or can't smell her.


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## arycrest (Feb 28, 2006)

I'm not an expert when it comes to having a bitch in heat, however, my OES was in heat 3 or 4 times before she was spayed and YES ... we had several dogs jump the fence which was about 4'. One dog was a big, black newfoundland, a couple were smaller boys. I always took her out on a lead so I was always aware if a male was in the yard and chased him off before taking Abbey out.


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## doggiedad (Dec 2, 2007)

build your dog a large kennel with a roof on it so
another animal can't climb in. 12,000 sf yard, that's
saying something.


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## selzer (May 7, 2005)

I use heavy chain link with concrete bases. Most of the kennels are covered, and I have a fence around the kennels. l have never had a male come into my yard while I had a bitch in heat, and certainly not into any of my kennels, and my girls have never gotten out when in heat.

I do kennel them in the back yard when they are in heat. I do not let them have unsupervised run of a yard where they can dig out or climb out. 

I have seen a suiter come along and hang around out front, but no one has ever come into the back yard. 

The post about worrying about the bitch's hygene during this period is over the top. The blood is coming out of the uterine horns. That tract is NOT a sterile place. You expect to find a variety of bacteria present. I have never bothered with bathing a dog because she was in heat, and so far have never had any pyometra. The blood drips out, it is not likely to infect her.


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## Harry and Lola (Oct 26, 2013)

I've always fixed my bitches and dogs around the 6 to 9 month age, so I don't have personal experience with bitches in heat, however a friend of mine has breed GSDs for many years and the bitch will only allow, _and a male will only be interested in her_, at around 7 to 11 days from oestrus, so maybe keep her well guarded around this time.

I have personally witnessed an intact male near a bitch in heat, however both were aware of each other but left each other alone because she was not ovulating during her heat cycle.

Also just to let you know both my male and female GSDs (both fixed) are interested in bitches in heat, and neutered males can still tie to the bitch when she is receptive (even though it would result in no pups).


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## marbury (Apr 3, 2012)

Harry and Lola said:


> the bitch will only allow, _and a male will only be interested in her_, at around 7 to 11 days from oestrus, so maybe keep her well guarded around this time.


THIS IS INCORRECT. We need to stop throwing around falsehoods about 'safe periods'. This is NOT TRUE FOR ALL DOGS. We don't need complacency here, we need to be sure that unintentional breeding does not happen because folks read on this forum that they have nothing to worry about on day 6 or after day 12. BREEDINGS CAN AND HAVE TAKEN PLACE MUCH LATER THAN THAT WINDOW.

I've said it before and I'll repeat it, bitches can and DO stand for breeding significantly later. I personally have a puppy naturally conceived on day 22 of heat- WELL OUTSIDE the 7-11 day window. She stood for breeding and the male was interested.

The guideline is great, but don't toss your intact dogs together on day 12 and be surprised if you get a tie.


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## Harry and Lola (Oct 26, 2013)

Thanks for the correction Marbury, I totally agree with you that unintentional breeding should be stopped. If you personally have had a bitch conceive at 22 days, then you are in the position to state there are no safe periods.

But what do you do with bitches in heat, is it just a case of confining them for the entire cycle? I suppose, at the end of the day you really need to know your GSD well and be guided by her, as all dogs are different.


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## Myah's Mom (Mar 25, 2013)

Goodness! I am back to the books again. How many days after proestrus can estrus last? It's only day FOUR and we already have cabin fever. 

Myah is wearing her princess panties (she actually doesn't mind, although the first couple times putting them on should have been on video , as she struggled majorly, then went and hid!).

Her drip-drip is now requiring more changes of her fancy pants, in order for her to have the roam of the house. Has anybody put a tampon on a canine?? JUST KIDDING :wild:. We might be out for a run to get some doggie diapers, as crating all day and night is NOT an option. She's a mama's girl, and although she crates fine, I'm not about to do that to her.

So far, no suitors. But we're still in the proestrus (bleeding) part of the cycle.

How long do I have to wait until it's safe for her to go about her (and our) normal activities in public and around other dogs?

Back to the books...:apple:


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## marbury (Apr 3, 2012)

It's not going to be a big deal if you don't have an intact male in your household. She's not going to smell as pretty the longer she's been in. It's really more to worry about when you have intact males in your home that usually run with intact females.


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## Myah's Mom (Mar 25, 2013)

Thankfully, we do not have an intact male. But we have neighborhood males and short fences. Grrrr...

Here is Myah's "brother" - his name is Rugby and he's just 11 months older than her (neutered). He just sniffs her like a piggy once in a while, for a short bit. He is not interested, but wonders why she's acting so "nutty"! LOL!

(the last picture is when he "got" a GSD sister for his bday and decided he should babysit ).


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## selzer (May 7, 2005)

Myah's Mom said:


> Goodness! I am back to the books again. How many days after proestrus can estrus last? It's only day FOUR and we already have cabin fever.
> 
> Myah is wearing her princess panties (she actually doesn't mind, although the first couple times putting them on should have been on video , as she struggled majorly, then went and hid!).
> 
> ...


A tampon, never. I know you said just kidding. But I will put a pad -- the largest Kotex makes, inside those fancy pants, and I will change the pad out. For the first few hours, if the bitch starts to mess with it, I will just tell her No, or Leave It, and they do.


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## volcano (Jan 14, 2013)

I had my girl out back yesterday and a little white dog came under our fence! They were still nose to nose, the neighbors said hes neutered. Shes been bleeding for almost a week, I think my girl will be in standing heat any day now so I guess I wont let her out.


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## JeanKBBMMMAAN (May 11, 2005)

The black Shepherd in my avatar was my Nina. She was the product of a son-mother breeding that happened when the son tunneled under the kennels to get to her. Nina had a lot of health issues, and temperament/brain issues - I got her as a foster when she was 7 and kept her. I contacted the breeder when Nina was sick and she told me what happened. So under, over, through...


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## Chicagocanine (Aug 7, 2008)

Haven't had it happen but my parents used to have an Intact male dog who would jump the fence and roam, I wouldn't be surprised if he jumped some fences to get at females since he was a proficient fence-hopper. This was before my time so I wouldn't know. 
I've had the opposite happen though. Some people across the street from me used to have an unspayed female Chow and she would get out of their yard pretty often when I had my dog in the front yard and would "flirt" with him.


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## selzer (May 7, 2005)

I have had intact bitches non-stop for the past 12 years, and I have never had a dog breed through or climb over or dig under the fence to get into the back yard. I haven't had a bitch climb over or dig through the concrete to get out either. My first bitch squeezed through a cheap box-kennel when she was 18 months old, but she wasn't in heat, and that incident made me up my containment. 

When I had intact dogs and intact bitches, I never had an accident either. We have all heard of dogs breeding through a fence, but I have never met anyone who has actually witnessed the super-canine feat. I am sure there are bitches out there that are uber-willing on the right days and will back themselves up to a fence, but having witnessed a lot of natural breedings, I just cannot believe that the male would be capable of performng his part through the chain link. Just one of those things I will have to see to believe.

Oh, and Babsy is in heat, at home, in and indoor/outdoor kennel, alone. Not worried.


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