# Stray dogs attracted by bitches in heat?



## Lauri & The Gang (Jun 28, 2001)

I've always heard the saying "males from *MILES *around will be on your doorstep when your female is in season".

Has anyone with an intact bitch EVER had a stray male show up at their place when their female went in season?

Granted I only have one cycling bitch right now (soon to be two) but in the 5 years I've had her I've NEVER had stray males show up at our place when she went into season.

Heck, not even the local (as in across the street) coyote pack have shown interest.

How TRULY prevalent is this??


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## qbchottu (Jul 10, 2011)

Never. I too have coyote packs in my area, and have never had any issues. She played 2 ball, did obedience/bitework and hung out with me outside during her entire cycle. She peed and marked all over the place. I never had anyone show up.

In fact, I had an intact male in the same room while she was crated during her peak days and even then, there was only a little bit of foolishness and he cut it out after I told him. BTW, I really don't buy the "breeding through a crate" story either. My two intact dogs are in the same room during most of her cycle with him or her in the crate. I never even had him attempt to mount her through the crate. Wonder where these stories come from and if anybody _actually_ had this happen...


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## GatorDog (Aug 17, 2011)

Nope. Never.


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## Emoore (Oct 9, 2002)

We did when I was a teenager. My dad's Catahoula went into heat and was bred by a stray.


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## elisabeth_00117 (May 17, 2009)

qbchottu said:


> Never. I too have coyote packs in my area, and have never had any issues. She played 2 ball, did obedience/bitework and hung out with me outside during her entire cycle. She peed and marked all over the place. I never had anyone show up.
> 
> In fact, I had an intact male in the same room while she was crated during her peak days and even then, there was only a little bit of foolishness and he cut it out after I told him. BTW, I really don't buy the "breeding through a crate" story either. My two intact dogs are in the same room during most of her cycle with him or her in the crate. I never even had him attempt to mount her through the crate. Wonder where these stories come from and if anybody _actually_ had this happen...



Never had a stray dog show up while Zefra has been in heat. 

I too have a intact male in the house (2 bedroom apartment actually) and have never had my male be more than "silly" with her near by.

This past heat he was at her crate though, and I wanted to see what he would do before correcting him for bugging her and he jumped up on the crate and mounted it, and did try a few attempts to hump it. She was NOT happy and almost bit him.... :crazy: After that attempt, no more being in the same room with her in the crate unless we are watching 24/7 (we did anyways but now we are REALLY anal about it!).


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## Wolfgeist (Dec 4, 2010)

I don't think that claim is logical or realistic for the average modern dog.

From research and experience, stray dogs of any canine species will "follow" and "travel" to a female under one circumstance: she is in heat, ready to be bred, marking territory as she travels freely in the world. I can't understand how dogs from miles away will find a female in her backyard in the middle of the city, with the vast myriad of scents assaulting their noses on a daily basis. It would likely be a stray dog very close by, with the female constantly loose in the backyard, that would create that scenario if anything.

A wolf/dog/coyote will travel and follow a marking female in the wild, in hopes of finding her alone and receptive to breeding / forming a new pack with their potential offspring.


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## LaRen616 (Mar 4, 2010)

When Malice was in heat I did not have any males show up. 

When we went for a walk and when we went to the beach males still did not show up.

My male never left the yard for a female when he was intact.


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## pfitzpa1 (Apr 26, 2011)

Nope, never. That being said, there are very few stray dogs in my hood and I would say the neutered rate is very high. I believe neutered males will still express interest in a bitch in heat but they won't climb 10ft fences to get to her.


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## qbchottu (Jul 10, 2011)

elisabeth_00117 said:


> This past heat he was at her crate though, and I wanted to see what he would do before correcting him for bugging her and he jumped up on the crate and mounted it, and did try a few attempts to hump it.


But an actual breeding?? Of course I'm not denying they mount, jump and act silly, but where do these stories about actual breedings happening through kennels or crates come from? I suppose a husky or similar type could climb a kennel wall and go through the opening up top to get to a female in heat. But through it?? I always thought they were just embellished stories to scare people into altering their pets.


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## Stella's Mom (Mar 8, 2011)

Lauri & The Gang said:


> I've always heard the saying "males from *MILES *around will be on your doorstep when your female is in season".
> 
> Has anyone with an intact bitch EVER had a stray male show up at their place when their female went in season?
> 
> ...



I have not seen any stray males around when my girl goes in heat either. I am extra alert when walking her while she is in heat, but so far I have not had any incidents.


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## Lauri & The Gang (Jun 28, 2001)

qbchottu said:


> But an actual breeding?? Of course I'm not denying they mount, jump and act silly, but where do these stories about actual breedings happening through kennels or crates come from? I suppose a husky or similar type could climb a kennel wall and go through the opening up top to get to a female in heat. But through it?? I always thought they were just embellished stories to scare people into altering their pets.


The lady that I got my first GSDs from had one of her males chew through the wooden door of the room he was locked in, chew through the wooden door of the room the female was locked in and breed her through the crate.

My boy Mauser tried to chew through our bathroom door when my DH left him in there for about an hour (during feeding time) when Kaynya was in season. He learned his lesson!


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## qbchottu (Jul 10, 2011)

Interesting. Did he break through the crate or actually tie her through the crate bars?


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## Lilie (Feb 3, 2010)

I had a intact male Aussie actually tear through an outdoor kennel made of the stronger grade cyclone fencing to get to our intact female. Sadly, his efforts were in vain because we kept her kenneled in the house. But he did manage to mark the entire yard.


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## Nikitta (Nov 10, 2011)

Jasira is in heat now and no stray males have shown up.


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## Freestep (May 1, 2011)

When I had my first dog, and she came into heat, I definitely had males at my doorstep, in my yard, following us on walks, even following my car when she was in it! Much depends on the neighborhood you live in; at the time, I was in an area where people let their dogs run loose. Since moving, I haven't had any problems.


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## Betty (Aug 11, 2002)

I've had loose dogs get a lot closer and try and dig under our fence. But I'm in a rural area where there are probably more intact males then neutered ones.


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## paulag1955 (Jun 29, 2010)

Shasta went through two heat cycles and, no, no stray dogs (although most people around here scrupulously neuter and follow leash laws). I was mentally prepared for at least one or two coyotes to show up, but ix-nay on that, too.


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## ChancetheGSD (Dec 19, 2007)

I had a male show up when Eevee was in heat and would NOT go home. He spent at least 3-4 days on my porch, getting aggressive when she was indoors, trying to get to her through the fence when I took her out to potty (and her egging it on by flagging him and me having to constantly grab her and say "EEVEE, GO POTTY!!" so we could get back inside asap), I couldn't exercise her at home because he would get aggressive over her, his owner FINALLY came to get him but didn't keep him locked up...He returned. He left once I finally beat the crap out of him with a stick at the end of her cycle. If he comes back when Gretchen goes into heat, the owner won't be getting a second chance with his dog. It's going to end then and there because I have elderly grandparents I live with that this dog was trying to attack and wouldn't let them in the house (I can fight the dog off easier than they can) and I'm not going to sit around and wait for the dog to hurt someone before I do something about it. Owner won't contain his dog and I can't lift Gretchen up to carry her to the fenced area like I could Eevee and fight off the dog at the same time. (And this is a Labrador so he's a big dog who could easily jump on and mount Gretchen, whereas Eevee was waaaay too short to the ground) If he comes up and gets aggressive, he's getting shot. Dog lives about 3 miles from here and roams. For all the owner knows, the old dog went off to die, got attacked by a pack of coyotes, hit by a car, attacked by another animal or honestly, shot by a farmer since we are in the country where we don't have police or animal control to deal with the situation and if you call them and try to get something done the will tell you to shoot the dog since it's not the ACs area and the police don't want to deal with a dog.


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## MaggieRoseLee (Aug 17, 2001)

I've had both Bretta and Glory B go thru 2 (maybe 3? ) heat cycles before spaying and I also NEVER had stray males show up in my yard...


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## catz (Dec 10, 2010)

I've had 3 stray dogs turn up here with Rio. One being a terrier who hovered around for a week.. the howls outta him were woeful


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## selzer (May 7, 2005)

I have females in heat all the time it seems and so far there have been three males that have shown up in 10 plus years. The one was next door, and as he was always in my yard anyway, I don't think he counts. The one that is now next door was a stray and did sort of show up when I had one of my girls in heat, but as one of my girls seems to always be in heat, I don't know if that counts either.

The border collie showed up a bunch of years ago, I called his owner, and let him know I had a female in heat. He said he was afraid of that and said he would get him neutered. The dog lives down about 1/4 mile away and is never tied or kenneled. He showed up one other time about a year ago, when it was thundering and he started walking next to me as I was mowing my back yard. But I guess neutering him did keep him home, except his owner says he won't stay home if there is a thunder storm. Dog is gone now.

I think that if you take your in-heat bitch on your regular walk, you are creating a path for would-be suiters to come to your door step. But if you put her in the car and drive her to your least favorite person's house, and then walk around the block, the dogs in the neighborhood will not make a bee-line to your house. 

Just a theory though. I haven't actually had anyone I dislike that much to try that on yet.


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## Jo Ellen (Aug 30, 2011)

selzer said:


> But if you put her in the car and drive her to your least favorite person's house, and then walk around the block, the dogs in the neighborhood will not make a bee-line to your house.


pure genius :rofl:


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