Can my dog get pregnant before her first heat

Q: When can a female dog get pregnant?

When Do Dogs Reach Sexual Maturity? Your dog wont go into heat until she reaches sexual maturity, which begins at six months. This can also depend on the dog and breed. Some smaller breeds can go into sexual maturity at four months, while larger breeds may need to wait until they are two years old.

Table of Contents Show

When does heat start?
How long is each cycle?
Is this a lifetime thing?
What’s he thinking?
Table of contents
When can dogs get pregnant?
How do I know if my dog is in heat?
For more information on the heat cycle of female dogs
Can my dog get pregnant before she starts bleeding?
When can a female dog get pregnant?
Can a 7 month old puppy get pregnant?
Can a 4 month old puppy get another dog pregnant?

From about six months old to through the rest of her life, a female dog will experience estrus, or heat, roughly every six months. This is the period of time when she’s receptive to mating. Hormonal changes will cause pronounced differences in your dog that will indicate she’s in heat, including a swollen vulva, bleeding, more frequent urination and increased nervousness or alertness. She’ll also present herself to male dogs by raising her rump and holding her tail off to the side.

When does heat start?

Dogs can go into heat as young as four months in smaller breeds, but averages about six months old. Some giant breeds may not go into their first heat until they’re 18-24 months old. It is strongly advised not to breed young female dogs during their first and second cycle. Their eggs are not yet mature and the dog hasn’t reached full maturity. If you’re planning on breeding your dog, your vet will be able to tell you when the dog is mature enough to be bred.

How long is each cycle?

Heat usually lasts between 2-4 weeks. Early in the cycle, a female dog may not be receptive to male dogs, although some are receptive through the entire cycle. It can be shorter or longer and you’ll know the cycle is over when all her vulva returns to its normal size and there’s no more bleeding or discharge. There’s a relatively small window when your dog is most fertile during the heat cycle; it may begin about nine or ten days after she goes into heat and lasts about five days. However, she can become pregnant until the end of the cycle.

Is this a lifetime thing?

Once estrus begins, it may take awhile for the cycle to become regular. Some dogs can take up to eighteen months until their cycle becomes regular. It’s a good idea to keep a record during these early days. Once it does, the average is about every six months. Smaller breeds may go into heat more frequently, as often as 3-4 times a year. Larger dogs, like Irish Wolfhounds, St. Bernards and Great Danes may only go into heat every 12-18 months. Unlike humans, female dogs experience estrus throughout their lives, although the time between cycles will get longer.

With the exception of breeders of purebreds, most pet owners elect to spay their female dogs before the first heat. Some experts believe this reduces the risk of mammary cancer and other conditions. It also eliminates the possibility of unwanted litters.

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You are here: Home / Dogs / Dog in Heat / Can a female dog get pregnant while bleeding?

? There is a widespread belief that a dog can’t get pregnant during the first days of her . Many our patients with their first are confused by their . This article is about your female and the risks at the start of her .

Your little girl’s heat cycle is different than a human’s menstrual cycle

When can dogs get pregnant?
Why your dog can get pregnant while bleeding
How do I know if my dog is in heat?
For more information

When can dogs get pregnant?

The first misunderstanding about the is the “beginning”. It’s very common to assume that the first days of your dogs is that it’s just starting and there’s no need to worry. The reason is that we like to compare your dog’s of female dogs to menstruation in humans. However, it’s a very different thing. We’ll get to the differences in a bit.

Please understand this key point. Your can become pregnant while bleeding. Even if occurred on the first day of her heat. Before we go any further, we understand there are reasons for to not your . You may want to her, you are waiting until she is old enough, etc. For reference on when to your , here are the guidelines we use and they are consistent with the AAHA recommendations. In larger breeds (over 45 pounds for example), we recommend waiting until they are grown up enough. For , we recommend to at 6 months or just prior to their first heat. Please work with your on the best timing for . Okay, off of our /neuter soapbox.

Here are the key reasons:

Red (bloody) vaginal discharge of a dog’s heat cycle is not the same as menstruation in women. Human menstruation means that the ova did not get fertilized and is now being flushed from the body. This process happens right after the fertile days and a woman cannot get pregnant during this time. However, so-called “bleeding” in dogs is not the same thing. The bleeding happens before, not after the fertile days. This means, when your female puppy is bleeding, you have to become careful to avoid unwanted dog pregnancy. In other words, keep your female dog away from any male dog that is not neutered.
Yes, it’s a little tricky to predict ovulation. Technically the first days of estrus are safer in terms of unwanted pregnancy. Insemination by a male dog will not occur during the early days because it cannot happen before the ovulation. Ovulation is triggered by hormones several days after the beginning of the heat. While on average, dogs ovulate in the ninth day of the heat, it can occur anywhere from the 3rd and 17th day. That’s why it’s tricky because of the possible three day window. It’s even worse if you don’t know when the heat started.
It’s easy to miss the beginning of the heat. The first sign of the heat is a bloody discharge from the dog’s vulva, often incorrectly labelled as bleeding. But what if the bloody vaginal discharge is not red, but pink or yellow? Another confusing thing is your female puppy may clean herself so you don’t see any vaginal bleeding. Noticing the start of the heat is hard. Therefore you can’t quite know form when to start counting the days. And even if your vet takes blood tests to monitor ovulation, there is one more thing why breeding can still result in a pregnant dog. And that is…
Male dog sperm can survive up to 7 days inside the uterus. This works as evolutionary insurance since breeding in nature is not that predictable. Breeding as we know happens when two dogs meet, not when ovulation occurs. That’s why a male dog’s sperm is remarkably viable and can survive in the uterus of a female pup for several days. This means, forget about potential three day window that might be safe at the beginning of the heat. If your female dog has reached sexual maturity, any breeding can result in her becoming pregnant.

How do I know if my dog is in heat?

The symptoms your female puppy an exhibit may differ than another dog. Knowing when your dog’s heat cycle starts and ends as we’ve discussed is a little tricky. This can be frustrating if you are trying to breed her. We had one experience where we were breeding our female dog as she was a show winner and exceptional at obedience trials. She was also as sweet and calm as can be. All the qualities we wanted in a new puppy. So we bred her. Figuring out when to breed was the hard part. For more details plesae refer to our article on Symptoms of a female dog in heat.

So, can a dog get become pregnant while bleeding? Yes. Please remember, a female dog estrous cycle is not menstruation. The start of your dog’s cycle is the start of your pup’s fertile days. Where in humans, it’s the end of them. And, even if we consider the first days of the heat cycle as a warm-up phase, you cannot relax. Your female puppy can still get pregnant if there is an unneutered male dog around.

For more information on the heat cycle of female dogs

We have written an entire series all about female dogs in heat. You can learn more about the heat cycle in female dogs here.

Next: How to calm a female dog in heat
Previous: Tips to handle a dog in heat

Can my dog get pregnant before she starts bleeding?

However, it is important to note that it can be possible for your female to become pregnant right up until the end of her season, up to four weeks. After estrus stage, the vulva should return to normal, at this stage, she is no longer fertile and she is safe to mix with intact male dogs.

When can a female dog get pregnant?

When Do Dogs Reach Sexual Maturity? Your dog won't go into heat until she reaches sexual maturity, which begins at six months. This can also depend on the dog and breed. Some smaller breeds can go into sexual maturity at four months, while larger breeds may need to wait until they are two years old.

Can a 7 month old puppy get pregnant?

How long is a dog pregnancy. For female dogs, sexual maturity is reached between age of 6 to 12 months. This means they can get pregnant at just 6 months of age. Dog pregnancies normally last for nine weeks (approximately 60 days), although they might give birth sooner or later.

Can a 4 month old puppy get another dog pregnant?

Male dogs are sexually active year-round and can be capable of siring puppies when they're as young as 5 months, but they are most fertile after 12-to-15 months of age, once they are fully physically mature.