Managing your puppy when she is in season

If your puppy hasn't been spayed, she'll come into season for the first time at around 5-8 months. Unless you want to breed, there's no benefit for a puppy to come into season and many owners decide to have their puppy neutered before this happens. This is because the cycle, which lasts for 21 days, can cause a big change in your pet's everyday routine. When she's in season she'll be very attractive to male dogs, and if you're not careful you may end up with a litter of unwanted puppies.

The signs that she is ''in season''

You may first notice that she is discharging small amounts of blood from her genital area, which is sometimes called 'spotting'. You might see her continuously licking that area, a sure sign a puppy's "in season".

How to manage the situation

For a start, unless you want your puppy to be a magnet for male dogs, you'll have to keep her confined for the whole time she's in season. If you do take her out in public, you'll need to be very careful to keep her on the leash and under control, and try to keep her away from male dogs. Your dog's hormones may cause her to be very frisky during the cycle so she may not be as well-behaved as usual.