When do Great Danes Start their First Heat Cycle?

MaryKate: When do Danes start their first heat cycle?
My dane will be 1 year at the end of the month. Haven't seen anything that resembles a heat cycle yet. Just wondering about when they usually start...
When have your pups gone into heat for the first time?
Spaying is in her future... but its besides the point. Are Danes "late bloomers" or is it just my dog... 1 year old and still nothing.

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Answers and Views:

Answer by Louisiana Gurl ♥'s Dogz APBT
Why don't you just spay her and you won't have to worry about this.
Most dog start at about 6 mths some start later or some start earlier..

Answer by Casey
My vet will not spay her until she's gone through AT LEAST one cycle. She says this will allow her to have more hormones released and strengthen her bones to protect her as she grows. Not everyone is just running around "irresponsible" or planning on breeding, and not everyone breeding is a puppy mill. People need to relax.

Answer by CharmDane
Hi MaryKate, I am a registered breeder and have owned Danes for over 25 years.
Your vet is right, also if you have her done too early you have a possibility of stunting her growth. Do not desex her until she has had her first season, this will generally be between a year old and 18 months of age, thereafter she will come into season every 6 months.

Great Danes are large breeds and therefore unlike other dogs in this respect. Signs to watch out for are, she will become a little restless and clingy. Her vulva will become quite swollen and eventually, she will spot (bleed), and she will lick herself often. This is a very noticeable stage.

You need to keep her away from male dogs for about 3 to 4 weeks during her season, male dogs are able to smell a Dam in season from miles away and they can become quite a nuisance. Avoid public places and park visits etc until she is done. At this stage she will become her normal self, spotting subsided and vulva no longer is swollen. Good Luck :)

Breeder’s Bible: Book of the Bitch: A Complete Guide to Understanding and Caring for Bitches by J.M.Eavans & Kay White

Answer by Jen Hinson
Some females clean themselves very well, so look for lots of licking. Became if this you might not she he "dripping blood". Do watch for excessive licking.
I really wish people will get off everyone's back about spaying and neutering before 6mos of age or spat before the first heat. It has been proven that with larger dogs (like Danes, black Russian terrier, etc) that it's more healthy to postpone these actions until the dog/bitch is 24months of Be. At a minimum of 12 months, but even that is iffy. Large breed dogs are still growing, developing muscle, bone mass, and connectivity tissue until 2years of age.

Don't let anyone push you to get it done early! They will not be the one with vet bills or a lame dog in pain suffering from an early death. But I cannot stress enough to watch any and all intact dogs (male and female) carefully. Females need watching during their heat (if they have one before 2 years. The might not get first one until then. Large breeds generally are late bloomers)

For those of you who only have a male(s) sitting back and saying, "I don't have to worry about my dog in heat or getting pregnant". Remember, you have more responsibilities and need to watch your dogs all the time, not just 6weeks out of the year. I say this because your male can hook up with any female at any time the me wants. The male doesn't uBersexual their own heat system go drive them. They are driven by every email in season in the neighborhood!

One female could produce maybe 2 dozen pups a year. That is 2 heat cycles. The male could hook up with many females every day of the year. Let's say the male is lower in complete freedom. and only hooks up with 1 female a day with a small Average of 6 pups/litter.in one year of 364 days, that one male would produce over 1800 puppies. That is conservative. Can you imagine if he gets together with 5 or more a day? Even if not all rest in pregnancy, it is still an amount much more than a single female can produce. Both sides responsible, but males need to be fixed too. I wonder if courts charged owners of males child support if more neutering would be done.

• How much do Great Danes usually cost?
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Again to those giving hell for keeping dogs intact past a certain time, get facts right. There are medical reasons for operating at a much later age. You don't know why owners don't want to keep dig intact for time being. Some dogs might never be fixed, cause the might be allergic to anesthesia, etc. Finally, if everyone fixed their dogs, it would be only one more generation of dogs left. After that, they would be extinct! I'm not against fixing dogs and bitches, but I am against those who believe all dogs should be fixed!
Sorry…Autospeller messed up some of my words. I hope you can make out what I meant to say!

Answer by christianne
I like you Jen!
Some people are so ignorant!
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