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.
Photo Credit: Laertes/Flickr CC
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?
- How big should an outside house for a Great Dane be?
- Is Canidae lamb and rice good for my Great Dane pup?
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!
Know better? Give your own answer to this question!
Leslie says
So I’m going back and forth about getting my now 8 month dane spayed I want puppies but am a little nervous so many people have told me different things about “Oh she will bleed everywere” or ” make sure you breed her with the right breed ” can anyway explain in there answer? Thanks
RussianDog says
No one can make a decision instead of you. Normally you get the dog spayed before the first heat but you may want to wait for it and see how it goes. There’s also a temporary chemical castration but it often has negative effects on the dog’s health.
Stephanie Charron says
Hii to answer your question Leslie,
My Great dane is 1 year old an she just started her cycle. To me I think some great danes are just late bloomers.
Leslie says
Ok well I’m happy to say my Dane start her heat cycle a week after her first birthday so now it’s been about 2 weeks and she doesn’t bleed that much. But she’s still very much big back there so I’m guessing a couple more weeks more. Stephine how long did your Dane heat cycle last? Thanks
June says
This was a poorly written excerpt on Danes in heat.
harsha says
My dane s 11 months old she is in heat now…. in first heat we can mate them r not pls help
RussianDog says
It’s too early for Great Dane because Danes are of slow development, and your dog is still growing.
Great Dane Lover says
While some Danes do go in heat at 6-7 months of age many do not. It is not uncommon for a Dane to not come into their first heat until they are 12 months of age or older…some as old as 18 months.
Just to comment…you really should think about getting the spay done before she comes in heat. By doing so you pretty much eliminate the risk of mammary cancer (which is high in in tact dogs and the risk gets higher with each heat cycle a dog has). As for emergency spays…as a vet tech i wil ltell you taht is never a good thing for a dog. The risk during an emergency spay are higher for complications then they are in a routine spay. The dog is asked to go under anesthesia and have a major surgery when she is in less then optimal health.
marie says
My dane is 18 months and still not had a heat cylce!
Nikki says
My dane turns 2 this month and just got her first period lol. And let me tell you…I was not prepared….she was sleeping with me on my bed. …yuck! It looked like a massacre on my white down comforter!
john says
it is not true about cancer and fixing dogs, that is a myth in america.. cancer rates are considerably lower in Europe for unspayed / neutered dogs where they actually track this,, I am not saying do not fix your dog,, doing it early is bad for your dog and that is fact..If you are responsible owner do not take the easy way out. wait at least 2 years. and stop spreading this false information! Breeding is far more controlled in the EU, with greater documentation.. That’s why you get better dogs meaning more stable healthier dogs from the EU, most police and military dogs are brought in from over seas.
Patricia says
Usually 6 to 9 months but not all dogs are the same careful the mongrel from down the road does not sneak in when you least expect it.
gsdluvrr *pups are 3 says
The average time that a dog will have her first heat is 6 months of age. All dogs are different though – my German Shepherd had her first heat at 13 months of age.
You will definitely know when she is in heat. Her vulva will swell and she will drip blood.