Cassie is back in season again, exactly six months since her first one. For various reasons I decided to postpone her spay until after the second season. A while ago I was teaching clicker retrieve with good effect but she didn't really seem enthusiastic, and then there was the phantom pregnancy when any training seemed to send her over the top so everything went on hold. When she saw the vet for her booster jab, in early July , he explained to me that from 14 weeks from the end of her season I would have 2 months in which it would be the optimum time to spay. It was already obvious that her nipples were shrinking in size as was her vulva, and she was happy and enjoying our bits of training and was a normal bouncy young Lab. In that time we went to our gundog trainer and she was very enthusiastically retrieving, which carried on at home for a while. Gradually her interest waned, to my disappointment. This corresponded to the end of the two month window (early/mid September), when she began licking herself more and her vulva began to swell and, as I say, she's back in season. She's very mellow, almost subdued but happily taking part in the AD games, but I haven't tried any retrieving for a couple of weeks, she's not even carrying toys/socks in the house which she normally loves to present to us. Has anyone else ever experienced this with a bitch or know of any thing similar?
I never did any training with my girls when they were in season. Mentally they were just too erratic to do any constructive training, even though it never affected their desire to retrieve.
Bramble is in season now. Her retrieving drive is there, and she wants to work, but she is a little dizzy right now, actually scrap dizzy she just wants a mate....and any mate will do, we didn't have this in her first season!
Thanks for your replies. She isn't erratic or dizzy or seeking a mate, (although I'm sure if the opportunity came along she would do so) just very quiet, as she was first time around, not however during the phantom pregnancy. It just seems so odd that she was so keen and then she gradually lost interest as her season started. I do hope it comes back.
