My little lady is growing up. She is dropping just little amounts of blood but all over the place. We have put a nappy on her and she is thoroughly depressed. How do you all manage it? Her walks are tricky as although she is a good pup. Walking nicely on the lead is not her strong point. We were just about to start working on it! I guess we will have lots of time to work in it. Any advice about any aspect of this would be gratefully received.
I personally wouldn't use a nappy , especially if its making her miserable at a time when she is probably confused herself . I know, its a pain , clearing up these drops of blood , I used old towels over my carpet , plus easily washable dog throws , the good thing being that the blood loss time is relatively short . I`m afraid we just had to get used to the scent of disinfectant spray ! Most bitches will clean themselves pretty thoroughly , but the nappy will be preventing this most natural of things for the bitch to do , so please ditch it ! Walking on lead is a must I`m afraid , trying to avoid the areas where other dogs hang out , remember that often , the bitch is just as eager as the dog where mating is concerned ! I used to take my girl out early morning , then late afternoon, it doesn't last for long but keeping them safe is paramount , as is not causing stress to owners of entire dogs ! Good luck
Thanks that's my gut advice to not use the nappy but we have my 1 year old nephew temporarily living with us and he crawls around everywhere after her. Nightmare. He is only here until Tuesday so hopefully can last until then. Thanks for the advice
I found when Harley was in season that it was a really good time to get her lead walking in order. She was horrendous on lead (my fault as didn't teach from day 1). This really helped tire her out. I walked her early morning or around lunchtime/early afternoon or late evening to avoid as many dogs as possible. We also only walked on roads - didn't go near any parks as dogs often there and she would want to play. I also played a lot of mind games - hiding treats over the house, puzzle games, basic training. I found this really reinforced our bond. The bleeding shouldn't last long.
Yes, I used that time to work on lead walking and other games such as Naya suggests. After the first couple of lead only walks, when she looked at me as if I'd forgotten to let her off, I found she was very accepting. But I'm lucky in having a relatively dog free area to exercise her anyway. I think it's best to leave them free to clean themselves up -- I found with Cassie that it was really only if she jumped up quickly from lying down that she made much mess, but they are all different. Again, I'm lucky in having easy to clean floor and she has limited access to carpeted areas of the house anyway, for that reason, I've had bitches before and knew what to expect. It will come to an end
