Working During Heat Cycle

[tedge007]

Just curious to see if the working dog handlers on here generally continue to work their dogs during the heat cycles or if they keep them off the field? Mine just entered her second heat cycle and so far this one is as mild as the first as far as the bleeding goes. She seems good to go but wasnt sure what the norm is. At our club everyone keeps their dogs crated in the cars until there up so only one dog out at a time so no issues with males. Thanks .

[Lauren]

There was some dog in heat (or coming into) at the herding clinic last week. It was a little distracting to some of the boys who were on the field after... but they are supposed to be concentrating, right?

One lady was a bit upset about it (her dog wouldn't focus) and kept kind of accusing my girl of being the one, so finally I said "Get your dog, we'll do a sniff test."

Nope, not mine. But I am curious to see what the norm is.

[alspyce]

Just curious to see if the working dog handlers on here generally continue to work their dogs during the heat cycles or if they keep them off the field? Mine just entered her second heat cycle and so far this one is as mild as the first as far as the bleeding goes. She seems good to go but wasnt sure what the norm is. At our club everyone keeps their dogs crated in the cars until there up so only one dog out at a time so no issues with males. Thanks .

I think , in any discipline, it might just be common courtesy, to have a bitch in heat be last in line to work.
(The boys will probably still have an idea she's in the area, tho.)

[Christie M]

I agree with Chris. If you are going to work your dog, I would make everyone aware and then work them last. At a minimum, work them in a separate part of the training field. Just because they may not be in direct contact with another dog, doesn't mean that the boys won't smell it and obsess over it - especially if they have been bred before.

I have had females that reduce drive when in heat, so I don't bother working them. Some females that go freaking crazy when in heat. That's always fun, but my control tended to go out the window. And some females that weren't effected at all.

[vneerland]

I remember that someone came over for a breeding once, and Nico had the pleasure of doing bitework fist and her next. It made absolutely no difference to him. The bitch arrived at about the same time as the decoy and his preference was: "wait for me honey. I am a fighter but I will be lover in five minutes. BRB"
With that being said. I would have scr*wed up (pun intended) a small article search or such that day. No doubt.

So like Christie said: it is courtesy to work the bitch away from the boys and be mindful of their boy brains.
If someone has real problems with a bitch in heat, then though your personal opinion might be that they'd better still work under distraction, it would be much classier if you skipped a week of training, instead of making that person/dog grow up. And for the bitches themselves, it is very much an individual thing. You would never know it in some, and others get squirly, or distracted or soft or what have you. Make your choices with your training group and your own bitch in mind.

[tedge007]

Thanks for the opinions. I called the group organizer friday night and he said to work her, so i brought her out yesterday and she ended up performing better then she had the week before! I was very pleased. She was amped up but also focused. As far as the boys, they all seemed like their normal selves. They are all pretty much young dogs so i guess that had alot to do with it. Thanks again..

[alspyce]

Glad it went well yesterday. That may change when she gets to the "standing" part of her heat tho.

[herder]

I often walked my females and male together when the females are in heat. I see it as a chance to work and test the male under distration. When a bitch comes into heat now he ignores them until they are receptive and only pays them attention for a couple of days. I reckon if he listens to you under that distraction he will listen to you anytime.