Flirt Phase
Zumi is officially moving from slut phase to tease phase of her heat cycle. Now she's a complete teenage girl in her actions. Trying hard to flirt with Vito and get him interested and then slams her butt down and looks shocked at his intentions. Then resumes flirting 2 seconds later.
Poor Vito. Vito still is trying hard to be a good dog and resist temptation and at least with the current group of dogs I have, this dog in heat thing has been a breeze. Lance and Zumi remain completely oblivious to each other. He has acted interested once and she hasn't even tried to get him interested, even in the midst of her total slut phase.
I've also had zero problems working Zumi. She wants to train and still has a thinking brain. Food drive was significantly decreased and Zumi ate a lot less of her meals during her slut phase, but it's starting to climb again.
For now, an Ovary Sparing Spay when she's older still hasn't been ruled out. I think it will come down to how much of a pain it will be to miss trials, unless UKI becomes bigger around here as they allow BIS to compete!
Is Vito neutered?
I'm glad it went well overall!
Oh yes, definitely neutered! I wouldn't ever allow them in the same room without it when she's in heat!
That's what I thought! Do neutered dogs normally show interest in females in heat? I don't know anything about it because I've never been in that situation. I'm just curious. Always trying to learn more.
I hope my question didn't come off the wrong way. I was 99% sure he was neutered but I couldn't remember for sure. I know a lot of people don't want to neuter competition dogs in case they decide to do breed shows. I didn't know if that was something that was ever even on your radar. Anyway I wasn't implying you were doing anything wrong. I was just making sure because I would have felt dumb asking if neutered dogs showed interest in females if he wasn't even neutered lol!!
My main experience in that area is with horses. They can be either way. Most geldings don't even notice a mare come into heat and most mares don't tease geldings like stallions. However there are some geldings that will mount mares and some mares that will even come into heat for a gelding! So I was just curious if it's the same way with dogs. I kind of just assumed neutered male dogs didn't even notice females being in heat. Of course it could all depend on when they are neutered. Anyway I'm rambling so I'll be quiet now.
Oh I wasn't offended, just surprised at the question!
Most neutered dogs do show a lot of interest with females in heat. It just more subdued than if they were intact, less obsessive. Interestingly enough Lance never gave her a 2nd look (also neutered).
In the future I have zero plans to neuter any male dogs I get. The research is just showing that leaving boys intact is way healthier until they are completely done growing (18mo-2yrs) and reduces the risk of most cancers. The research in females shows the same but is complicated by the risk of pyometra which is why many sports people who know the research still decide to spay after the dog is 2yrs or older. The Ovary Sparing Spay is lesser known but keeps the hormones and all the good effects of being intact and gets rid of the risk of pyometra. Of course the dog still comes into "heat" just doesn't bleed, but still can't compete in dog shows during that time :(
Still unsure what I will do with Zumi. Since her first heat was very easy, the OSS is still an option for me. It's just weighing the time off twice a year from missing shows and training classes. If I do a traditional spay it won't be until she's 2yrs or so as I want all the health benefits of hormones while she is growing. I have no interest in breeding, but I did offer Zumi to her breeder if she wants to use her for a litter. I don't know if Zumi has what she's looking for anyway, but I'm sure the breeder won't decide until she's 2yrs old anyway.
I'm glad I didn't offend you! I was in a hurry this morning reading blogs and stressing about Jackal's vet appointment, so my comment was probably shorter and more abrupt than normal.
Thank you for all of the information. I've been reading about the effect of early spaying and neutering too and I'm thinking a lot of the problems Jackal is having is because I neutered him way too young!! I will definitely be waiting on my next dog too. The ovary sparing spay is so interesting! I didn't even know that it was an option with dogs. Will any vet do it? Is it less invasive? Less expensive? I really hope it is an option for Zumi... I really think it could be a good thing. We all have hormones for a reason and I've been thinking for a long time that messing with them is just asking for trouble (in humans too). Good for you doing all of the research and doing what's best for your dogs. I only wish I had known sooner... for Jackal's sake. I think it really messed with his growth. The way his hind legs are longer than his front legs (which puts way more weight on his front end), the limping, the way he carries his weight, the way he just never gained much muscle... it seems like all of that wouldn't have been a problem if I'd waited to neuter him. I got him done soooo young! :( I'll do my best to keep him happy and healthy since I can't exactly undo that decision. I am happy to say that I did wait until my horse was two and a half to geld him... so at least I learned it in time for him. :)
That's really cool that you offered Zumi to her breeder. I don't know much at all about Tollers, but she's gorgeous in my opinion. :D