There comes a time when your Intact female Bernese Mountain dog is ready to breed. This period is called being in heat. Since the heat cycle has special physical and behavioral signs, it’s quite useful that you as Bernie’s owner know a lot about this topic. Not only you will understand better what is going on with your dog but also you will know how to handle your Bernie during her season.
Bernese Mountain dog usually goes into their first heat somewhere between 8 and 14 months of age. It can occur a little bit earlier, at 6 months of age, or even later, at about 17 months of age. The heat cycle repeats usually twice a year and each time lasts for approximately 2-4 weeks. During the heat cycle, bleeding may last anywhere from 4 days to 2 weeks.
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When Bernese Mountain Dog Goes Into First Heat?
Bernese Mountain dog is a large dog breed so it’s quite normal to go into her first heat a bit later than smaller size dogs. This dog would usually go into the first heat somewhere between 8-14 months of age. Of course, it can occur earlier ( about 6 months of age) but also may not experience a heat cycle before the second birthday.
Heat cycles might be pretty irregular in the first two years, after which they tend to normalize.
If you want to breed your Bernie, note that mating her during her first cycle is not recommended. It’s the truth that your Bernie girl is able to have a litter but she is far from able to raise them.
She is simply not ready to be a mother at that young puppy age. Pregnancy can come with a lot of health risks plus your Bernie might reject puppies. Overall, not a good idea. If you want to breed your dog, wait until she goes through at least two or even three heat cycles.
How Long Do Bernese Mountain Dogs Bleed When In Heat?
Bleeding in Bernie dogs while in heat doesn’t differ that much compared to other dog breeds. Bleeding may last anywhere between 4 days to 2 weeks.
Bloody discharge, red in color is characteristic of the first phase of a cycle called Proestrus. During that phase, even though her body is getting ready to mate, your Bernie girl won’t be receptive to males. Moreover, she could show signs of aggression if they try to mount her. This period may take from just a couple of days to let’s say 10 days.
After Proestrus, your female will go into Estrus, the most fertile period of the heat cycle. The bleeding may continue but the color and amount of discharge will change. Now that discharge is rather scanty and pale, pink or yellow, becomes watery.
Bleeding during the heat cycle might not leave any mess because dogs intensively lick their private parts during this period. That means you might not even spot a single drop of blood unless your Bernie has a very heavy flow.
How Often Do Bernese Mountain Dogs Go Into Heat?
Your Bernie should go into heat two times a year, but since it’s a large dog breed, it can occur if she goes into heat only one time a year, every 8-10 months.
When Should I Spay My Bernese Mountain Dog?
Unless you plan to breed your Bernie, you should spay her to avoid any unwanted pregnancy and litter. At least in the USA, responsible pet ownership involves spaying/neutering dogs that are not used for breeding. There are good reasons for that.
The question is when is the right moment for that kind of procedure. Some vets will suggest you get this procedure done even before Bernie’s first cycle when she is about 4 or 5 months old. Others will disagree with this recommendation saying that if the spaying procedure has been done too early, the risk of getting mammary cancer is higher. The best is to seek advice from your vet about the exact time perfect for this procedure.
The spaying procedure has many advantages. You won’t have to think about possible pregnancy and unwanted puppies. Your Bernie won’t have to go through all those changes which are characteristic of the heat cycle. Many studies have shown that spayed dogs are not at high risk of getting breast cancer or uterine infections.
