Female German Shepherds will normally go into heat unless their owners decide to get them spayed. If you have an intact GSD girl knowing as much about the heat cycle as possible can make your and your dog’s life much easier. I have a 3-year-old German Shepard Misty. Misty was being spayed recently but we went through several heat cycles together and I would like to share my experience with you.
German Shepherds usually go into first heat between 6-12 months of age. The average heat cycle lasts from 2-4 weeks. During this period GSD girls go through a series of physical and behavioral changes. The most obvious ones are the swollen vulva and bloody discharge. Mammary glands are enlarged. German Shepherd in heat may become more affectionate but also more anxious and alert. Increased urination and lack of energy are also pretty common. GSD girls in heat are easily distracted. Changes in eating habits are also possible.
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What Are The Signs That My German Shepherd Is In Heat?
- Swollen vulva ( the vulva might swell up to three times its normal size). This is something I noticed very early in Misty. Swollen vulva is one of the first visible symptoms, appears in the first stage of heat cycle called Proestrus
- Nipples are clearly visible and appear darker in color. Misty always had very slightly swollen nipples. As a matter of fact, If I hadn’t watched me closely, I woudn’t notice any change.
- Vaginal discharge. At the beginning of the heat cycle, it may be pale pink, later on will become deep red and then the color of discharge lightens again. This coincides with the vulva being very swollen so this is the moment when the chances of getting pregnant are at the highest point for your GSD. Even when the bleeding has stopped, your GSD might be in the heat for a couple of days more, so take precautions. It seems we were lucky since Misty always had light bleeding during the first stage.
- Excessive urination, as well as develpoment of marking behavior. Your GSD may urinate small amounts on various objects to mark the territory and invite males to approach. This behavior was driving me crazy. Misty was peeing everywhere! The dog that was perfectly potty trained, was urinating wherever she could. The good thing was the amount of pee, which was small but still it meant a lot of cleaning for me. Since I like more natural cleaning solution, I found that one-to one wihte winegar and water solution was perfect to remove all urine stains. Luckily, it didn’t last too long, a couple of days during the second stage called Estrus.
- Your GSD in the heat may feel tired and sleepy more then usual. This is typical for all heat stages. There were days when Misty was sleeping much more then usual, plus she was not in the mood to play at all.
- Some GSDs in the heat may have appetite loss while some others may have increased appetite, especially at the beginning of the heat cycle ( Proestrus stage). Misty has no problem with eating habits, but during heat cycle, this is totally different story. I noticed that she transformed into super fussy eater. Food that she was happy to eat yesterday, refuses today…. but this phase also lasts for week or so, no big deal, really.
- She licks her intimate area intensively ( self- grooming)
- Your GSD will crave attention, seeking more of your company. Well, this depends on the period of heat cycle. I was surprised that for couple of days Misty transformed into real velcro dog. She wanted to be with me, around me all the time. I was giving her a belly and legs massage and she really enjoyed in that. Then one day I noticed that Misty prefers to be alone. She dragged her favorite toy wherever she went but was not thrilled with human company. I left her alone. This behavior vanished quickly, after couple of days everything returned to normal.
- She might show some nesting behavior, starts collecting toys and food and putting them in some safe area. Let her do that.
- Increased moodiness is also characteristic for this period. Although your GSD become clingy during heat cycle, she might start growling at some humans and also picking fights with other dogs. During the second phase ( Estrus stage) your GSD receptive to males, during that phase she might become hostile towards female dogs. Misty was never hostile towards humans except she was not interested in hanging around people. Dogs are different story though. During her most fertile phase ( Estrus) she was so edgy, picking fights with other females. I had to walk her super early in the morning to reduce the chance of meeting other dogs.
When Does German Shepherd Go Into First Heat?
The first heat may happen when the puppy is about 6 months old. Larger dogs like German Shepherds may experience first heat much later, around their first birthday. So if you have a GSD girl expect her to go into the first heat somewhere between 6-12 months. Misty experienced her first heat cycle at the age of 9 months.
If your GSD has never been in the heat before, early signs are easy to miss. Signs may appear one day or a couple of days before the breeding cycle starts. These are:
- slightly swollen vulva
- vaginal bleeding
I noticed that Misty was less playful, lethargic, even she looked unhappy. Unlike her, the male dogs were so full of energy around her, were so interested in hanging around her. I could also detect the light discharge and she was licking her intimate area very enthusiastically. I quickly figured out what was going on, even though it was her first heat cycle.
How Long Does German Shepherd Stay In Heat?
The heat cycle usually lasts for 18-21 days. But this is average length and heat cycles may vary widely ( 2-4 weeks). Misty’s heat cycles always last for 3 weeks or about 20 days. Only the first one was slightly shorter but I was told that even the first couple of heat cycles in young dogs might be irregular in terms of duration.
How Often Do German Shephers Go Into Heat?
Usually, GSD dogs come into heat every six months which means twice a year. What may happen is that the heat cycle lasts shorter than usual ( for example 2 weeks) and then the next one comes in less than 6 months. I can tell you that Misty is an average GSD when it comes to heat cycle frequency. She was going into heat pretty regularly, every 6 months.
The older dogs may go into heat only once a year. Don’t worry, this is completely normal. Anywhere from 1 to 3 times a year is ok for a German Shepherd.
Dogs are born with all eggs they will ever have. Over the years, those eggs will start to lose their effectiveness and die off.
The fewer eggs your GSD has, the fewer hormones it will produce. This means that she will have longer pauses between two heat cycles. But she will go into heat during her whole life.
What Is Split Heat in German Shepherds?( and other heat cycle abnormalities)
Split heat is a heat cycle that happens in two distinct periods split by a break. This means that the heat cycle starts, lasts for a couple of days, and then stops. Duration of the break may vary but usually lasts for a few days to even 3 months and then resume and finish.
Split heat in German Shepherds is characteristic for a younger age. Fortunately, split heat shouldn’t be happening more than once or twice in a lifetime.
If this problem becomes chronic and continuously repeated, you should ask the vet for help. He might run some tests in order to rule out Hypothyroidism and some other conditions.
There are other abnormalities in heat cycles that you may face :
- Absent heat – your GSD doesn’t go into heat at all, missed heat
- Silent heat – your GSD goes into heat but obvious signs are missing
- Prolonged heat – your GSD goes normally into heat, but it lasts longer then average
- Prolonged or shortened Interestrus interval – too long (more then 15 months) or too short ( less then 4 motnths) window between two heat cycles
Sometimes GSD can have an irregular heat cycle, but in some cases, irregularity is a clear sign of some illness so you should consult your vet in any case.
I didn’t notice any abnormalities in Misty’s heat cycle, everything was by the book.
What If I Notice Lumps During or After the Heat Cycle of My German Shepherd?
The lumps on your GSD’s nipples or around them may occur at any time but there are more obvious during or right after the heat cycle.
The lumps in that area may indicate the presence of mammary gland hyperplasia. What does that mean? Mammary gland hyperplasia is a benign overgrowth of mammary epithelial cells.
The problem is that those lumps may also be breast cancer which is malignant. The only way to discover if the lumps are benign or malignant is to get them removed by operation and let them be examined.
You need to take every lump very seriously, as according to statistics 50% of tumors in German Shepherds are diagnosed as malignant.
Pay special attention if heavy vaginal bleeding occurs in your German Shepherd. If bleeding lasts for more than 40 days, you should rush to the vet.
Do German Shepherd Have Menopause?
GSD ( dogs in general ) don’t have menopause-like humans. Actually, GSD females stay fertile for their whole life unless they are spayed.
As mentioned before, the heat cycles of older dogs may be shorter or longer than normal ones. The pause between heat cycles becomes longer as time passes. The fertility starts to decrease as the GSD girl gets older.
Should I Spay My German Shepherd?
Most of the vets agree that you should get your GSD spayed unless you want to use her for breeding. The spaying procedure ideally should be done before going to the first heat cycle.
It’s important to know that if you miss the moment and haven’t done the procedure on time, make sure it passes at least 6 weeks after the last day of the GSD’s heat cycle before you take her to the vet who will perform a spaying procedure.
Some people may raise the question of how wise it is to put your GSD through this procedure but science has proven many benefits of it.
For example, spaying procedures may significantly reduce the possibility of your GSD getting ovarian or breast cancer. The sooner you get your GSD spayed, the greater her chances are that cancer will never occur.
If you ask me why I have waited so long to get my Misty spayed, I cannot tell you the precise answer. I initially planned to get her spayed somewhere before her first birthday but then this COVID-19 madness started so non-essential surgeries were put on hold. However, I am very happy we finally did it, as I strongly believe that spaying of your dog has many advantages.
Do Male German Shepherds Go Into Heat?
Someone will say ” GSD boys are in heat all the time!” As a matter of fact, they are just responsive to the females being in heat, it’s not the same thing.
Once the male German Shepherds reaches sexual maturity, he is sexually active all year around.
As soon as the male senses the female in heat, he will change his behavior. The male GSD will become agitated, even aggressive trying to get to the female.
It’s just a call of nature, he needs to fulfill the natural-born duty – to impregnate the female.
This may seem like your male is in the heat but in fact, he is just reacting to the female in heat. As soon as the source (the female)of his strange conduct has been removed, he will start acting normally again.
So it’s pretty clear that this is not a heat cycle since he can get back to normal so quickly.
If you know that some female dog from the neighborhood is in the heat, try to keep your dog inside as much as possible.
If you are in the dog park and you notice that your pet is sniffing some female that might be in the heat, leave the park as soon as possible.
The problem is that males can sense females in the heat at far distances ( up to 3 miles) so some people tend to cover the smell with some natural products such as mint oil. I heard that some owners dab a small quantity of this product on windowsills and door frames.
Since every dog is different, you can try different things to cover the smell. The point is that you should never use strong chemical products and never put any product on your dog. The idea is to make your house heat-proof and not your dog.
Conclusion
Your GSD may go into heat at 5-6 months of age. It can also happen later. German Shepherds go into the heat usually twice a year. The heat cycle lasts for 3 weeks but anything between 2 and 4 weeks is considered normal.
Unless you have decided to breed her, get her spayed before she hit the first heat cycle. If you want to breed her, it’s recommended to let the first heat cycles pass and then to breed her.
The GSD in heat may require extra attention from your side. Try to be as kind and loving as you can be. Avoid harsh tones and yelling at her.
She may eat far less than usual, make sure she gets all nutrients she needs. Try to keep her distracted with a new toy or game.
Heat cycles repeat in dogs during their whole life. In older dogs, the pause between heat cycles may be longer as the fertility starts to decrease as your GSD is getting older.
