My Boston Terrier Is In Heat, What To Do? (Care Tips)

Have you ever thought about Boston Terrier’s heat cycle? If you have an intact Boston Terrier female, I am guessing you are more than curious about this topic.

Boston Terriers in heat may become overly affectionate and clingy, requiring more of your time and attention. Some of them may become grumpy or even aggressive, be patient. Some Boston Terriers in heat will show nesting behavior, feeling more tired than usual, so provide a calm, safe and child-free zone to have a nap whenever she feels the need to. Although Boston Terriers are playful and energetic pooches don’t exaggerate with daily exercise during the cycle since their energy won’t be at its highest point. Keep your Boston Terriers on a short leash and away from any male dogs.

How Do I Comfort (Care) My Boston Terrier While in Heat?

The heat period is rather a special one for your dog as she will feel significantly different due to hormonal level changes. As a result, your Boston Terrier will behave quite differently while in heat.

Give Your Boston Terrier Extra Attention

During her heat cycle, your Boston Terrier girl may become more attached to you, overly affectionate. Take a little more time than usual and provide plenty of cuddles. She really needs that.

On the other hand, some Boston Terries may become aggressive and nervous You will notice that your otherwise calm and sweet dog is grumpy, ready to ”argue” with you for everything. You need to be patient since this is current behavior and will pass quickly.

If you find your Boston Terrier particularly nervous and alert, a diffuser ( with essential oils safe for dogs like lavender) or some white-noise machine can help you relax her.

Distract her by providing some new toys

During her second phase called Estrus, she will have only one thought on her mind- to mate! In order to distract her and make focus on something else, a new, interesting toy like a stuffed toy, Kong classic, treat ball, Giggle ball, Hide a squirrel dog toy would be perfect.

This really works. Keep several toys but give her only one or two and then replace them every two days. Interactive toys will help your dog to be busy and engaged so won’t think about mating that much.

Provide Safe and Calm Area for Boston Terrier girl to rest

Boston Terrier in heat may feel the need to sleep more. Provide a safe, calm, and children-free zone, where she can rest as much as she wants.

Although this breed is good with kids ( as long as the dog is properly socialized) the heat cycle can be a stressful period for your dog so additional excitement, kids that are running around and yelling is not something your dog needs at that very moment.

Use Doggy Diapers

During the first stage of the heat cycle, called Proestrus, your Boston Terrier girl will have a vaginal bloody discharge. Since this is a small breed, the amount shouldn’t be big but still can make a mess.

Besides bloody discharge female dogs pees more frequently so they can make additional mess unintentionally.

To reduce the mess you can use doggy diapers. that are very practical in this period especially if your Boston Terrier stays alone at home for several hours.

Even though dogs are able to clean themselves, it can happen that your Boston Terrier leaves some mess on the floor.

In that case, don’t yell at her, don’t scold her, just comfort her gently while you clean the mess.

Visit A Vet

If you are first time owner or you are especially concerned, the best thing to do is visit a vet. Even though the heat cycle is completely normal for female dogs, a veterinarian is the best person to ask for advice.

How To Walk My Boston Terrier While In Heat?

Some people are under the misconception that dogs in heat shouldn’t be taken outside due to various reasons – low energy in your dog or encounters with male dogs …

But on contrary, dogs in heat do require some physical activity. On normal occasions, Boston Terrier needs 30-60 min of daily exercise but these dogs can enjoy even longer walks and they highly appreciate playtime with their humans.

When you walk your Boston Terrier in heat, you need to take precautions to avoid any unpleasant situations like unwanted breeding and potential pregnancy.

First, make sure that the ID tag and microchip information are up to date. Dogs in heat usually have a strong impulse to escape so they can find a mate so this way you will find your dog easier if she runs away.

Another thing, you can invest in a GPS tracker for even better results.

Another thing- never leave your Boston Terrier outside without supervision, no matter how secure your yard is. You cannot imagine what males are capable of when they feel the female in heat.

It’s recommended to walk your dog either very early in the morning or late in the evening to cut the chances of meeting other dogs.

Don’t go to dog parks, dog shows, or public events where you think other dogs will show up. It’s better to go to a less crowded place/park/path for a walk where you won’t be running into other dogs.

It’s a good idea to mask the scent of your female in heat. Some dog owners apply a tiny amount of Vicks VapoRub cream on the tip of her tail that should keep the males away from her. Just be careful with the amount, it really has to be a tiny amount as this cream contains menthol and camphor among others and these are toxic to dogs.

Giving your dog Chlorophyll tablets may also reduce the odor but you should consult the vet about the exact dosage. Never give any medicine to your dog before consulting the vet.

You should also prevent male dogs to track her scent all the way from the park or some other spot to your home.

Males can detect the scent of a female in heat up to 3 miles. So they know that there is some female in heat even if they don’t see her.

Plus, males are attracted to females while they are even in the first phase of the heat cycle( then females are still not receptive to males, can be rather aggressive towards males)

They can track her smell all the way to your home and then hang around trying to reach her. This is a possibly dangerous situation that should be prevented.

If you take a car ride from your home to the place where you will walk with your dog and then ride back home, males will have no chance to track your girl.

Don’t forget though that you should keep your Boston Terrier girl always on the leash when you are outside. No matter how trained she is, how obedient she is, her natural instincts would win in this situation, so keep her tight and never let any intact male close to her.

How To Keep My Boston Terrier Clean While In Heat?

As you know, the dog shouldn’t be bathed too often. Frequent baths are not good for their skin and fur. The general rule of thumb for Boston Terriers is one bath per 2-6 weeks depending on your dog’s lifestyle.

Like we said in the beginning, the heat period is a bit different than anything else so different rules apply when it comes to hygiene as well.

Even though Boston Terrier dogs like other breeds keep their private parts very clean, lick themselves thoroughly, they might need your help in order to keep a good level of cleanliness.

During the first phase ( around 7 days ) of the heat cycle, you might be able to see the bloody discharge. The amount of discharge varies from dog to dog but still, it can make a mess.

Generally, small breeds like Boston Terriers shouldn’t produce large amounts of discharge but you never know.

So some extra baths will make no trouble to your dog’s skin and fur. If you don’t feel the need to bathe your dog you can only wipe her intimate area on daily basis. This will keep her clean and will reduce the scent.

As I mentioned before you can use disposable or washable diapers for dogs in heat.

Doggy diapers usage may prevent a mess but never consider these items as contraception for dogs ( as some owners do) as males will easily find the way even if a female wears diapers or heat pants.

You can also place disposable absorbent pads on the place where your pet sleeps. You can also use washable pee pads.

What To Do If My Boston Terrier In Heat Won’t Eat?

Some Boston Terriers may lose their appetite while in the heat, especially during the first week of the heat cycle.

On the other hand, it may happen that your dog seems hungrier than usual, doing things that she has never done like digging through the trash to find some leftovers.

Most likely Your Boston Terrier won’t be so interested in food during the second phase ( Estrus) either. Your pooch has only one job to do and that is to find the mate and breed. Nothing else matters, not even the food.

Luckily the appetite loss during heat doesn’t last long enough to harm your dog but still, you have to do your best so your dog gets all the nutritive elements she needs.

No matter how well she usually eats, during those days she may become a fussy eater. That means that she likes one food today but totally dislikes it tomorrow. As a good dog parent, you have to cope with it. Please note that toy and small dog breeds generally preferred canned over dry food.

  • Offer her favorite food more often than you usually do.
  • Bribe her with some tasty treats.
  • Give her tastier cuts of meat.
  • Put some delicious topping over her regular food. That can be a healthy and tasty fish or coconut oil or even peanut butter. You can always purchase ready- to use toppers or cook a delicious unsalted chicken broth and soak her kibbles in it. It will give her a different texture and improve its dry food taste.
  • Treat her with some tasty fruits like blueberries, strawberries, or bananas.

Always make sure your Boston Terrier drinks enough water to keep her hydrated.

If she refuses to eat, try hand-feeding, in some cases, it helps since she needs more of your attention and affection.

Your Boston Terrier won’t be so interested in food during the first and especially during the second phase of her heat cycle ( around 2 weeks ). If her appetite doesn’t recover and gets back on track after the heat cycle symptoms are over, you should consult the vet.

How To Know That My Boston Terrier Is Out Of Heat?

What are the signs that this stressful period is over? How to know that your Boston Terrier is out of the heat?

  • your Boston Terrier girl behavior returns to normal, she is generally calmer, if she had appetite loss, she eats normally again, she is not grumpy anymore but not clingy either
  • her vulva returns to normal size, no trace of bloody discharge, if she had enlarged nipples, they are normal size again
  • your Boston Terrier girl is not interested in male dogs anymore, she doesn’t fight with female dogs any longer

Conclusion

Your Boston Terrier will go into heat every 6 months or so, she will stay in heat for approximately 2- 4 weeks, and during that period she will require special care and attention.

The most important thing you need to do is to give her more cuddles and more of your time if she asks for them.

Another equally important thing is to keep her away from an intact male. This means that you should seal up your house, don’t let any intact male come in, always supervise your girl while outside, walk her on a leash and never let her go near males.

I really do hope that you find this article helpful and that you will find some tips on how to handle and take care properly of your Boston Terrier female in heat.

Recent Posts