First time users with a question for sitters - would you sit for a dog in season?:
We live in a quintessential English village and have a 6 month yellow Labrador.
She should have her first season in the next few months but as nothing is certain, it may be later. If she’s not had her season by the time we plan we go away (7 nights) we feel it may be sensible to leave her behind in good capable hands but I’d prefer not to leave her in kennels.
So - while I appreciate there are those out there who definitely would not - are there those out there who would sit a dog in season or might come into season?
we could offer use of a car and directions to a local paw paddock (fenced in paddock you can book exclusively in advance, specifically for exercising dogs)
she is being brought up not to expect walks every day for exactly this reason so we would not expect you to lead walk at crazy hours unless you felt confident (obviously we have a garden you can play in)
our house has hard wood floors so any spotting would be easy to wipe up
she is crate trained and is happy being left for 3 hours or so at a time so plenty of opportunity for you to walk (or cycle - amazing cycling locally!) without a dog if walking is your passion
I’d really welcome thoughts and advice from those who WOULD consider sitting for a dog in season or may come into season.
I think, for me personally, it would not be a problem.
But I would prefer to let her wear an underwear for dogs in season, if we are indoor. It just makes cleaning easier, especially when it comes to furniture.
Maybe, this is something, you could practice with her already? Just in case, the housesitter would prefer it as well?
@Bluefarrar if all dog owners would be as considerate as you in this sensitive matter, then yes, we would consider it! It is very clear that you have thought it through and came up with a list of solutions, so in our case it would be a yes. In other cases where it is sprung upon us as a matter of fact, and we’re left to find the solutions, then no.
We sat for a Bernese mountain dog in Switzerland in her first season and it was no problem. Just meant being vigilant and organised. They had hard floors like you which definitely helped. Best of luck (unfortunately we don’t sit in the UK or we would volunteer)
Hi @Bluefarrar thank you for asking this very key, pet care question. As @botvot says thank you also for having clearly thought this through with everyone in mind, from your puppy, potential sitters and you, the pet parent/owner.
I have looked after female dogs in season, as I have entire males, there are considerations when caring for both. The most important point is that sitters are aware before making a commitment so that they can make an educated choice based on the pet’s needs and pet parents/owner’s expectations and that when the sit commences there are no surprises … unless they are good ones of course.
Pets are the most important part of any pet sit arrangement and as they cannot convey what it is they need it’s left to all of the human’s involved to make their pet family member’s time at home, with their chosen sitter, the very best experience it can possibly be.
Another consideration is your pet’s age at the time you will be wanting to leave her with a sitter, you’ve given some indication of her training but as puppies clearly need more time and experienced care being clear on her behavior and level of training etc. is important to make certain she gets the right sitter and the sitter gets the right pet companionship.
Clear and transparent communication is key, you have clearly made an excellent start in preparing for arranging your pet’s sitter.
A few months back, we sat for a dog in heat. Dealing with her was not so bad–she wore a diaper and she and the 3 other dogs were just let out on the property so we didn’t have to deal with encounters with other dogs. Her behavior was generally ok, though she did sometimes ‘come on’ to the two older male dogs, and they would get a bit annoyed.
Our problem was the 4th dog was an unfixed young male, and it made the sit pretty stressful. He was constantly trying to mount her, but because she was so small and he was big, he never got much ‘traction,’ but it would agitate her a lot sometimes. And naturally, the situation got him very riled up in general. The whole time he just seemed very anxious and charged. I felt badly for both of them.
That sounds aweful!
I don´t get, why the owerns would bring their dog in such a situation. It would appear to me as a common sense to either castrate one of the dogs or separate them during the heat.
It would not bother me to care for a female dog in heat as long as panties and pads were provided. My own dog went through several heat cycles before I had her spayed at age 3 and other than her moaning and groaning with period cramps (poor little thing) it was no trouble at all since she wore panties with pads inserted in for cleanliness.
I would only expect that she be trained in wearing a diaper for menses. They are great. You put pads in to throw out and then toss the diaper in the wash. My dogs never minded.
In principle, yes, we would - though if she wore any protection we’d prefer it to be washable, as we’re concerned about disposables going into sewage systems or landfill.
It’s worth remembering that a young dog’s first season can be disconcerting for her, as there’s no way to have ‘the talk’! We’ve found young dogs in their first season often need extra love and reassurance from their sitter.
