How often can you breed a female Labrador? My friend owns a female Labrador and wanted to know when it is too much to breed her dog.
If you have a Labrador, this article will help you understand what to do when breeding her.
Understanding the heat cycle of dogs is very important for people who own a female Labrador or plan on getting one.
Some frequently asked questions encountered by dog owners are:
- How often do Labs go into what?
- What time do Lab puppies have their first heat?
Knowing the answer to these questions will make your work a lot easier as you will know what to expect in these situations.
Just like other dog breeds, Labrador retrievers will have their first heat cycle when they reach puberty. As your dog grows and develops, her body will become ready to mate, get pregnant and give birth to a litter of puppies. This period is usually known as their first season or first heat.
Many dogs reach puberty and experience their first heat cycle when they are six months old. This, however, is largely dependent on the breed of your dog as some larger breeds may go into heat much later than smaller breeds simply because their body requires more time to grow and mature.
Being a large breed, female Labradors usually experience their first heat between 9-12 months of age. This still varies with some Labs going into heat between one and two years of age. You do not have to be worried if your Lab is a late bloomer.
Signs of a Lab In Heat
Many experienced owners can easily tell when their Labs are going into heat but for newbies, this can be very challenging and surprising.
As a new dog owner, here are some important signs to look out for to know if your dog is approaching her first heat cycle:
Increased Self Cleaning
Without being on their heat cycle, Labrador retrievers are generally very clean animals. Noticing your dog self cleaning might come off as normal but during their heat cycles, female Labs are more obsessed with cleanliness.
You may find your dog locking and cleaning herself at any slightest chance. This excessive cleaning habit is most likely because she is trying to clean off and hide the blood.
Swollen Vulva
A swollen vulva is the most common and obvious sign to tell you that Lab is in heat. The vulva or genitalia of your female dog becomes very swollen (about three to four times bigger than its normal size) once your dog is in heat.
This particular sign is hard to miss as it changes the entire appearance of your Lab’s vulva.
Bleeding
A significant amount of bleeding during your dog’s first heat cycle is completely normal. This does not mean that all dogs must bleed during their heat cycle. As all dogs are different, some dogs do not bleed at all. Some bleed very little while others make a lot of mess and may even need dog diapers.
A typical female Lab in heat will leave a few drops of blood behind. You may find this on their bed or on the floor. Using dog diapers for your dog can help you keep the blood from dropping on your floors or furniture.
To ensure that your Labrador is actually in heat, simply use a tissue and wipe her vulva. A swollen vulva and a red discharge on the tissue clearly indicate that your Lab is going into heat.
Behavioral Changes
Due to the presence of extra hormones in your Lab’s body during this heat period is expected that your dog will behave differently. Like women during their menstrual cycle, your Lab may become clingier and needy a few days before other signs become visible.
Female dogs have different behaviors during this period. Some Labradors may get very restless and excitable while others become sleepier than normal and seek for extra cuddles
Humping & Flagging
When female Labs go into heat, they may hump other dogs, toys and even people. Humping is known to be a playful behavior in puppies but if your female dog is exhibiting excessive humping accompanied by other visible symptoms, then this is a sign that your dog is in heat.
In addition, your dog may also exhibit a behavior known as flagging during heat. Flagging is when your dog moves her tail to the side exposing her rear end more often than normal. The aim of flagging in to signal male dogs close by that the female Lab is ready for mating.
Flagging occurs at the third stage of the heat cycle. In this stage, the female is totally receptive to males.
FAQs
How often does a lab go into heat?
It is no doubt that the heat season is a very challenging one for both the female dog and the dog owner as your dog can get pregnant at any time. The dog owner will have to think about how to take care of the female dog and a litter of puppies.
Unwanted pregnancy is one big problem that many owners of female Labs try to avoid during this period.
This is why it is important to know when your Labrador is in heat so that you can set up measures to prevent your dog from getting pregnant.
Female Labradors have two heat cycles in heat, so they go into heat twice every year.
How often can you breed a female Labrador?
Basically, all female Labradors go into heat twice a year. This cycle lasts for a duration of two to three weeks. Your dog will be extremely fertile between the 10th and 14tg day of the heat cycle.
After the 10th day, you can allow your dog to mate every other day for four to six days.
How many puppies does a Labrador have the first time?
First-time Lab moms can produce a litter of five to ten puppies.