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The mating cycle of a female dog is known colloquially as “being in heat”, but the technical term is “estrus”. Most female dogs have their first season between a half year and a year old and while in season, they are likely to become pregnant if they are allowed to mate.

The estrus cycle begins with “proestrus”. You can tell when your dog is in proestrus by whether she is bleeding or not. Vaginal bleeding will typically last between 4 to 9 days and increase in urination is also common. Even though any male dogs that are nearby will attempt to mate with her, she will not be receptive to them yet.

The actual estrus cycle begins when the female mostly stops bleeding and will allow a male dog to mount her. This is when conception occurs most often and it will last anywhere from 4 to 13 days.

Stages during your dog’s heat cycle also include metestrus and anestrus, which do not have any clear identifying symptoms of their own. False pregnancies occur most often during metestrus.

Can A Dog Get Pregnant Her First Time In Heat?

Absolutely! Whether your dog first comes into heat at 6 months or at a year, she can still become pregnant if she is allowed to mate with another dog. It is best to wait until she is at least two years old before you decide to breed her, because it gives ample time for genetic defects to show up.

How Long Will My Dog’s Heat Last?

You should consider your dog to be in heat for 21 days; that is, 3 different 7 day cycles. Going into heat, being in heat, and coming out of heat. The middle stage is when they are most likely to conceive pups, though. Unless you want a stampede of puppies running through the house, the best thing to do is keep her away from male dogs until her cycle is completely over. If you want to know for sure how long your dog’s cycle lasts (every dog is different), you need to watch her cycle and record how it progresses.

Should I Spay My Dog?

If you’re not planning on breeding your dog, the best thing to do is get her spayed as soon as possible. Whether the choice to avoid breeding her is because of hereditary defects or because you just don’t want puppies to take care of, spaying is the route to go instead of spending the life of your dog keeping her away from males that have not been neutered.

Should I Let My Dog Have At Least One Litter Of Puppies?

Many people say that it is best to let a dog have at least one litter of puppies before having it spayed, but this is not the case. It will not hurt your dog to spay her before she is allowed to mate and have a litter.

Is My Dog’s Heat Cycle Affected By The Season?

No. A dog’s menstrual cycle isn’t affected by what season it is, so they can come into heat during any time of year.

How Long Does It Take For My Dog To Give Birth?

After conception, the typical range is between 58 and 68 days. Around 65 days is considered average.

My Dog Just Had Puppies. Can She Get Pregnant Again?

Dogs typically do not become pregnant while nursing a litter of puppies. They can go into heat again as early as 3 months after having a litter.

Can My Dog Be Too Old To Have Puppies?

No. Female dogs can become pregnant at any age, even though their level of fertility will decline over time. Old dogs that haven’t been spayed should be to avoid the possibility of puppies.

What Can I Do To Mask The Smell Of My Dog When She’s In Heat?

Rubbing menthol alcohol on your dog’s tail should help mask some of the pheromone smell.

One of the biggest problems that dog owners face when trying to train their dog to be obedient is aggression.  Aggression is a problem with a lot of dogs, especially certain breeds.

The key thing to do if you want to avoid aggression problems with a dog is to start with a puppy.  Dogs that are older are harder to retrain and are best left to those who have successfully trained dogs in the past.  Beginners should start with puppies because it is easier to create a bond.

One way to decrease the aggressiveness of your dog is to firmly establish your authority within your family “pack”.   If you don’t want your dog to do something, such as biting or clawing, you have to make it clear that this behavior is unacceptable.  The easiest way to show a dog that you are the dominant force is to hold the dog down on the ground in a submissive posture until they stop fighting to get up.  Place just enough weight on them to keep them from moving.  They will probably scream and cry as you are holding them, but this is not because they are in pain.

When dealing with a puppy, you have to get them used to being told “no”.  The first time that they are firmly told “no” and that you are the one in charge, they aren’t going to like it.  This doesn’t mean that you have to hurt them to get them to understand that you are the dominant one, though.  Holding them down and refusing to let them up until they submit is the best way to establish dominance in a pack environment.   This submission tactic is used in the wild in wolf packs to determine the pack hierarchy.  A dog will exert its will over people and other animals that it sees as beneath it in the pack hierarchy.

This same technique can be used with adult dogs, as well as puppies, although with older dogs that have a long history of dominant attitudes, it may take more effort.

House training your pomeranian isn’t much different from house training any other type of dog.  The main thing to remember about these little guys is the fact that for such small dogs, they have big attitudes and egos.  They’re strong willed and may take more effort than some other breeds because they like what they like and unless you start them early as a puppy, they can be difficult.

Setting up a place for your dog to use as their toilet is extremely important, especially since pomeranians are typically considered to be inside dogs.  This can be a crate or an area of your home you have designated for this purpose; but no matter where you set this up, it needs to be a fairly small area with just enough room for them to use a training pee pad and have their bed on the other side.  Dogs do not like to soil the area where they eat or sleep, so giving them just enough room for them to get away from it is best.  This gives them the impression that everywhere but the training pad is inappropriate to do their business in.

You shouldn’t keep your dog confined to this area 24/7, but when you are unable to keep an eye on him, he should be kept there to make sure he does his business where he is supposed to.  House training your little pom doesn’t have to mean keeping him isolated from the rest of your household as long as you can get him to a pee pad before he has a chance to pee or poo on the floor.