Heat affecting the "heats"?

[nmplott]

I was talking to Brindle this weekend about my dogs having silent heats and he gave me the only idea I have not thought about was that high temperatures are affecting thier heats, which in retrospect makes some sense because if they go in heat in the summer the only way I find out is; finding them locked up with Nimmer as my plotts are kenneled together but in the winter it appears as more of a normal heat cycle. Does anybody else have similar experiences or an alternative explanation.

[pegleg]

high temps cause lethargy in every thing in order to help cool it's body this could be causing most of the behavior to occur at night when it's cooler. the most likely scenario is the females are worn down from the winter and spring hunting and the heat keeps their body fat levels down along with other key elements that leads to the body not having as much excess to waste in a elaborate heat cycle.

[nmplott]

Pegleg,
I know that significant dips in body fat similar to amenorrhoea that human women often endure when training, or under caloric restriction, however in the summer I spend a lot of time outside with them and rarely see any behavior resembling a heat with them, it is not until I get a picture message from my son of them locked up or one riding the other as he calls it. In the winter they seem to have full blown heats,

[Hunter]

I woke up today (I work night shift) to a note on the door... "Honey, Liz is on the back porch because she's in heat. I don't want another dozen puppies added to what we already have. Please don't let her get bred." So I instantly checked and my Lizard girl was sure enough in heat SO I ran her out to the lot and put her in with a male I've been wanted to breed to. She had no swelling what so ever but, the wife noticed blood on the deck when she went out this morning to feed them. Luckily I have a spayed male that keeps all the other male horn dogs outta the yard and that's about the only thing he's good for. Oh, and she let him mount her but, they didn't tye.... maybe tomorrow before the wife gets home. She will be PISSED if she catches me but, you know them male dogs... they climb fences when they are wantin alittle.