BigGameHoundsmen.com

have any of you guys had a young female come into its first heat then have another heat right away, or have an extremely long first heat?

I had a female go into heat 3 months in a row. I had her fixed cause she missed spring bear and i wasn't gonna wait til fall to see if she was still coming in. The vet told me cysts on the ovaries can do that. They didn't find any on my dog so who knows. I've had no medical problems with her since and that was a year and a half ago. Good luck. Maybe your vet can actually say for sure.

Had a young gyp stay in heat 6-7 weeks her first time coming in. She is 7 now and has come in twice a year regular as clock work, 21 days in heat like all my others. if i were you i wouldnt consider going to the extreme of getting her fixed.....yet

What is the average length of time you keep a bitch in heat away from your other hounds? I dont want the bitch to get pregnant of course. Thanks Kenneth

general rule of thumb three weeks with the middle week being the most likely to accept a male. however if you've ever tried to accurately gauge some females with the intent of breeding her you will have noticed it can be difficult to be absolutely sure. if a male even shows elevated interest i don't let her out period. I don't spay /neuter most of my hounds. until i am sure of their quality. most are line bred so it is better that i not make the mistake of loosing the best hound by altering it. once i am confident of a dogs ability then i may. I can't stand a male that pisses on every thing and follows other dogs instead of hunts so if i need to spay a male for this it makes me look at the parents real hard before breeding them again. same thing as dog aggression they aren't traits i want and can be avoided by proper selection. some of the best hounds I've ever hunted behind have been intact males that would fool you into believing they'd been cut. if the desire to hunt and please you are stronger then these more natural desires your onto something.