The first time young female dogs get heat is around six, seven or eight months of age and then the next time it happens again after six to eight.

We all like to say it’s happen twice per year.

When the first heat happens, we should not breed the female because she is too young at that moment. When the heat happens for the second time we can breed it.

After all we must check rule according to our kennel club and of course if the female is in top training “show or working “condition and if we are in middle of show season or working trials for sure we should not stop the training and breed her at the age of 16 months.

Breeding can wait but working or show success no.

In my opinion we should not breed the female even on second heat.

The time when the heat period will start depends on many factors (food quality, stress, too hot or too cold weather conditions and the proximity of other female dogs). If we have a female dog in heat and if we keep it very close to other females, the other females will go in heat earlier.

It can’t happen few months before time but it can make faster few weeks that’s for sure.

Good quality food (the food full of minerals, vitamins and proteins) makes females get heat on time and makes heat period stabile, normal bleeding and progesterone hormone grows evenly.

When the weather is too hot or too cold and it is time for the heat period, it is possible that the heat will happen later when the weather improves, again I say can be one or two, three weeks maximum, can’t be months or two earlier.

Heat period take about twenty to twenty-five days. After the six, seven or the eight days all the way till the twenty to twenty two the female can become pregnant in most cases if has no some other issue.

There is breeders who try to push female earlier than is her nature heating timing by giving hormones or getting an abortion after not planning breeding also by giving hormones.
This is not good at all, by doing this we risk uterus pyrometer that is heavy uterus infection where we have no many options for treatment but in most case the female must be castrated.  

So the female can get earlier or later in heat because of :

            – poor food quality

            – bad shape and bad condition of the female  “ to skinny or too fat “

            – weather conditions “ too hot or too cold “