Anyone who owns an intact female dog is likely familiar with the signs and symptoms of estrus (or “heat cycle”) in their girl. It typically starts with a swollen vulva, then red discharge, and some behavioral changes. Pro Tip: If you’re not sure, use a plain white paper towel and dab her. If you see red on the towel, it’s time to up your management!
The hormonal surge of estrus can cause a few issues in a working pack of dogs- infighting due to a shorter temper and more assertive behavior in the cycling female, distracted males (even the neutered ones) won’t be paying full attention to their regular duties when the pheromones kick up and unintentional puppies can easily result when we leave our girl in the pasture through her estrus cycle.
Emergency vs. Urgency
It’s true that she is not likely to get pregnant on day one of her cycle (first sign of red show). However, without a progesterone blood test series, you will not know how soon or late she ovulates. Some girls are earlier than you’d think! And the start/stop of red show does not always correlate with when she is ready, either. Split and silent heats are a thing! Recognizing and urgently addressing a heat cycle is key.
So what do we do to protect our girls when their hormones scream “start sh*t and get pregnant!”? LOCKDOWN!
What is “lockdown”?
From the first sign of red show, our in-heat girls get isolated from other dogs for 30 days. This includes any female they may want to tumble with and ALL males.
Where?
Kennel run with floor and roof, indoor run/crate, or similar. Solid walls if a male can possibly get into the adjacent area. (Because dogs can tie through fencing!)
Outlook
15 years of running working (primarily intact) dogs has taught me that hormonal cycles drive good dogs to great lengths to make puppies. It is our job as the human in charge to prevent unnecessary litters. This is a management issue for many working LGDs, resulting in many unintended litters.
The Risks of Apathy
A single working LGD female can have a litter of pups with multiple sires, including her LGD partner male, the border collie from next door, and a passing mutt who smelled her 3 miles down wind. These pups are often assumed and marketed as LGD pups. This can all be prevented by a good lockdown protocol.
There is no market or call for a Great Pyrenees/Labrador puppy. Nor is there an ideal home/work situation for any other LGD/non-LGD cross dogs. Conflicting instincts can lie dormant for years until one incident wipes out your herd, and a review of the camera footage shows it was your own LGD cross. Producing and placing those pups in working homes is irresponsible.
When to Spay
The singular reason to keep a female LGD intact is to breed her in the future. That comes with the responsibility to properly and completely contain her when she is in estrus (lockdown), and even when you do everything correctly, accidents can happen.
So when should you spay your Anatolian Shepherd bitch?
Talk with your Veterinarian. Hormones have a variety of purposes beyond reproduction, and it is a mistake to spay and neuter young puppies.
If breeding is not your plan, we recommend spaying females after their first heat cycle (and neutering males after their second birthday if needed). BUT we always defer to your veterinarian as they are the professional.
Spaying after her first complete heat cycle gives your female the benefit of those hormones while also mitigating the risk of complications like pyometra. Her uterus can’t get infected if she doesn’t have it!
