Content
- male dog heat
- Dog in heat symptoms
- Dog heat season in males
- How long does a male dog's heat last?
- How to avoid dog heat in males?
Generally, we usually associate heat only with female dogs, as we mistakenly think that heat in dogs is necessarily marked by bleeding and fertility cycles. However, although it occurs differently from females, the male dog heat it also exists and it is very important to know how to recognize its symptoms to avoid unwanted litters.
In this PeritoAnimal article, we explain everything you need to know about heat in male dogs so you can provide more effective reproductive control for your best friend. Let's start?
male dog heat
Yes, male dog goes into heat. So let's start at the beginning: when does the dog come into heat for the first time? As in females, the first heat of male dogs does not have an exact date, but can vary significantly according to the size, breed, organism and metabolism of each individual.
Very generally speaking, male dogs usually reach sexual maturity. between six and nine months deity. However, if you want to know exactly when heat starts in male dogs, you need to be aware of the behavior changes that reveal their "awakening" to sexual maturity.
As dogs' sense of smell is highly developed, male dogs can sense with their olfactory receptors the pheromones that females eliminate through their urine when in heat. Therefore, when a dog reaches sexual maturity and is fertile, it shows some changes in its behavior by identifying that there are fertile females in its environment.
Dog in heat symptoms
When a sexually mature dog identifies that there are fertile females in its environment, its body begins to produce and release more testosterone (the male sex hormone). The high concentration of this hormone in the body is responsible for the typical estrus behavior in male dogs, which show that this dog is ready to reproduce.
Next, we'll review the main behaviors of a dog in heat and symptoms, in the case of males:
- Marking: the appearance of marking behavior, accompanied by the behavior of lifting the leg to urinate, is one of the most obvious symptoms that a dog has reached sexual maturity. When a male dog goes into heat, we will notice that he tends to urinate small amounts on various objects, with a certain predilection for vertical surfaces (doors, walls, walls, etc.). It is also common for a dog's urine to have a stronger odor than usual when he is in heat.
- Mounts: when feeling an intense sexual desire, the dog tends to have the need or desire to relieve it and obtain pleasure through riding behavior, whether with other dogs, with objects and even with the legs of their owners. However, dogs can also ride for other reasons, and riding behavior, when excessive, can be a symptom of illness, stress or socialization problems.
- Territoriality: when your furry reaches sexual maturity and goes into heat, you will see that it will start to become more territorial. Territoriality is present in all animals and is essential for their survival, so all dogs, however affectionate they are, will show signs of territoriality in their daily lives with strange individuals. However, in the case of males in heat, these signs are often even more intense and evident, as they need to ensure that other dogs do not interfere in their territory and with the females present in it. Therefore, it is possible for a male dog in heat to behave suspiciously, and may even be aggressive towards other unknown dogs.
- Restlessness and hyperactivity: a dog in heat (sexually mature), when it notices the presence of fertile females in its environment, is more restless, hyperactive and/or nervous than usual. Logically, your organism "requests" you to go to the females to alleviate your sexual desire and guarantee the reproduction of your species. These changes in your behavior can lead to destructiveness and incessant barking.
- Attempts to escape: during the peak of sexual activity, the male dog in heat may try to escape the house several times to find the fertile females it has detected in its surroundings.
These dog-in-estrus symptoms often recur whenever a male dog enters a period of increased sexual activity. However, a male dog will not necessarily have all these symptoms. every time you come into heat when you notice a fertile female in her environment, so eventually her owners may take a while to realize that the dog is in heat.
Dog heat season in males
Male dogs have heat but do not have fertile cycles like females, which usually come into heat twice a year, although this frequency may vary according to the breed and the organism of each female dog. Once the male dog reaches his sexual maturity, it can be said that he remains in a constant heat, having periods of greater or lesser intensity.
So, in the case of male dogs, dog goes into heat how often? As mentioned, the heat in male puppies is not defined in fertile cycles, as the heat in female dogs, and the male dog is always prepared to reproduce, from the moment it reaches its sexual maturity.
However, the estrus behavior in male puppies will not necessarily be present continuously, or with the same intensity. Generally, heat symptoms in male puppies appear after identifying a female in heat. That is, when the male dog perceives the odors emanating from the body of a fertile female in its surroundings, it enters into a peak of reproductive activity and begins to exhibit the typical estrus behavior in male dogs.
Likewise, weather conditions can also influence the dog's peaks in sexual activity in male heat. As in the colder seasons your body needs to store energy, the dog's behavior is generally milder and more stable, which also affects its reproductive activity.Even so, it is entirely possible for a male to show signs of heat during winter or fall. However, in general, the estrus behavior in males tends to be intensify during spring and summer.
How long does a male dog's heat last?
As it does not divide into fertile cycles, and is constant, the duration of heat in male puppies can be extended throughout your life, and the dog may show peaks of sexual activity throughout the year, depending mainly on the fertile days of females living in its environment.
Therefore, the environment is often a fundamental aspect of the duration and frequency of heat in male dogs. For example, if a dog lives in a neighborhood where there are many unneutered female dogs, it is possible that he will show symptoms of heat. constantly, by noticing a high or frequent availability of fertile females in their environment.
Conversely, if most females are neutered in the area where the male dog lives, these peaks will be less frequent, and the dog's behavior will remain stable and calm throughout the year.
How to avoid dog heat in males?
When deciding whether to adopt a male or a female, it is essential to be aware that a male dog will be fertile for virtually his entire life. That is, it can come into heat at any time of the year and mate with one or more fertile females, giving rise to unplanned offspring that end up aggravating the complex social problem that is the stray dog overpopulation.
In addition, if the dog escapes during peaks of sexual activity, it runs the risk of getting lost, having an accident and coming into contact with various pathogens on the street. For these and several other reasons, it is perfectly understandable and desirable for pet owners to ask themselves how to prevent or alleviate the symptoms of dog heat in males.
The only adequate, reliable and safe way to avoid heat in male puppies and to prevent unplanned offspring is by surgically spaying or neutering. However, it is important that you know that there are differences between these two procedures, and only castration is effective to control behavioral changes associated with heat in male puppies.
Likewise, you should always consult a veterinarian to make sure which procedure is best for your best friend. In addition to explaining the advantages of spaying and neutering male puppies, the veterinarian will also help you choose the best age to neuter a puppy.