Hi Emma, While six and half months is generally early for a BMD bitch to have her first heat it is not unheard of. Are you sure there has been no bloody discharge? They start off with bright red blood which turns straw colour at which the aroma becomes stronger, this lasts anywhere between two to five days and then the discharge darkens again. Heat cycles last anywhere between 17days to 26days (my experience) the actual window of opportunity for conception is small but the bitch is still attractive to males and she will have equal urge to get bred as well. The clear discharge and aroma would indicate this is a time to keep her secured in the home with supervised toilet breaks in the confines of your yard. If you walk her up the road the discharge will leave a trail for Romeo to follow (rest assured he will not be a top Berner studdog:-) Sometimes very young bitches can have what is called a "silent heat" nothing too obvious with slight if no discharge but the mood will change and behaviour become sexual and yes there can still be a risk of mating.
One of the trials of owning an intact female is that you must guard them like the virgin daughter! Most bitches will cycle about every six to eight months but some shortcycle ie three monthly and these are most likely to have hormonal issues, some bitches go longer. Nothing is written in stone:-) When she is lying on her back familarise yourself with the appearance of her vulva and nipples, when all is small and hard to find her body is quiet. Its a good habit to "blot" her every morning to check for blood, use a tissue or soft paper towel and just press against her vulva keeping well away from the anus. When in heat her vulva will swell and nipples become a bit more pronounced, as she moves into what we call "standing heat" the vulva will be much softer and the aroma will be stronger. Some smell only a little but others are second to skunk!! It is best to freshen her up with a nice bath after each heat and wash all her bedding and clean your floors and walls and hopefully she won't have soiled your furniture. There is much ahead of you if you choose to keep her intact!! Showing in Europe is very challenging and entries are expensive, you will need her official papers to present to the show secretary each time you exibit and be prepared to hear what the judge may have to say. You will soon get an idea from the critiques and advice from others (asked for or not:-) about whether Tatty should be considered for breeding. A little scar and bump where her dewclaw used to be isn't going to affect her chances in the ring and don't start out thinking that is all that might fail her! Some bitches settle more ie grow up in their minds after a heat cycle but if her temperament is not solid and dependable then I would not recommend breeding her. I would recommend you socialise her and join a training group and go for group outings, perhaps join your national Berner club and see how she does when interacting more. There is much to consider when thinking of breeding and you should take all this in mind, it is a very expensive hobby and while those baby puppies are so adorable you are responsible for them. You must work with your breeder to gain as much knowledge as possible about Tatty's littermates and family background and make contact with other breeders' and listen to what they have to say. Some will be encouraging others may not, but in order to be a good breeder of Bernese you must take the love out of your heart, assess your bitch as if she belonged to someone else and then ask yourself if she has what it takes, then put the love back into your heart:-) Find a breeder of Bernese who will mentor you and they will help you decide whether or not you really want to do this. I have taken a few through "Boot Camp" deprived of sleep for over 30 hours returning after a messy C-Section and only wanting to rest, hah get the coffee on we have to sit with mom and the kids for a few more hours to make sure she has recovered well enough not to sit on them. Then its up every couple of hours for the next week at least to make sure they are okay and if you are lucky your partner will share this responsibility if not you may find your relationship is being tested! Rose Tierney
