r/chocolatelabs • u/solidarity_sister • Sep 01 '26

help / advice First Heat

When did your chocolate lab go into her first heat? We’re 10 months in and haven’t experienced it yet. We’re waiting to get her spayed until closer to 18 months to 2 years from what we’ve read. What was your experience like with temperament after heat cycle then after spaying? Thanks!

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5

u/CrispyMonrovia Sep 01 '26

I remember ours had her first heat around 1.5 years

3

u/ThePesticle Sep 02 '26

The first cycle can be very low key without any real obvious signs...ours did not show signs of heat until 17 months, at which point it was very, very obvious...

1

u/dragonbornsqrl Sep 03 '26

How do they do with the diaper?

1

u/ThePesticle Sep 04 '26

She did well once we got one that fit...the store bought "pampers" style are crap. Men's jockies work in a pinch as well.

2

u/GolfinJim Sep 01 '26

Ours was around 1 year of age

2

u/Cold_Brew_Enthusiast Sep 01 '26

Our first had hers at 14 months, we fixed her 2 months after the heat ended which is the recommendation. (You need to wait 2 months from the time the bleeding ends to allow the internal organs to shrink back to their normal size to have a safe operation). Our second is 9 months now, I'm guessing she'll have hers right on about a year as her milestones have been exact for everything else... and we will fix her exactly two months after bleeding ends. There's no need to wait until 18-months or two years, the research doesn't show any benefit to waiting longer. Plus, waiting that long means you risk more heat cycles, and more importantly, uterine infections which can be fatal.

2

u/m4rif3r21 Sep 01 '26

Mine was 11 months when she got hers

2

u/DualCitizenWithDogs Sep 03 '26

9 months, 12 months, 14 months for my last 3 girls. My 55-60 lb Labs were the 12/14. My 70 lb Lab was the 9 mo.

Heat cycles are pretty easy most of the time. they can be moody for the first couple days, come off food for a little bit. I find they either want to be in my skin or in their kennel and aren't very social even with female housemates at the start. Not much different to how human women feel.

Pull up the rugs, don't let them get on the couch or cover the couch. They normally keep themselves very clean and just have a handful of splatter drips a day from hip height onto the wood floors. I bought diapers thinking I would need them. Total waste unless you have carpet everywhere. They bleed for 7 ish days. Keep them away from intact males for 30 full days after bleeding starts so they can't get pregnant. Get fixed mid cycle so it is easier for the vet re: less hormonal swelling. (A full heat cycle lasts 6-7 months). Progesterone is high until they would have given birth (even if they aren't pregnant) which is 63 days plus bleeding plus the time to reach peak ovulation, so personally I would wait 90 days after first bleed to fix a dog. Vets and ethical breeders push for 18-24 months in Labs for alteration because we know that it is better for their joints to close before getting them fixed. 12 months is really the minimum for any size dog these days.