Do male dogs go into heat?

No. Male dogs don’t go into heat. The estrus stage is what a female dog in heat goes through if she isn’t spayed. Male dogs don’t go through this reproductive cycle like females can if she’s not spayed. Neutered or not, your male won’t go through a heat cycle.

We often get this question from pet parents that come into our veterinary clinic when their male dog is driving them crazy. Has someone asked if your male has gone into heat? There’s no need to worry if your male dog hasn’t come into heat. Why? That’s because male dogs don’t do that. However, if your male dog shows symptoms of being in heat (especially bloody discharge from something that looks like a vulva), you should take him to your veterinarian as soon as possible. If the reason you are reading this is that your male dog is driving you crazy, it’s more likely that there are female dogs nearby that are going through their heat cycle. If you are at your wits ends, please read our article: How to handle your male dog, while females around are in heat.

At what age do male dogs become sexually mature?

A male dog reaches sexual maturity and is able to breed between 5-12 months of age. Your male will be most fertile when they are fully mature. One amazing thing about dogs is they mature so quickly. One day you are cuddling your little ball of puppy fur with their magic puppy breath. The next day your furry friend is mounting his stuffed animals. The best way to prevent many of these behavior problems is to neuter your male between 6 and 9 months of age. Should you get your male dog neutered at an earlier age? It isn’t recommended as your puppy’s bones haven’t completed growing. Their growth plates haven’t closed which allows their bones to grow as they mature. As always, talk to your veterinarian about neutering your male once it’s appropriate for their breed (some larger breeds and giant breeds mature later than smaller ones), medical issues, and overall health of your puppy.

What are the symptoms of a male dog in heat?

You may have heard that male dogs are in heat all the time. There are reasons for this sexual behavior. On one hand, males are responsive to the estrus cycle of females pretty much all of the time. Are you wondering how many times a male dog can mate in a day? Studies show that once a male dog reaches sexual maturity, they can mate up to five times a day. Five times, wow. So what do you call a male dog in heat? Normal. That is, when a female in heat is around.

You’ll notice even more symptoms from your male if you have an intact dog. Our first Chocolate Labrador Retriever was from a long line of prize winning Obedience Trial parents. As such, we decided to not neuter him so that one day we could have a puppy from him. Well, when he reached sexual maturity, he was more than a handful to deal with. He literally wanted to hump everything in sight. The hormonal changes he went through during puberty were very difficult for us to deal with. He would challenge my husband to be the Alpha male in the house. He would disobey commands that he had down perfect prior to this. On more than one occasion, he got so excited, that he couldn’t relax his erection. It was a little painful for him as the bulbis glandis got so swollen, he couldn’t relax. Our cute puppy had become sex crazy. Please note that the bulbis glandis isn’t a gland. It’s erectile tissue at the base of the penis that is responsible for keeping the male and female in a coital tie so that mating can be completed. At the ripe old age of 57 years, he successfully sired a litter of beautiful chocolate and black puppies. Our newest addition to the family was his son. We then neutered him and he calmed down tremendously. Another benefit is that it reduced his chances of getting certain types of cancers.

How do male dogs act when a female is in heat?

In a word, insatiable. When a female is in the estrus stage of her cycle, she is most attractive to males. Eons of evolution take over and your male will do anything to get to her. Unlike females, they can turn their willingness to mate on and off almost instantaneously. We saw that the first time we mated our Chocolate Labrador Retriever. At first, she wasn’t quite ready and didn’t let our male near her. As soon as she was receptive to him, mating was easy. After their third encounter, that was it. He wasn’t interested in her. She even tried to mount him but he wasn’t interested. Note that we aren’t in the business of breeding dogs. We had to endure almost 7 years of having an intact dog. This was well planned as we had dreams of having one of his puppies. He was super smart, very well trained (went through obedience confirmation), and had a very calm, loving personality. We researched his background to ensure he had no family history of diseases (such as hip dysplasia, testicular tumors, etc.), and was a very healthy 7 years of age when we bred him.

How far can a male dog smell a female in heat?

When a female dogs in heat, she emits pheromones along with vaginal discharge that will drive an intact male dog crazy. Even neutered males will notice her scent. It’s been found that her scent can travel as far as 3 miles away. As part of the canine estrus cycle, this was helpful before dogs were domesticated. By attracting males from far away, a female dog could mate with the most prominent male in the area. This helped ensure the survival of their species. Unfortunately, that evolutionary trait makes it difficult as our four legged fur babies can become unruly because of this. This means your male dog can start mounting things and exhibiting other sexual behavior because of females in heat a few miles away.

There are certain differences in how the canine heat cycle of male and female dogs works. When a female dog reaches sexual maturity, she has four stages of her estrus cycle:

Proestrus. This is when her estrogen hormone levels are at their highest. She won’t be receptive to males. This stages lasts about 9 days.
Estrus. This is when she is receptive to mating. This lasts about 9 days.
Diestrus. This follows Estrus and she is no longer receptive. This last about 2 months.
Anestrus. This is when she is recovering from her heat and lasts about 4 months.

These four stages are independent of external factors such as the presence of males, daylight hours, or weather.

Male dogs, don’t have those four cycles. Their ability to breed is affected by external initiation. In most cases, a male dog senses the scent of a female dog in heat. However, while male dogs can mate most any time, serious breeders use tests to determine the optimal time to minimize unsuccessful mating.

How do you calm a male dog when a female is in heat?

Intact males can be driven crazy by the estrus and proestrus stages of a female. Her swollen vulva and vaginal bleeding may not be within visual range but the pheromones travel long distances. So what do you do to calm your male dog that can’t stop mounting everything in sight? First, if you have the female dog that is in heat, keep your intact dogs separate from her. Like as far as physically possible far away. Separate them with physical barriers like a fence or closed doors. Nature finds a way and every male dog around will do everything they can to get to her. This can happen as we recommend not putting your female puppy through spay surgery until she has had her first heat cycle. We went through this with our first little girl and it was a trying time with our intact male. Try to hide or mask her scent with doggy diapers. We recommend disposable diapers as they are super absorbent. As they collect her vaginal discharge, dispose of them as far away from your home as possible and in a closed container. Keep your female dog indoors as much as possible to avoid an unwanted pregnancy. If you must take her outside, ensure she is on a leash at all times. Her desire to reproduce is very strong too so don’t let her out of your control. She may normally be super obedient but her hormones are in control so she may not respond to commands.

The other thing you can do is exercise your male dogs more than normal. Ideally this should be done where they won’t encounter the nearby female that is in heat. Letting them release some energy through exercise will help them sleep more instead of mounting the couch. And above all, please be patient. It’s challenging for you as the dog owner but please understand the raging hormone levels that your male dog is having to deal with. Again, neutering will go a long way towards reducing the craziness for both them and you.

Summary

You have learned do male dogs go into heat, what the symptoms are, how male dogs act when a female is in heat, the age male dogs become sexually mature, how far a male can smell a female in heat, and how to calm a male dog when a female is in heat. This will go a long way towards a long and happy life with your pet dog. And keeping your Pet Happy is what we all want.

FAQ

Question: Do male dogs go into heat?

Answer: No, male dogs do not go into heat. The estrus stage is specific to female dogs who are not spayed. Male dogs don’t experience a heat cycle.

Question: What are the symptoms of a male dog in heat?

Answer: While male dogs don’t go through the dog heat cycle, they can exhibit sexual behaviors when a female dog is in heat. These behaviors may include mounting objects, increased excitement, and challenging behaviors.

Question: How do male dogs act when a female is in heat?

Answer: Male dogs can become highly interested and driven when a female dog is in heat. They may exhibit persistent attempts to mate and display increased levels of sexual arousal. Once the female is no longer receptive, the male’s interest typically diminishes.

Question: At what age do male dogs become sexually mature?

Answer: Male dogs reach sexual maturity and are able to breed between 5 and 12 months of age. They are most fertile when fully mature.

Question: How far can a male dog smell a female in heat?

Answer: Male dogs can detect the scent of a female dog in heat from a considerable distance. It has been found that the scent can travel up to 3 miles.

Question: How do you calm a male dog when a female is in heat?

Answer: To calm a male dog when a nearby female is in heat, it’s essential to keep them physically separated from the female dog. Use physical barriers like fences or closed doors to prevent access. Exercise the male dog more than usual to release energy. Patience is key, and neutering can significantly reduce the intensity of your male dogs’ behaviors.

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Do Male Dogs Go Into Heat?

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