A common topic of conversation on our group chats is, when will I know when my sausage is coming into season, and what do I have to do?
The answer is very little actually, but be aware of the signs and be ready for them.
All my Sausages have had their first season between the age of 6 and 10 months and they have lasted for around 4 weeks.
You might notice some behaviour changes on the days running up to their season. Some of our girls, in particular Skittles and Malone, they get quite short tempered and are agitated with the other girls. Maggie and Daisy are extra quiet on the days leading up to their season. They are clingier and more loving. Nutella is a total drama queen and goes off her food and spends all day in her bed! I suppose, let’s face it, as women, we are all different too.
You may notice first of all that her vulva has become swollen and is more pink in colour. You may see this for a few days and then you will notice she has started spotting blood. Some Sausages are super good at cleaning themselves so you may not notice at first. This blood will become lighter and more watery in texture as her season progresses until it stops completely.
You will also notice she urinates more frequently during her season. This is her naturally marking/scenting as she becomes fertile. If you have an entire male in your home too, you need to be VERY careful when your girl is in season. Ideally, he needs to be packed off on a short holiday! If this isn’t possible then you MUST keep them apart. You will be amazed how quickly your girl will go from being totally disinterested in her male pet companion to being the biggest tease and most flirtatious minx you have ever seen! Mother nature takes over here and it’s remarkable to watch. The truth is, like us humans, there is a limited window that your girl is fertile. However, semen can live quite comfortably inside the female reproductive tract for up to as long as 7 days, thus extending this dangerous window of time that they need to be apart. My advice – Better to be cautious and keep them apart the entirety of the season.
I’m always asked, can I walk my Sausage when she is in season? We walk all of our girls on leads when in Season. We make no changes to their exercise.
Can she go to puppy socialisation classes? I would suggest not. I think it’s a little unfair on the males on the course who she may be driving wild and distracting, not to mention the safety element of having to keep them apart.
Once your girl has her first season, she has typically reached her adult size. We have noticed very little increase in size and weight of our Sausages after their first season.
I hope this has been helpful to you guys.
At the time I write this blog, I have two girls having their first season, Edie and Elsie, sisters, both 9 months old. We have one young male with us who is being driven wild, poor fella! Let me tell you, it is a military operation keeping them apart!
