Two Easy Ways to Start Earning Rewards!
Become a member today!
Members-only pricing and offers, personalized care notifications, Vital Care points back on every purchase and more!
Already a member? Sign in
Become a credit card member today!
Earn 2X Pals Rewards points at Petco
when you use Petco Pay!
APPLY NOW
Learn More About Petco Pay Benefits

My female puppy is in heat. Is it safe to keep her with my male?

Updated on September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | Japanese Spitz | Female | unspayed | 7 months and 24 days old

Hi. Tnx for your valuable willingness to help for goodness sake. I have two 6-month male/female puppies (Japanese Spitz Cross), the female got into the heat, I'm searching for the instructions and "to do"s, though it would be awesome to be recommended a sourse and very kind of you, but my important questions are about what to do about the kids being together an all, within the cycle and after (being adult and all) is it safe to keep them together?

1 Answer

Most Helpful Answer

Answered By Stacey Anstaett, DVM

Veterinarian

Published on January 15th, 2019

If you have the two of them together while she is in heat, she may become pregnant. Even if they are from the same litter and are brother/sister, they will still breed if given the chance. Therefore, if you do not want them to breed, it would be best to either separate them completely while she's in heat, or have one or both of them "fixed." At 6 months old, your male dog can be neutered at any time. It would be best to wait until the female is out of heat, because the surgery is a bit more difficult to perform when the female is in heat as there is increased blood flow to the uterus.
Thanks for asking Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach!

1Pet Parents found this answer helpful

Smart Picks for Smart Questions

Related Questions

Training & Behavior

My female puppy is in heat. How to prevent my male dog from breeding?

You need to keep them completely separated all day, everyday for three weeks until she is out of heat. The male can mount her quickly and breed her if they are together for even a short amount of time. You may want to send him to a friends house or her to a kennel to keep them from breeding. You are right she’s too young to have puppies. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to help you get answers to your veterinary questions.

Updated on September 23rd, 2025

How to prevent my male dog from mating with his mother in heat?

If you are unable to have one or both of the dogs spayed/neutered then you will have to be diligent about keeping them separated while the female is in heat. I would recommend keeping the female in the house and the male outside because if you leave the female outside there is a chance another male dog could mate her. I hope this helps. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Best of luck.

Updated on September 23rd, 2025

My young male and older female: how to handle heat & when to breed?

Males can mate after 6 months of age. Females can be bred, ideally, after 2 years of age. Separating them during this upcoming heat cycle would be recommended if you are not prepared to breed dogs and have a litter of puppies. By her next cycle, both will be more than ready to breed and in the interim, you can gain knowledge regarding breeding and raising dogs.

Updated on September 23rd, 2025

Health & Wellness

When will my dog go into heat after May 1st, and is she safe at home?

Dogs typically go into heat every 6-8 months. If you feel like you can spot the beginning of a heat cycle right away you might be able to wait since she's showing no signs now, but I would definitely keep her separated from the male whenever they are unsupervised. To be safe you could also send her to your sister's since it has been 6 months, but she may not go into heat for another month or more.

Updated on September 23rd, 2025

My female dog in heat, male dog stuck. Is she pregnant after mating?

They normally stay joined for several minutes. Once the swelling from the male decrease they will part. There is s likely chance she may be pregnant from this but never a guarantee. The best recommendations are to breed a female after 18 months of age to allow full maturity. if she is younger than a year then she may need a c section to help with delivery. When she comes out of heat in 2 weeks then you can schedule to have her spayed before anything develops

Updated on September 23rd, 2025

Can my unspayed female puppy go to the dog park safely?

Thank you for submitting your question regarding Coco. A puppy her size will experience her first heat cycle between 7-9 months of age. So it should be anytime for her. The easiest solution is to have her spayed if you want her to be able to go to dog parks. If not, you will need to monitor her extremely carefully. A female in heat, but not yet ready to mate, will be very aggressive to approaching male dogs. She will only be receptive to males for a brief period during her cycle. During the mating process, the dogs will become physically tied together and you will not be able to separate them. I hope this information helps!

Updated on September 23rd, 2025

My dog is in heat. Can she get pregnant if housed with a male?

Hello. I am not sure why you want to breed more mixed breed puppies when there are so many available in shelters. The only reason to breed a dog is to improve the breed, not add to the overpopulation problem. Please think about this before allowing your mixed breed dog to become pregnant. This is a serious problem in the United States, & the very best you can do is to have your female spayed before she gets pregnant. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

Updated on September 23rd, 2025

Have A Vet Question?

Book an appointment with the pros – our expert vets are here to help.

Share