RE: Heat
Hi nmarro
It usually takes about 3weeks for the entire heat cycle to finish. A good way to gauge how far in the cycle she happens to be is to put her in close quarters with a male and watch her. If she snaps at him when he tries to mount her, she' s probably on her first week. If she stands for him, she' s probably in the middle to last part of her second week. Mark this date on your calender, because she should come in at the same time every year. You can also mark your calender for about 6 months from now. She will probably come in again then. Some dogs only come in once a year, but most dogs come in every 6 months. One thing I can' t stress enough is, she may take a lot longer if this is her very first heat cycle. I don' t know why, but it seems like the first time a young female comes in, it can take 4 or 5 weeks to completely finish. She should be starting to swell up around her vaginal area and she should be bleeding some as well. The swelling may take a lot longer to subside, especially the first time.
If you absolutely have to hunt her, there is a trick I learned long ago. I had a coonhound that came into heat right at the start of coon season every year. An old hunting buddy of mine showed it to me. Take some vick' s vapor rub and rub it on her vagina and the length of the inside of her tail. Put some on the back of her legs as well. What this does is in effect hide the scent she puts off that attracts males. The vick' s is petroleum based and it shouldn' t come off unless she really tromps through the water quite a bit. It' s been my experience that most females don' t show much distraction until they are deep in the heat cycle. So if you use the vick' s she will be good to go and any males you hunt her with will probably ignore her. This really works. I' ve used it many times.
Good luck!
GH