Timing for Frenchie's first estrus?

[J. M. Alexander]

Hi!

We're just getting to know our first Frenchie, Brie. We've had Basset Hounds, Shar Pei and Great Danes in the past. Brie's main job in life is our pet. We don't plan to breed her. She just turned 5 months. I've noticed fur growing over her belly in the last week or so. When do most Frenchie ladies get their first heat?

Also, I read somewhere that Frenchies go into heat only once each year. What has your experience been regarding onset and frequency of estrus?

Thanks for your answers in advance.

[Diane]

Our frenchie went into heat at 5 1/2 months then again at 10 we had her spayed.months The vet says they are different

[J. M. Alexander]

It sounds as though I need to contact her breeder to find out the line's characteristics. We've bred Shar Pei and Danes. They are fairly predictable, but have their own fertility quirks.

[Tatiana]

French Bulldogs can be rather unpredicatable compared to other dog breeds... It's NOT as estrus or a period... Just the opposite, in fact... It's called a heat cycle and they become fertile, unlike human females that experience the total opposite.

Frenchie females can experience a first heat cycle any time between 6 months to a year-and-a-half... A friend, for example, has a Frenchie that experienced her first heat cycle at 13 months... After the first heat cycle, a Frenchie will develop their own heat-cycle pattern... Some females experience them every 6 months whereas some have them every 8, 9 or 11 months after that until they're bred or spayed.

A Frenchie could go into heat only once in a given year if she were on a 9 month cycle following a first heat cycle at 11 months, but then they'd probably have two heat cycles the third or fourth year... As an example, say a female had her first heat cycle at 11 months during the month of November of 2009... Her next heat cycle 9 months later would take place in August of 2010, and then in 2011 she would experience a heat cycle in May of 2010 followed by 2 heat cycles in 2012: February and November. Again, each Frenchie is different depending on their lineage and their own internal timeclock.

Good luck!