Striker, Bibi and new "issues"

[***Melissa***]

Remember I posted about Bibi who is a little insecure, and I think it has to do with going through a fear stage, and also the bad experience at the university’s vet waaay back?

Anyway, so where she would normally preferred to lay on her own couch rather than with us, for the past month or so she would even come lay on my lap or so (by herself). So that’s awesome. She still doesn’t like to be touched much, but it’s fine. Maybe one day she’ll ask to be touched (as in stroked or so), but even if she never does, we are fine with it. As far as I can tell she likes it when we scratch her chest and sides and just below her ears, but we don’t do it unless she asks for it.

All and all, she’s much better, and much more confident; I’m very happy!!

--------------

The last 3 or 4 days she’s taken up barking at everything. We live in an apartment in a complex, so where our yard and apartment ends, it’s just more grass – not a busy road or people walking by. So I’m not sure what she barks at. Striker ignores her barks completely, so he’s obviously not bother by whatever she’s barking at. I keep her inside and accompany her when outside. I keep the doors closed, and the radio / tv on to block other sounds, and keep the curtains closed as far as possible – but we have windows that stretches from the floor to the ceiling so it’s easy for her to get behind the curtain and still see outside (although, there’s really not much to see – as far as I can tell though).

I would like to understand this sudden barking – could it be because she’s more confident / or am I not reading her correctly and she’s afraid / or something else? I want to work on the barking, but first I want to see why it is she barks. I just feel that if I have a better understanding I will know what to do what’s best for her.

I’m not sure what else could be relevant, so please ask questions so I can clarify if necessary.

----------------

Aaaaand last question
A while ago I commented on I think Leigha’s post that Striker suddenly started to hump Bibi, and I was wondering whether Bibi might be close to her season – that’s why Striker humped her?

Background info: Striker never humped nobody or nothing, not even as a puppy. Then it was the Bibi-humping…was it about a month ago…? But he did it once – I took him off her, and then we watched them the whole time. He tried to hump her again a few times, and then he stopped to try, and it has never happened again.

Bibi wasn’t in season either, so I have no idea what the 2 days of trying to hump her was all about, but it’s over, so I don’t think I have any reason to worry about that.

But…

Last night I noticed Striker licking Bibi’s ladybits. She was laying on her back on the couch, he layed beside her on his tummy, and he licked her bits. She didn’t seem to mind. I didn’t last long – maybe 30 seconds or so. I didn’t do anything, because I didn’t know what it meant, if it was normal, or what?

I also don’t know if it’s in anyway related to the humping?

Should I be worried about the ladybits licking? Is it normal? Does it mean Bibi is maybe close to her season? Again, I just want a better understanding of why it’s happening, and whether it’s something to worry about or not.

[Nettle]

I'll go for the last question, as it's pretty complicated.

Is she due another season? Sometimes they have what is called a 'silent' season, meaning there is little/no discharge and/or swelling. We have a terrier who shows colour for 2 or 3 days and then only has a little swelling - but the other dogs tell us she is in season.

Is she at all off-colour? Sometimes there is an infection, an abscess or something else not quite right which makes her smell different enough for another dog to hump - not from sex but because the smell is strange. With whole b itches we must always consider pyometra, and though it is highly unlikely after around 10 weeks from a season, we do need to be aware of the possibility. A good vet can feel swelling in the uterus from the outside, and will show you how to as well. You must have a vet you can trust though - some here automatically say every whole b itch has pyo because they have not the experience of whole b itches. One tried to tell me that when the poor dog was suffering from an intestinal rupture. (yours is NOT suffering from that).

Sometimes ladybits licking means nothing at all - they were just there and he fancied a lick. So don't think it's something awful just because I suggested pyo - just a matter of keeping a watchful eye on your dogs - which of course you are doing which is why you posted here.

[***Melissa***]

Thanx Nettle. Sorry for only replying now, didn't have access to internet over the weekend.

I'll go for the last question, as it's pretty complicated.

Is she due another season? Sometimes they have what is called a 'silent' season, meaning there is little/no discharge and/or swelling. We have a terrier who shows colour for 2 or 3 days and then only has a little swelling - but the other dogs tell us she is in season.

She'll be 1 year on 16 November, so I don't think she can be due for another season. But I also doubt she had a season already

Striker humping her was a few weeks ago, maybe a month or two ago already, and I thought she might be close to her season, but it stopped as suddenly as it began, so didn't make much of it. He tried to hump her for about 2 days, but randomly - like maybe 2 or 3 times a day, not the whole day. (When we saw the humping we watched him closely and made sure he didn't get the chance to hump her). And then he stopped trying. I did check her ladybits and watched her closely, but she wasn't different, it wasn't swollen, and I couldn't see any discharge. Also, we didn't have probs with any male dogs ons walks, etc. So I *don't think* she had her season then. Except if that was her first season, but it was a silent season?

The licking occured last week (a month or what since the humping), so I'm not even sure if it's related

Is she at all off-colour? Sometimes there is an infection, an abscess or something else not quite right which makes her smell different enough for another dog to hump - not from sex but because the smell is strange. With whole b itches we must always consider pyometra, and though it is highly unlikely after around 10 weeks from a season, we do need to be aware of the possibility. A good vet can feel swelling in the uterus from the outside, and will show you how to as well. You must have a vet you can trust though - some here automatically say every whole b itch has pyo because they have not the experience of whole b itches. One tried to tell me that when the poor dog was suffering from an intestinal rupture. (yours is NOT suffering from that).

No, she's not off colour at all, but I will get her checked out if you think it's necessary. I few months ago I found a better vet in another town, so I'll take Bibi there.

Sometimes ladybits licking means nothing at all - they were just there and he fancied a lick. So don't think it's something awful just because I suggested pyo - just a matter of keeping a watchful eye on your dogs - which of course you are doing which is why you posted here.

I watched them the whole weekend, and he didn't lick her again, so maybe he just fancied a lick I do hope that was the case.

[Nettle]

If she's otherwise her usual self, then I don't think it's anything to worry about, but I am here and you have the dogs in front of you, so rely on your very good intuition and powers of observation.