Once upon a time, a Newfie girl in a faraway land began her estrous cycle…
Guys, this is about to get personal cause Aunt Flo is in town.
Oh yes folks, it’s that time of the year again. And if you’re thinking that it seems like just a couple months ago that I was in heat — I’d have to say you were right! Usually Newfies go into heat about every six months…and the first time will be anytime between the ages of 6-12 months. I went into heat the first time when I was about 9 months old (right over Christmas) and then about 6 months later in the middle of the summer. I’ve never really been a very “regular” dog but I was fairly close — until this year. What a crazy year it’s been!
The estrous cycles of dogs often synchronize with the weather, so maybe that’s what has been happening with me. To be honest, our fall felt like it started a few months ago which was real unusual so my system is a bit out of whack. But I sure do appreciate the cooler weather already!
Now you might be thinking that a big dog getting her period means a whole lot of mess. But actually Newfies and other long haired dogs often clean up most of the mess long before it’s able to drop to the floor. So unless your dog just has an unusually heavy flow, it’s really all good. In fact, you might not ever notice a drop of blood anywhere.
But what you likely will notice is some crazy behavior. For starters, I stop eating when I’m in heat. I might pick at my food a bit and will probably pretend I’m hungry. But no matter what you put in my bowl, I’m not going to eat it. But don’t be concerned — losing a few pounds isn’t going to hurt me. And I’ll be back to trying to eat you out of house and home in no time.
Another fun fact about Newfies in heat is that we howl the most wonderful, toe curling, sad, lonely howl we can possibly produce. It’s like a nice long drawn out “”Oooooooooooooooo” that Mackenzie has now learned to imitate perfectly. She’s so smart. It’s sort of our love siren to let the other dogs in town know our plight. And I used to get the sweetest male suitors dropping by the front gate, but I guess they’ve all gotten older or their humans have invested in better fences, because they don’t brave the traffic anymore.
Another thing I do during this time when I’m not quite myself is walk around the house with a toy I’ve deligated as my baby and try to hide it around the house. Mackenzie actually has some excellent hiding places for toys, but she insists that her toy boxes are not acceptable for my babies. Guess I missed that memo. This causes me to whimper and whine about my ill fate of having no place at all to keep my baby safe…so I do my best to fit myself into the space under mom’s desk (which is really not Newfie friendly) which is the closest I can get to her without sitting in her lap. And if she moves, I’m up on my feet again following her around. I don’t know why that woman can’t just sit at her desk all day and not move. I mean really — the cats have that down pat. Where’s the problem?
And in case you haven’t gathered by my comments above, I’m also very needy and really appreciate more love and affection than ever for a week or so when things are really at their peak. I know that I get kinda annoying with my craziness, but it really is helpful for you to just humor me and show me a little extra love during this difficult time. All of this (the howling, neediness, toy loving, etc) really only goes on for about a week. Then I return to my usual awesome self.
Just as a side note, I know that a lot of people may be wondering why my humans don’t just have me spayed. So let me throw in quickly that Newfies don’t mature until about 12 months old…and actually don’t stop really growing until they are about 2 years old. Which is why it’s really best to wait as long as you can to have your big dogs “fixed”. Some believe that spaying and neutering are linked to increased or decreased cancer risks, but there really isn’t any real medical testing to prove that. But there are often more cases of incontinence later on if a dog is spayed or neutered too early and it can cause real growth and development issues.
Also, if you think that your dog must have a litter of puppies to be fulfilled in life or to prevent breast cancer, think again. There’s no proof of that either — and even after a litter, we’re still going to be crazy. Raising a little of puppies is way more work than you think, especially with a giant breed, and you’re not going to want to give all those puppies up. Trust me. We are freakin’ adorable!
Thanks for the extra cuddles this week, humans!
Too Cute. I grow up with 2 different newfies in my childhood, and I miss them.
Hi, Ayla this sounds very familiar with Mica and Lexie, just went through the all night howling
with Mica 3 weeks ago. The rest of the year Newfs are such a joy.
I absolutely love this! I’ve had Newfies since 2004 but never bred them. This explains a lot about my Newfie girl, Sadie, who turned 1yr old on Aug. 31st and then went into heat the next day (LOL). She is beautiful, smart, playful and has the most humanistic personality I have ever seen… Looking to breed her in another year… I also have a 9 month old male name Jax… those two are two peas in a pod… I nicknamed them “Fric-n-Frac”… bc they do everything together, especially get into mischief.
They are watched over by my loving matriarch Newfie, Tassie, who is 8yrs….
Hi Ayala!!! Who’s a good dog??? you are!!! I hope your babies are doing well. LOve reading your helpful information. What an insightful pup you are!!!!!!!!
I would love to find a group who can supply me with real honest daily life info with a newfie. I have a little girl named Brizzo. I want to really know what is going on in her mind.
Hi Paula,
There is a forum at http://www.newf.net/Forums/ that is probably still very active. Also, there was an email list which you could subscribe to that always had a lot of good info. To subscribe, send email to: [email protected] Within the body of the message put: Subscribe Newf-L Your name
All the best with Brizzo!
This past summer we got an older rescue newf who had been put in a kennel for the three weeks she was in heat. In those three weeks, she went from a skinny 110 lbs, to a fur-and-bones 90 lbs. when we got her. We’d never had a newf in heat, so I wonder if this sort of weight loss is typical? Thanks!
Hi Ann,
We never had any weight drops like that when Ayla was in heat, especially in a rapid timeframe like that. Hope she’s doing well now and on the mend!
Thank you so much for this! Just the info a new Newfie owner needs.
All the best to you and your Newfie! Ours is 11.5 years old and still doing quite well with a little help here and there. 🙂
how can I calculate the next time my newfoundland will go into season as she has just went off her food from the 3rd of August and has started this howling as you describe it she will be 3 in December.
We were never all that great at calculating it out in advance and every dog is a bit different, but for us, it was generally every 6 months. She remained having heat cycles until she was about 6.5 years and contracted pyometra. After emergency surgery, she recovered well and all reproductive organs were removed, so no more going through all that. But at almost 12 years old now, she’s just as crazy as ever!
I have my first Newfie and I’m a teen but I’m really worry to come to this situation. My Newfie, Luna, just turned 6 months and don’t know what to expect when she enters heat! Please help me with some advice
There is nothing to be too concerned about, just watch for blood droplets that you’ll want to clean up and make sure she does not come in to contact with other dogs that could impregnate her. Don’t let her run loose, just like any other time, for her own safety.
Hello Tiffany,
Luna just started her heat cycle today and I’m at school from 8am to 2:40pm do you think it’s fine if she stays outside for those hours in her Playpen. Also since it is her first cycle is there anything I can do to help her?
Hi Esperanza,
Is it closed off? Would she be able to get out or other dogs to get in? If a dog is in heat, male dogs in the neighborhood become very interested, very fast.
Our Newfie was generally very good about cleaning up after herself and never had large amount of blood flow. Her behavior would often be our primary indicator. Just keep an eye on her (I’m sure she’s done by the time you read this) and make a note so you can start to notice her cycle. All the best to Luna!
Love your story. I have two 9 months old girls. Marley just started her first heat and she is not feeling herself, her sister Freckles wants to play. I was going to breed them each once and keep one from each girl but I had a heart attack 2 months ago and have to much damage to my heart and there is no way I can handle two young pups. I have decided to have them fixed and not sure when is the best time. I agree with you that before first heat is too young. I was thinking a year old, what are your thoughts on this?
Hi Kimberly,
So sorry to hear about your health but hope you are doing much better. I am certainly no expert and haven’t visited this topic recently, but Newfies generally reach full growth and maturity around 2 years old, I seem to recall that it was recommended to wait until this has occurred if possible.
Wishing you all the best with your Newfie girls. Our Ayla is 12 years old now and just has goofy as ever – such a wonderful loving dog to have in our lives!
Reading this was such a relief!! I have a 10 month old Newfie that I believe is going into her first heat and has been NUTS. Your thoughts clarified some things for me, especially since all the other giant breed dogs I’ve had didn’t get their first heat until over a year old! Thank you for sharing, I’ll definitely be reading Ayla’s other entries!!! 💜
Thank you for the info. Wink just turned 1 year old, Mar 22. She is now in her first heat. Eating alright but clings really close to everybody. Seems to be less active and sleeping alot the last couple days, however, she is not howling. At least not yet. Wink is more an indoor puppy. We live on 20 acres but when we let her outside she acts like she doesn’t remember her own name, except if you yell her name and tell her you have a snack, she comes running.
Were still trying to decide who’s the boss.
Ayla was extremely headstrong until she was about 2 years old. Then it was as if all the years of training just came together and worked. She *mostly* behaved after that, but challenged us throughout her life. We recently sent her over the Rainbow Bridge at 14 years and 4 months old – she was the best dog that a family could ever ask for and they are truly a wonderful breed. Hope you have many wonderful years ahead with Wink!