Elsie's Ripe; Ridge is Bonkers

Well, I'm back from my out-of-town speaking engagement. The engagement went well (great group), and the crew here welcomed me home with open arms (hubby) and sloppy kisses (the canine kids) when I arrived.

I'm thinking, however, that maybe I should've stayed away, like, say, for...hmmmm, another two weeks or so?. ;o)

Elsie's in heat, and Ridge is going bonkers. I've been home less than 24 hours and the two are already bouncing off the walls enough to make me want to hide 'til this heat thing is over (strains of Monty Python and the Holy Grail's knights crying "run away, run away" dance in my head).

Elsie started her first heat cycle just over a week ago: just spotting, really. She demonstrated no major physical changes then, but she was acting more subdued than normal. When I came home last night, though, I noticed that her vulva is enlarged and swollen, and now she's become nutso dog (wanting to be with the boys). She's still dripping, of course, and cocking her tail, and throwing her butt in the boys' faces, but it's the barking that will do me in.

Ridge, our experienced stud, is very interested in her now, much more than when I left. He knows what's going on. He's done this before (he sired litters for his previous owners). Both of their behaviors suggest Elsie is in her prime fertility days. But at ten months old, she's too young to mate and not yet old enough for hip and eye screenings. She needs to wait, and wait she will.

So, we rotate cratings between Elsie and Ridge. We keep them separated--they're not together even for a second. Only one goes outside at a time. We put them in separate rooms to eat. We crate them both at night to sleep (double latched in separate crates). Don works with, exercises, and trains them apart.

And Baxter, our neutered gentle giant, is oblivious to it all. LOL. He just goes along for the ride. He could give a rip that Elsie's in heat (heat? what's heat?). It doesn't bother him in the least.

At least one of the dogs is sane for now. That's our Baxter-Boos for ya; he goes with the flow.

Oh, and did I mention that dear hubby leaves for Ireland on a business trip tomorrow? I get to do this Elsie-in-her-prime-fertile-period-making-Ridge-nuts-time alone. Yee haw. Won't ths be fun. ;o)

LOL. And so it goes....

'Til next time,
Joan