[jilllovell]

I have a mini Doxie who will be 11 months old shortly. She is just finishing up her first heat which has been 3 weeks. Her nipples are still swoolen and her bottom as well, but not nearly as much. The blood is gone. I've been told that when they go "clear" that is when they are fertile. How much longer do I need to wait after the "clear" before she can play with her friends? Will her nipples go back to normal?

[jennapbt]

Dogs enter estrus (fertile point of heat) at about 7-10 days. Every dog is different though it could be shorter or longer. Estrus usually lasts anywhere from 4-20 days. After Estrus diestrus (ending phase of heat cycle) begins which she will be less likely to breed and can last for 14 days. If it has been 3 weeks and she is young her cycle is probably close to ending. If she shows any sign of kicking her tail to the side around a male (you can do this yourself by slightly touching her rear end it's very obvious when they do it) or if she backs into a male showing she is interested in breeding,I wouldn't take the chance of an intact male around her. I'd give it at least another week just to be on the safe side seeing as how I said a young puppy's cycle is unstable. Keep in mind a male can show interest up until 2-3 weeks after diestrus, even though the female will have nothing to do w/ the male and will be infertile. Oops missed the teat question... they will go down but will never be exactly the same size as her puppy nipples, they will be just a tad bigger.

[jilllovell]

Thank you so much!:)