Help with first heat...

Katalin will be 9 months on August 3rd and I am told by her breeder that the typical first cycle occurs between 9 - 10 months.

Her breeders females haven't exactly gotten aggressive in their heats but have been rather lethargic/moody/depressed instead. Is there anything I should look out for or be concerned with behavior or health wise during her first cycle? Should it be affecting the amount of food I'm feeding or anything else? Anything I should be aware of in general?

And also supplies wise - I'm getting diapers for her for when she's in the house and abit of enzyme cleaner for, well...you know. Is there any other shopping that I need to do?

Thanks so much everyone =)

No need to change your routine. Panties/diapers are a good idea. Physically, her vulva will swell quite a bit, even weeks before her actually heat begins. Her nipples will also enlarge.

My bitch had very few mood changes except for being a little snarky(er) over high value items, but many have more. She did mark quite a bit while in season - that's normal, they do it to advertise, lol. If you're in an area with roaming/stray dogs, be prepared for visitors. If not, you probably won't notice much.

My bitch still did leashed activities (walks), and went to a (quiet) pet store while in her panties, and did not receive any unwanted attention. Keep in ming I avoid other dogs while doing these things anyway, because she's not friendly with strange dogs. You should avoid anywhere with a lot of offleash dogs, even if your dog is on leash. Even if your yard is secure, don't let her hang out unsupervised in it.

Also be aware that at first she will bleed bright red, and then the, err, discharge will change colors and generally become lighter (some people describe it as they stop bleeding entirely). When THAT happens is when she's fertile, so bear that in mind! Expect the whole process to take about 3-4 weeks.

And, if you were thinking, "Oh I'll just have my friend's neutered male come over to play!" keep in mind that neutered males can and will still do the deed, they just don't make any puppies. But don't surprised if the boys that are "fixed" still want to get romantic.

My girl gets really mopey and doesn't eat for several days. It did seem to make her sore, I guess for some dogs it's like cramps are for people so that might happen.

Yeah, all of that -- especially the bolded part. *friggen Crash!*

And a big thing is if you're out and about, don't expect other people to control their dogs. Look at everyone like they're idiots and every dog is a male who could potentially get away from their handler and get her. I was so cautious with Simi when she was in season, NO dog was our friend for that little while unless I knew specifically it was a female, and even then, Simi was a little moody and so I didn't push her to be friendly.

My female was absolutely indifferent her first heat. Her second she was a bit lovey. Her third (current) she's a little light on eating, a lot heavy on flirting, and bleeding very heavily verses her first two were light.

I let Arnold, neutered, and Sloan, in heat, flirt and wrestle, and race, and play. I watch and prevent any chance of a tie though. It helps that she's in a diaper because they play in the house. Honestly he's not left his sheath at all but he does get all goofy smiley and happy faced when he gets to hump for a second or two.

Backup, my intact male, and Sloan will flirt but it's actually far less aggressive.

Sloan seems a bit more tired today and yesterday than she has before on her heats. She was a bit extra bitchy at the beginning of her heat this time.

We still trained through her heat last time but this time I haven't bothered.

http://youtu.be/4cUaBA6wvYY

Honestly it takes time to mate and tie. I'm not very nervous or paranoid about it. I am a bit more aware of her ability to interrupt male training sessions though and I feel a bit guilty about that part.