Her vulva is not swollen, but I've heard that even before it becomes swollen, males will start to go crazy -- I babysat her brother and he was constantly sniffing her back end and mounting her -- and she would stand for him, which is unusual behaviour for her. Now I'm babysitting a chihuahua who also seems very interested in her back end. She is three years old.

We would never breed her if she was in heat right now -- she needs her hips done. Her heart isn't a concern for the breed -- Infact, there are no major health concerns in this breed. It is relatively underbred because they are difficult to find homes for. Eyes and hips are done as a precaution though. It is mainly behavioural problems that are the issue in the breed. She is already CERF clear. Her hips will be done before her next heat. I am going with OFA and Pennhipp, because Pennhipp is a much more reliable source. Almost all of the dogs in Visa's pedigree are OFA excellent, so hopefully she will be the same. I am not sure of the male's rating, but Visa's breeder knows all that. The male she is bred to is her decision, but she would never breed to a dog that has a rating less than Good.

If she is coming into heat, will she have another heat this year? I mention this because Visa's breeder wants to have her done this year. She doesn't like waiting until a dog is after three years old for their first litter. Visa's heats have always been 6 months apart from eachother, but even her breeder looked at me the other day and said "The dogs say she's coming into heat early."

Thanks for the advice