shedding and heat cycle.

Question
I recently acquired a female boxer. I do not know her exact age - previous owner said she was about 6 months, this was 2 months ago so she should be 8 now. I recently starte noticing a lot of hair in our patio and started noticing a change in her coat. seems like the soft fur is being replaced by thicker courser hair. is this normal? I also have a 2yr old male that never went through this stage. he does shed but not clumps like this female. also when is she suppposed to get into her heat cycle. I have read that its at around 6 months, but she is 8 and no signs. what should I look for?

Answer
It's not unusual for Boxers to shed their soft puppy coats and grow in a smoother, tighter coat; it's also not unusual for Boxers to shed heavily at the change of seasons.  It is unusual for the hair to shed in clumps, though; if she's got bare patches of skin, there's probably something going on and a visit to the vet is in order.  Hypothyroidism is a common cause of hair loss, although she's younger than the usual age of onset; demodectic mange is another common cause that is more common in young dogs.

Boxers are generally a slow-maturing breed, so the rule of thumb that a bitch has her first season at six months and cycles every six months after that just doesn't apply to Boxers.  The average age for a Boxer bitch to have her first season seems to be around 9-12 months - though my youngest was 14.5 months and my oldest, 21 months.  The average cycle is about 8-10 months, so most bitches will not come into season twice a year.  The general rule of thumb is that you don't worry about things until a bitch is past two years of age and hasn't had a season.

When a bitch is getting ready to come into season, the first sign is generally that her vulva will swell.  (Not all bitches swell much on their first season, though, so you have to watch closely.)  She may become more clingy or moody, and her nipples may enlarge.  You can press a white tissue to her vulva when she comes in from pottying if you think she's getting ready to come into season - this will help you spot her first day of "color" (blood) so that you'll know when to separate her from your male.  A season lasts 3-4 weeks and she should be separated from all males the entire time - ovulation generally occurs on day 10-14, but it can occur far earlier or far later so it's best to play it safe and keep her isolated for the month.  Even some neutered males will breed a bitch in season - if the dog was neutered more than six months ago he won't get her pregnant, but allowing them to tie can lead to injury to either of them.  We have a two-door-minimum policy in our house between males and bitches in season - and that includes a fenced-in back yard as well, as stray dogs can smell a bitch in season up to a mile away and will sometimes 'flock' to the yard; dogs gone over, under, and through fences to breed, so you don't want to let her out unless you go with her, and it's best to keep her on leash even in a fenced yard.

Good luck!