Going in to heat

Question
Hi Renee,
Like I I love boxers to death but this is my first time owning a female boxer. I have only owned males. Any way last night Duthcess was laying in bed with me and she started licking the blanket when I turned on the light to see what she was licking at there was a dark spot like blood. Now I did not see any blood any were on her but she was licking her self too. Could this be a sign that my baby girl is going in to heat or could it just be nothing. She is acting fine. Infact she is being more silly then normal when playing with me or Duke my male boxer.
I honestly don't know much about the females and want to learn as much as I CAN. Oh Dutchess is 10 and a half months old if the age thing helps you to answer the question

Answer
Hi. It sounds like she is in heat. Is her vulva swollen? That would be another sign. Their personalities can really change during heat, it's the hormones. Heat lasts for 21 days. When the time is right for her to be bred, and we don't want that at 10 months old :-), the bleeding will slow down and may change to a lighter color, her vulva will soften up, and she will flirt and flag. This means she'll try to put her rear end in the male's face, and flaggin means that if the male tries to mount she'll stand still and move her tail to the side. If you run you finger anywhere close to her read end during the flagging stage, she will move her tail out of the way. As long as the blood doesn't have a nasty smell to it, then she's fine. It's super important to keep them apart during this time, and trust me, dogs can be very smart when it comes to getting to a girl in heat, they'll breed through fences, jump fences, ect. If I can help with anything else, let me know.