Cocker Spaniel in Heat

Question
Hello there.

We have resuced a female Cocker Spaniel. We already had a male at home. We saw last week that she came into heat. We did not want to breed the two of them, but with in a minute of being together, they took care of it.

We normally leave her outside, but we have a 90 lb Lab that has not been neutered. So we have had no choice but to bring her inside. Our male is going crazy. We don't want to breed them, but is there anyway we can calm him down?

Thank you,

Shannon

Answer
No, there is not. That is what males DO when they are around bitches in season. And the bitches can sometimes be just as bad as they try to get to the males. You need to keep them totally separated for at least three weeks, or farm the male out to a relative or board him until the bitch is out of season. Watch the bitch at all times when she is outside so a stray male doesn't come visiting and breed her. Have the bitch spayed as soon as you can.

And shame on the rescue who let you have an intact dog! They should have spayed her before releasing her.