Is she in heat?

Question
I have two Boxers and they are both 11.5 mos old.  Our female hasn't had a heat cycle yet but we noticed today that her genitals are very swollen.  We intend to separate them during her heat cycles so they do not breed.  Should we go ahead and separate them now or wait until she is bleeding.  p.s. They have slept together in the same crate since they were two months old and do not like to be separated.

Answer
I guess it depends on how much of a risk you want to take. Technically dogs are in heat for three weeks,. One coming in one standing and ready to breed and one going out. So you actually only have to worry about that middle week. The catch is being sure that you don't err on the side of not enough caution. Some dogs are very clean and it's difficult to tell when they begin to bleed. Some dogs there is just no missing it. Generally their cycle starts with swelling and then goes to light bleeding which quickly turns dark red, and then begins to lighten up, When it is a light pinkish color is usually the middle part of the cycle and the part they will stand for breeding. If she begins flirting with him, bowing and wagging and being a bit of a floozy, you better separate them quickly. If you work., this could happen while you're gone. Some dogs cycles are not regular and they fly through one part and lag in another. Some dogs are only in for a few days and breeding can occur when you least expect it. Just like six months is the rule of thumb for the average dog to go between cycles, everything is ONLY a rule of thumb They can come in every four months, only once a year or even every other year. I would start separating them for a little bit at a time now, too bad that couldn't have been done earlier. Being an experienced dog owner I would trust myself to know the signs of standing heat and get her out of there prior to the breeding occurring. But it's a tricky thing. IF you choose to do that I would watch behavior more than anything else. If she is spinning, flirting as I said earlier, turning her rear to face him and getting irritated if he isn't paying attention to her. You better get her out quickly :).
Please let me know what you decide to do and how the dogs do when separated.
thanks much!
Diane