Free breeder tool

Dog Heat Cycle Calculator

Enter the first day of her last heat and get her next expected heat, an honest ± window, and her likely fertile days — the same prediction engine breeders use inside Whelpify.

Day 1 is the first day you noticed bleeding or swelling.
Two dates let us measure her real interval instead of guessing.
Her prediction appears here

Enter the first day of her most recent heat and we'll project her next heat, the realistic window around it, and her likely fertile days.

How heat cycle prediction actually works

A female dog's cycle has four phases: proestrus (swelling and bleeding, about 9 days), estrus (the receptive phase, about 9 more days), diestrus(roughly two months of high progesterone whether or not she's pregnant), and anestrus (the resting phase that sets her interval). The interval between heats is the part that varies — about 6 months on average, but anywhere from 4 to 12 months can be normal for an individual dog.

That's why this calculator asks for two heat dates if you have them: her own measured interval predicts her next heat far better than any breed average. With one date it uses the interval you select and shows a wider window to stay honest.

What breeders actually do with the prediction

  • Plan progesterone testing. Book serial testing with your repro vet for 2–3 days after the heat starts — the prediction tells you when to have that on the calendar.
  • Line up the stud early. Chilled semen shipments and stud schedules are much easier to arrange with a two-week heads-up than a same-week scramble.
  • Open the waitlist before the litter exists. A predicted breeding is the moment serious breeders start collecting applications — not after the puppies are on the ground.

Common questions

How often do female dogs come into heat?

Most females cycle roughly every 6 months, but the normal range is wide — from about every 4 months in some small breeds to once a year in some giant breeds. An individual dog is far more consistent with herself than with the breed average, which is why tracking her own dates beats any rule of thumb.

How long does a heat last?

A full heat typically runs 2–3 weeks: proestrus (swelling and bleeding, roughly days 1–9) followed by estrus (the receptive phase, roughly days 9–18). Both phases vary by several days between dogs.

When is she actually fertile?

The typical fertile window falls around days 10–14 from the first day of the heat, but ovulation timing varies enough that calendar counting alone regularly misses breedings. Serial progesterone testing through your veterinarian or a reproduction clinic is the only reliable way to time a breeding or an insemination.

How accurate is this calculator?

As accurate as heat prediction can honestly be: it projects from her last heat using either her own measured interval (if you enter two dates) or the interval you choose, and it always shows a ± window instead of a fake-precise date. Cycles naturally drift, especially in young dogs and seniors.

Whelpify tracks this for every girl in your program

Record each heat once and Whelpify learns her real interval, predicts the next one, and emails you two weeks before — plus waitlists, applications, and a website that fills the litter before go-home day.

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