[Tagrenine]

Is it unusual for a female to go in to heat only once a year ?

Not unusual

 

[Ontariodogsitter]

Thank you, feeling better now..

 

[Brave]

I think it just depends on the length between seasons.

For instance, this is Lana's season dates:
5/20/19
12/6/19
6/24/20
1/12/21
7/31/21
2/19/22
8/13/22

So for 2020 she only had one season but it's just from timing. It will also depend on the specific dog's typical time between seasons. Lana goes approximately 200 days between seasons but Molly goes 268 days so Molly will most likely have more single season years than Lana.

 

[GrandmaToGoldens]

It’s possible. I’d ask the breeder if it was unusual for her girls. I knew of a line (related group) of border collies that came into oestrus every 11 months.
It’s also possible for a female to bleed so lightly and/or keep herself so clean than no one realises that she’s in oestrus. My Brittany was like that before she was spayed.

 

[Ontariodogsitter]

Yes I did, when Addy's first heat was at 14 month, I wondered if perhaps I missed one, so asked the breeder and she said that it is quite common in her girls.
Her second heat was at 26 month, so now it appears that it may indeed be annual.
That would be very nice, especially as of now it looks like we aren't going to have her spayed, less time and effort spent protecting her virginity