What is “The Convent Effect”?

Why we might have (ahem) 18 puppies for sale at once.

There is a phenomenon, sometimes called the Convent or Dormitory effect, that can influence when we have puppies available. On Wikipedia, it’s called Menstrual Synchrony, and it is familiar to most women with sisters or who have lived in an apartment with a few female roommates.

As our females approach the beginning of their heat cycle, other females living in our home who are close to the same point can get pulled, either early or late, into the same rhythm in their reproductive cycle. I’ve seen females start a full month early due to such influences. Likewise, when a female is due to start her heat, but she hasn’t yet, a housemate can prompt that “pending” cycle into action quite suddenly.

My girls would never go into heat closer than eight weeks apart, if it were up to me. But it reallllllly isn’t. I can skip heat cycles, and I often do for various reasons. But there are also compelling reasons for going forward with a breeding when the right pairing is in peak condition and available, when other factors have postponed previous breedings, or when a much anticipated litter is expected and hasn’t begun yet.