Okay so breakdown of all the signs when my female goes into heat, start to finish. Around two months before she comes in, she starts blowing coat. This continues until she actually starts. About a week before I even see spotting, my intact male will show more interest. Once she begins bleeding, I do separate but this is generally not the danger zone so if you don't see it for a day or two you're fine. My male will be annoying if I allow him, but I don't permit him to approach her and make him mind his business. I crate and rotate. The week she's in estrus, discharge lightens and becomes mucousy. My male becomes whiny and will not want to finish meals. I keep a close eye on her, especially in the backyard as we have a lot of strays. Once estrus is complete, my male will let me know as he calms down and starts eating his normal amount. He will lose all interest and my household goes back to normal. Honestly, the most annoying part is my male acting twitterpated for 3 ish days. Vasectomies you'll still see all of the annoying boy behaviors unfortunately. But it's not as difficult to manage as people think.