Happy Pets

Finally, you must decide whether you want a dog or a bitch. In my opinion, the old saying that the dog is dominant and the bitch is loyal has no credence. If you are not interested in breeding, then the sex of your puppy is irrelevant if the temperament is right. If you have no intention of breeding from your dog, then I advise that you have him castrated or her spayed. The ideal age is around a year old, but I advise you to consult with your veterinary surgeon on this matter. I am astounded at the attitude of many male dog owners on my suggestion that they have the dog castrated. Their usual retort is, ‘It’s cruel. You’re taking his natural rights away from him.’ In my view, it is criminal to keep a male dog entire and never let him mate a bitch. These owners are asking their dogs to live the life of a monk. The entire male dog will be in constant search of a bitch and, therefore, suffer mental anguish. It is far kinder to have him castrated before he reaches full maturity. Bitches that are unspayed and constantly left to cope with their ’seasons’ can also suffer a lot of mental anguish, with false pregnancies and milk. Eventually, the unspayed bitch usually develops womb problems that can often be fatal.

Much of what is said about the effects of spaying and castration of dogs is not necessarily true. Those owners who insist on keeping their dogs entire make excuses that their dogs will get too fat or idle. Any dog will become too fat if he is over-fed, and idle if he is under-exercised. All guide-dogs, male and female, are castrated and spayed and I have not seen many fat guide-dogs around. This is mainly because guide-dog owners are properly educated and trained before they are given a dog. What a shame the pet owner does not have to go through a month’s intensive training before he or she is allowed to own a dog.

If you are thinking of breeding from your bitch or having your dog at stud, think carefully. Breeders are not going to flock to use your stud dog unless he has proved himself in his particular line, either in the show ring, obedience or trials. Having bred puppies and kept a dog at stud I can speak from personal experience. Bracken was kept entire until he was two-and-a-half, for the simple reason that he was chocolate, had a good pedigree and was in demand. But in the end I had him castrated for his own peace of mind. He lived with four other bitches and it was heartbreaking to see him pine when one of them came in season and I didn’t want them to mate. There was no way I could keep one of the bitches or Bracken tied in a kennel when seasons occurred. They were all first and foremost my pets. Bracken still fraternises with the bitches, but of course it has taken his absolute urge away and he is a much happier and more contented dog. Breeding from your bitch is time-consuming, expensive and heartbreaking. I can’t bear to part with my puppies when they are old enough to go to their new homes. Consequently I have bred very few litters. Teak, our German shorthaired pointer is spayed. Buttons, who has had three litters and is now seven, will be spayed soon, as my vet strongly advised me that if she is left to come into season as she gets older she will have more problems.

Almost every day I meet the problems of the entire dog. To put it mildly they are a nuisance. Often, when my dogs are going for a walk through the woods, we are followed by frustrated males, despite the fact that our bitches are not in season. What really annoys me is that the owners of these dogs usually blame me. ‘You must have a bitch in season,’ they accuse. In fact, one of these dogs who was a constant nuisance to me, finally showed himself up for what he truly was—a sex maniac! In the summer holidays Kerensa always comes with me to the park, and she likes to take her own dog—a stuffed one on wheels called Bicky. One day last summer, our sex-maniac dog was in the park with his owner, who always accused me of having a bitch in season. The dog took one look at Bicky and let fly. He leapt on the stuffed dog’s back and proceeded to try and mate it. Being on wheels, Bicky catapulted across the grass, and the harder the male dog tried to mate it, the faster Bicky wheeled away—with the owner in hot pursuit, screaming obscenities about what she was going to do to her dog when she eventually caught him. My only comment to this irate owner, on retrieving Bicky, was that this dog was definitely not in season!

Give Your Dog a Match “Doggy Dating”

At this point, you could really do with a computer—the type used to set up marriages. You have masses of information on yourself and a litter of puppies, and you now need to sit down and work out which puppy’s temperament best matches your own.

The puppies with the most 1s and 2s are the most dominant of the litter. These dogs will be brave and bold, afraid of nothing and no one, and if you are looking for a working dog or a guard dog, then these are what you are looking for. And remember your own temperament: if you too are forceful, bold and afraid of no one, this puppy will suit you admirably.

The puppies falling into categories 2 and 3 are the middle of the road and will suit you if you just want an ordinary pet and are a normal well-adjusted family.

The 3 and 4 puppy will be very submissive, probably shy and a little nervous. This puppy will suit you if you are quiet but prepared to give time and reassurance and plenty of patience when training.

It is most important for you to take into account that each breed varies. Some breeds are more dominant as a whole and many types are of a shy and retiring personality. For example, a Labrador with 3 and 4 marks will probably not be nearly as sensitive as a Shetland Sheepdog in the same category. Sensitivity or dominance are not bad things. These traits only become bad when they are wrongly matched and handled. Shetland Sheepdogs make wonderful working dogs, and are taking many prizes in the Obedience ring because they are sensitive to their owners‘ wishes. But handled by someone who is all yank and yell this type of dog could so easily be ruined. At the opposite end of the scale let us take a German Shepherd of the 1 and 2 characteristics. This type of dog makes a marvellous police dog as he is bold and brave. Dominance does not mean a dog will attack. A vicious police dog is useless. Instead they are trained not to attack but to restrain. The bold dog will need leadership, someone to respect and look up to. If you are a weak-willed, submissive person, this type of dog will definitely not suit you.

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This entry was posted on Friday, July 4th, 2008 at 2:37 am and is filed under Dogs, Kennels, Puppies. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.