If you have a male dog in your home in addition to your intact
bitch, you'll have even more fun in
store. Forget whether or not he's neutered, your Romeo
will be absolutely fascinated with your little temptress. His
nose will pressed securely into her behind every moment she'll
allow it. He'll whine, pace and pester until both you
and she are at the end of your collective rope.
As much fun as it is
to have a female dog capable of reproducing, housing the
intact male
can be even worse. You'll know when your male dog
reaches sexual maturity because female dog butts become
utterly fascinating to him.
He'll lift his leg every
chance he gets to advertise his "availability" and
"sexual prowess".
He'll mount and hump
everything and everyone in sight.
Spayed or not, he'll eagerly sniff,
and if allowed, mount every female he encounters.
He'll also challenge potential male rivals (who may live
within your house too), and may refuse or ignore commands
because there's a female in heat within a five mile radius
and he's just GOT to find that enchanting creature is
right now.
Your intact male will climb fences, dig under them or jump
over them to find the object of his affection. He won't
be able to eat or sleep. Think of
the song "Ain't no mountain high enough...." and
know that is the tune he'd be singing if he were human.
This means your intact male
will have to be secured within your house at all times,
because you'll never know when a dog three houses down is
coming into season. If he's outside and you have
neighbors within howling distance, you won't be able to
kennel him.
Oddly enough, it will be the very
neighbor who refuses to spay his pet quality bitch who will
be the one to complain about your male dog howling
throughout the night.
When your intact male
is inside,
you'll be treated to his restless nights and inability to
sleep when a bitch within a five mile radius is in season. If you
want to house him outdoors at any time, you'll have to make sure the kennel is escape
proof. This is especially important because a male dog
on the scent trail of a female in season is more likely than
most to meet with a grisly end.
If all this hasn't persuaded
you not to enter into the dog breeding business, consider
this:
Breeding
dogs for the betterment of the
breed is not a profitable business.
Even if you do not factor in
the feeding and caring for your pet from the day you've
brought it home, the vet bills, and testing for genetic
disease, you'll still find more profitable ways to spend your
time.
My first (and last) litter was
born on my 29th birthday. I spent the entire 24 hour
period helping to whelp the puppies. When the last puppy
was placed, I figured I "made" .50 an hour
raising that litter. I figured my "profit"
based purely on the time I invested. I didn't include
the food, crates, advertising fees and veterinary expenses for
the puppies nor the stud fee. Had I included those
expenses, I would have lost money. Had I factored in the
care and feeding of my bitch, I would have lost TONS of money.
Fortunately, it was an
uneventful whelping, (only one puppy was born dead) so veterinary expenses were minimal. It
was beginner's luck. Looking back, I don't think there
was anything I could have done with my time to make less
money. I could have delivered newspapers and made more
money with better hours. I could have saved double the
amount I "made" by clipping coupons during that 10 week period. Now, 10 years later, I haven't had to take
back any of the babies I placed, so I've been extremely
fortunate.
Some day, when I can afford it,
I'll get back into breeding dogs. (I currently show but
don't breed.) Until then, I'll fall down on my knees and
thank my breeder
for investing the time, the money and her reputation to produce the wonderful
companion that
sleeps at my feet as I type this.
Before you plan on breeding
your pet, ask an experienced, reputable breeder for his/her
advice. Trust me when I tell you, they're not trying to
"scare off" the competition. If you still
think you'd like to breed, ask to help with their next
litter. You'll be
glad you did.
