Can those of you with entire males and females in the same household offer any advice on how you manage the situation when the bitch is in season?

We are on day 14 now and I hope to mate Mo this season (progesterone is rising very slowly, last Monday 4.4nmol/L, Thursday 4.7, just had a test today but won't get results until tomorrow). By the way Frederick (15 months old) has been acting since yesterday I think there has been a rise and we are visiting the stud this evening to see how things go. She's telling him off in no uncertain terms and she grumbled at dogs in the vets so I'm really not sure if she's ready or not.

When it's quiet, and as long as he can see her he's OK but if anyone moves it's absolute mayhem. Jumping over extra tall baby gates and scrabbling at doors, constant barking, panting etc. I've just put him in the car to have a breather and will take him out for a walk in a minute, but any tips would be welcome!

It can be a nightmare - I used to have both, and my boy would howl, pant, whine, constantly, even if we put him upstairs with all doors closed between him and the bitch. I tried spending time with him but he wasn't interested in humans at all at that time of course, and this is a usually velcro cuddly toy breed! He either wouldn't eat or he would eat and then throw up because he was so worked up. As a preference I had a friend look after him for the time of the season as he was completely unmanageable and inconsolable, and if I couldn't find a friend who was free and had no in season bitches either, my husband had to take him to the office during the day, where he slept from exhaustion of the howling all evening, and he could have his meals there and digest them before coming home, so at least he didn't lose weight and condition during the time. But it was very annoying and upsetting for us all - I miss him like mad (he died 4 years ago now) but the difference in the household during seasons is so much easier to cope with!

Board the dog away from first week and not back until past 28 days.

If they have to be in same house strict segregation, and separate exercise/toileting areas, so dog can't smell or see bitch at all, as if he can sniff where she wees he will know exactly what stage she has reached and get more upset/keen to get to her..

For me it's just not worth the hassle to own both sexes and I stick to bitches only. ;)

I have 2 males and 2 females. One female is neutered but the other is entire. I have 3 cages set up in my living room. I obviously don't need one for the neutered bitch ;-) I have all 3 in cages, and only let one out at a time. The female is watched like a hawk when she is out and about, just so that she doesn't get near the boys in their cages. Her cage is jammed so that only the door is available for the boys to sniff. I then take her and put her in a separate cage in my bedroom at night but I have 3 weeks of very little sleep :-)

I've done this for years and haven't had a mistake since doing this. My oldest boy taught me that it can be done. He used to pine when he wasn't with me, but is fine so long as he can see his girlfriend. He would lose weight, wouldn't eat, would cry, the lot. Now he sees her he is fine, he just goes to sleep.

>Her cage is jammed so that only the door is available for the boys to sniff.

I have seen what is left of a crate where a determined male has taken it apart to get at the bitch.

Certainly with my breed it would be next to impossible to live with a male in view of an in season bitch that he wasn't being mated to.

My latest litter the male was so keen on my girl, that when she was crated in the same room with him he was pushing a great big 48 inch crate all over the room with her in it, and this was after he had mated her twice!!! I thought he'd have heart failure, he was so worked up, and this is a male of 7.

In the end we had to keep her upstairs.

I have had studs stay with me, and they have been like Derby and Joan once the first mating had been achieved, able to be together under supervision, and would only mate the bitch when introduced first thing after morning pees..

With our bitches, we'd have them in a completely other part of the house, and minimise any areas where they might 'cross over'.   In the most recent house we had with this going on, my in-season bitches were up in my bedroom, with a crate and an ex-pen to extend the area they had up there.   The only place there was a cross, was at the bottom of the stairs (floor was tiled there) - she went out front to empty and once back in again (when this happened, the door to the kitchen was shut with the boys in there and we had a baby gate across the bottom of the stairs and another across the upstairs bedroom door) the small area was wiped with disinfectant to help minimise the scent of her.   It was still a nightmare with them carrying on, and us vaulting barriers.   Those were the times when I'd have welcomed outside kennelling.   And for sure, when retired, all my bitches were spayed!!

He is far, far worse if he can't see her. At the moment they are fast asleep at a baby gate, one is one side, the other the other side. Mum said he was a nightmare last night when Mo and me went to visit the stud dog (and got a mating :) ).

Thanks for the tips.

I don't think I'd feel safe with just a baby gate between my Ridgies at this stage, all too easy for either of them to decide to leap over ....

They are supervised, so not just left, as I know he can clear them.

I too have one of the taller baby gates and then also a normal size one, upside down above the tall one.  Hope that makes sense.  It means you have a 'stable door' sort of set up which successfully blocks the entire door.  My boy too is fine so long as he can see his bitch......take her out of sight and the frantic behaviour starts.

The above has worked for me for about the last six years.

Hi,
I have an entire male with my girls. We sometimes have 3 girls in season at the same time. He has got much better as he's got older and only makes a fuss when he knows they are ready for mating now, but previously it's been making sure all doors between them are firmly shut when I'm not around and keeping them separate, preferably not even being able to see her, when I'm with them.
I know how it upsets them and it's not easy but hopefully with age he will get a bit more sensible about the whole thing.
Good luck :)
Melissa

> I know how it upsets them and it's not easy but hopefully with age he will get a bit more sensible about the whole thing.

Yes, I'm hoping with age things will get a little easier, after all at 15 months his hormones will be all over the place. He's been spot on timing-wise with his behaviour coinciding with her progesterone results which may prove handy in the future. :)