In all my years of dog ownership I have only had bitches.  Now if I want a dog it I will have to have a dog.  The one thing that has always deterred me is the leg cocking everywhere. Would you owners and breeders of dogs teach me how to care and house train a dog before I buy one?

Never had a problem, treat as you would a puppy bitch, take outside to the area you want them to relieve themselves and praise when they do. You may go through a period of laps when they reach pubity that is a bit longer than the bitch.

I have similar preferences and don't like leg cocking.

When I have had male dogs visiting (usually stud dogs to my bitches, or friends males to handle at stud, apart from in the garden have never allowed the males to cock their leg willy nilly.

This does mean I allow them to empty at a suitable point (tree outside my front garden and not someone gate post.

I walk briskly and do not law the to stop and mark everything they fancy, but stop from time to time at a spot they can pee against (up a hedge), more for comforts sake not to mark.

There is no physical need for a male to sprinkle everywhere.

I´ve always had male (castrated) dogs and never had any issues with any of them.  However, when I took on a 10-month old un-neutered male (failed show pup) he cocked his leg 11 times in my house his very first evening!  I had him castrated and no further problems.

I much prefer males, never had a problem with leg cocking and have house trained exactly the same as with a bitch.
I don't allow piddling on gate posts or cars, apart from that, I haven't found males to be a problem.

However, when I took on a 10-month old un-neutered male (failed show pup) he cocked his leg 11 times in my house his very first evening!  I had him castrated and no further problems.

Chances are this was as much a case of him getting used to his new home, rather than being castrated. Certainly neutered male dogs can and do cock their legs to mark as well. My daughter's neutered male Papillon doesn't cock his leg at home but every weekend when he comes to visit here he has to wear a bellyband as he cocks his leg all over the place when he arrives.

The worst male I have ever had to stay was a neutered one who would cock his leg indoors everywhere.

This was primarily I think because mine was a house full of bitches as he did not so it at home.

Only ever had males and now have a bitch with an entire male and never ever had an issue with leg cocking.
My sister has had an issue with her entire JRT, don't know why him and not mine. My dad has always had entire males and never had an issue either.

I had an entire male for 8 years, he was used at stud a couple of times, and he did like to hump other dogs, but he never did it to people or cushions or anything. He did a couple of times pee up someone's leg when about 12 months, the 2nd time it was my leg and I caught him in the act. I'm 99.999% in favour of reward based training, but purely by instinct as I saw him do it, I got right in his face and really shouted angrily at him, and he never ever did that again, not my leg, not anyone's bag or crate, nowhere in my house even when my bitch was in season, and he'd been used at stud too. It must have been just the right timing to really get the message through! He did mark trees and posts etc on walks and I never minded that. My current old boy was neutered at 3 years old and is now 12, and I think he once marked in the house when my girl was in season, and otherwise he has never been naughty. I do have a problem with a LOT of visiting males, both friends' dogs and grooming clients' dogs, entire or neutered they often pee up my wall or sofa, understandable with 3 entire bitches in the house but still pretty tiresome!

He's not going to start cocking his leg til puberty, and as marking and peeing are two separate things, then it won't affect your housetraining of him at all.

What other advice would people give to those adding a new male puppy to a household of (in our case three) entire bitches? We just did it this week having previously always (well, for very many years) had just bitches. Not particularly cocking, but anything else to bear in mind? He's 5.5 months, and so far has if anything had a positive influence on the atmosphere. In season separation in the future is the main thing I'm apprehensive about. Some say it's no big problem; others that it's a real pain?

Depends on the individual dog and breed to some extent whether keeping him in the same household with in season bitches will cause an issue.

With my won breed the males react quite obviously and get very distressed, often loosing weight, but generally begin a pain in the ass with all the wining.

I would never keep one if unless I lived alone, t3eh chances of someone leaving a door open was always too big a risk.  I thought it might be possible when I remarried, but if anything I think hubby would be even more of a risk.;)

Also house layout makes a huge difference with management.  In my house the only way out into the garden is through the kitchen and the living room leads into it, so nowhere to keep a  male where he won't have to go right past the bitch to go to the toilet.

I know some people who have a living room and kitchen backing onto the garden have French windows in the living room giving garden access as well as through kitchen.

This allows for separation bit still means they are toileting in same area.

Some solve this by dividing the garden (if large enough) lengthways to give two separate dog areas, so the male does not have to use the same ground and not smelling the bitches urine, though of course he will still be aware, just not quite as unkind as having to sniff at what stage she has reached and the frustration with it.

So as a breeder in a suburban house that does not lend itself to good segregation I choose not to own males.

I have to say we've never had a problem with males lifting their legs where I didn't want them doing that (leaving aside the fact Bassets tend not to 'lift'!!!)    We started off with two males, 10 months apart because unlike you, I'd never been around bitches plus I prefer the male Basset, for looks (more wrinkle and usually bigger).    If you treat a puppy male in exactly the same way you'd housetrain a bitch, there should be no reason for a male to be less housetrained, or should that be more inclined to pee indoors, than bitches.    We had entire males and bitches living under the same roof, and my males wouldn't DARE mess indoors!!!   It's all about training - so ignore those who suggest you must castrate to prevent this.   Not so - the only guarantee with castration is no puppies.  

ps   Be aware, depending on the breed, some males are far more sensitive than the girls so don't come down too hard on your new boy (where are the smilies!!).   Be consistent, clear with your training - praise loads when he empties outside, correct only in the act if he squats indoors, and clean up the mistakes which will happen, depending on how good you are at training, and he'll be find.   You might use a crate for when you are not right there to supervise but only for 2 hours max. during the daytime.

However, when I took on a 10-month old un-neutered male (failed show pup) he cocked his leg 11 times in my house his very first evening!  I had him castrated and no further problems.

Chances are this was as much a case of him getting used to his new home, rather than being castrated. Certainly neutered male dogs can and do cock their legs to mark as well. My daughter's neutered male Papillon doesn't cock his leg at home but every weekend when he comes to visit here he has to wear a bellyband as he cocks his leg all over the place when he arrives.

I totally agree with this answer (although I'm not in favour of using bellybands - but each to their own, if needs must.   Again, don't rely on castration to sort this out - you may well be disappointed.

In season separation in the future is the main thing I'm apprehensive about. Some say it's no big problem; others that it's a real pain?

Oh it's going to be a 'big problem' once your male puppy reaches an age to know what it's all about.   Which is partly why once our bitches were retired, they were spayed - to cut down on some of the angst!    Some males are better than others but you may well find your male howls, barks, whines, goes off his food and loses condition once the bitches are up to the time they will stand to be mated - and that lasts until they are completely out of season, and able to tell the boys off.   I found no amount of me trying that was as effective as them shutting them down.   We'd bath our bitches at the end of their seasons, to help with any residual scent.    If you can get your bitches right away - the other end of the house, crated and behind 2 doors! - as soon as they come into season, so much the better.   And try to have an outside area for them to pee in where your male doesn't go!!!   We had our in-season bitches upstairs with babygates everywhere (and crated) and when they went out to empty, we'd shut everybody in the kitchen, take her to the front garden (big and fenced with gates) so the only place she crossed paths with any of the others was at the foot of the stairs, which I wiped over with disinfectant to clean up any drops, before opening the kitchen door again.   It wasn't easy!!

If you want to keep your bitches entire, you may have to think about kennelling (boarding) your lad once you see how he copes.

My boy is intact, 7 years old, and he only marks on off leash walks and a certain part of an on leash walk where I allow him to.  After all, who's walk is it anyway?  Checking peemail is part of a dog's culture so I do allow it on that part of the walk.  :)

But it might help if you think of it this way:  You have to train the boys twice.  First he learned which horizontal surfaces were peeable; grass yes, carpet no.  Around 8 months or so you have to start all over to teach him which vertical surfaces are peeable; trees yes, people and furniture no.  Simple and you will likely find he will learn the second time around much faster, since he aleady has the basics.  It's exactly the same as with girls when they are little and you repeat when they change their MO.

That said I am careful of some spots where other dogs have pee'd.  Like the stupid, dumb outside corner on my VEt's counter, covered in barnboard yet, which makes it impossible to get really clean of other dog's pee scent.  It 's not just intact males who pee there, girls do too.  And I get there, of course it's where you have to stand to pay your bill, and it's like I can see my boy thinking, "But Mum All the other dogs pee here."  :)  You have to watch spots like that.

This is interesting!  I groom at home and I can absolutely guarantee that every entire male I have in WILL mark if I leave them loose (e.g. when I'm sweeping hair up before they have a bath).  Happens every single time without a single exception.  Of the dozens of neutered males that have been in, I can only recall one for definite that did it (nervous dog) and possibly one other.  I had to set a cage up for the entires which I didn't want to do, because I got sick of mopping up pee even if I let them out to go outside!  Even that doesn't always work - a couple have marked out through the bars!

By Brainless (*****) [gb] Date 29.11.14 17:32 GMT
I have similar preferences and don't like leg cocking.

When I have had male dogs visiting (usually stud dogs to my bitches, or friends males to handle at stud, apart from in the garden have never allowed the males to cock their leg willy nilly.


Sorry Barbara - this really made me laugh!

Seriously, I've owned dogs and bitches, and I've never found that much difference between the sexes. Once you establish where they may - and more importantly - may not relieve themselves, its fine.    And I've always let them read their peemails (girls as well as the boys)!

I agree with others Re Castration, i have 2 entire males, no problems, never cock their legs indoors, my castrated male cocks his leg daily indoors!

Our elder boy came to us entire, marked in every bedroom 'once', moved house after he had been castrated & again marked every bedroom 'once'!

We've probably got relatively good physical facilities to segregate, with two back doors as you describe and quite big kennels outside. On the other hand we're/they're all in such routines of who goes where when and does what, and they're such a little pack with most of them mixed in together most of the time, that it's hard to imagine that level of such strict segregation for that length of time. I guess the only answer is to try it and see, which in due course we will. Thanks for all the advice. :)