Hi All
Bob my dobe is an entire male and has just recently started digging trying to get under the fence. Now my next door neighbour has a bitch (lhasa Apso)The bitches season was in October and bred from so is her next season counting six months from then or from when puppies born? Is it right dogs can sense the smell even before she is actually in season? He's never done this before as when she was in season before he could see her but now after re fencing my garden he can no longer see her.
May sound daft question to some but I dont bred so am not quite sure on the timings.

Alison

Hi Alison,
There's another thread running about bitches' seasons, and they seem to vary as to when they next come into season after a litter. My girls always came in regularly each 8 months whether or not they'd had a litter, so going purely on my own experience I would say that next door's Westie would carry on her normal cycle - if she was regular at 6 month intervals, then I'd reckon her next season as being due in April.

As for entire dogs noticing - again it seems to vary according to the dog. My two entire males have so far (touch wood it carries on like this!) never noticed the bitch next door being in season - but they've never mated a bitch and might not associate the smell with sex! My friend's stud dog takes no notice of her bitches till they reach the fertile days (when he starts getting interested, they go into the kennel!). It could be that Bob is digging under the fence simply because he can't see through it any more!

Sorry I can't be any more help. :)

Well the new fence has been up quite a while now so didn't think it was because he couldn't see her anymore so at first thought it was kylie I suppose I just presumed it was her as she's the new dog. But then bob came in with with extremely muddy paws and kylie's was clean so it's got to be him. I also put the smell of sex out the window as he too has never mated a bitch. My next door neighbour says if she sticks to the six months then she's due in march so I must have got months mixed up.

Would castration make a difference (don't really want to unless good reason)? If this is because the bitch is in season I'm dreading what he's going to be like when kylie come's in

Alison

How old is Bob? It could be he's just discovered that digging is fun! You'll probably have to watch him when he's in the garden and tell him off if he starts to dig. If it's only started recently you can hopefully stop it becoming a habit.

There's a "chemical castration" the vet can give that temporarily mimics the effect of physical castration, to find out whether the operation would help. I don't know if there are any long-term side-effects of its use, but your vet would know.

Good luck :)

Thanks
Bob will be three in october.
Bob broke his toe three weeks ago (will be three weeks on saturday)Never posted about it as I was in a state about it and I suppose all people could say really was poor Bob. Then when I got over it happening it didn't seem important to post as there was quite alot of sadness on the board already and felt really lucky it was only a broken toe. So bob had a pot on for two weeks and on tuesday was redressed in just a bandage, it comes off next tueday thank goodness.
So after realising it wasn't kylie presumed it was because of his pot, but the only holes he's digging is to get under the dividing fence. So then came the season question?

Bob broke his toe jumping over baby gate at bottom of the stairs. He is feeling really sorry for himself. I have cut his food down slightly as obviously he's not getting as much excercise.(have I done right by that)?

Alison

Hi Alison,
Yes, cutting the food down to match the reduced exercise seems just the right thing to do. Poor Bob, I bet he's fed up - my boy hurt his toe last year and went through months of minor ops and bandages etc so I know how you both feel! I was very glad that neither he nor any of the other dogs took any notice of his bandage so the lampshade wasn't needed. (I tried one on another of them before, and all the others went completely bananas and teased her something rotten, so now I spend 24/7 with injured parties if necessary to stop scratching/chewing etc at dressings or stitches.)

If Bob is two-and-a-bit, then he's about through his adolescence, so the digging isn't down to puppy or teenage naughtiness.....he's a puzzle :). Perhaps the lack of exercise is causing him boredom and so he's just finding things to do? If it's that, then more (slow) walks on the lead would give him something else to think about till he can get free exercise again.

Keep smiling! :)

Bob doesn't understand slow i'm afraid lol:D
When i got him last year he'd never been on a lead:( and twelve months later he's still not very good, my training class has shut down and there isn't another close enough to walk to.(i don't drive) if it's not the bitch causing it, it probably is just boredom roll on next week:)

Alison