Hi everyone.
As you might know I've been waiting for a pup for over a year now after several set backs (such as bitches missing).I spoke to my breeder last weekend and although the bitch I now have a male pup booked from is in whelp she is sure she is only carrying 2 or 3 pups.The stud owner may want to keep a male but otherwise nothing else is booked.
My question is-since the chances of getting a male( if the stud owner does take one and the bitch has only a couple of pups )are slim should I consider having a bitch.There are no other litters on the horizon until well into next year.
PROS:
Would be easier for showing since I have males at the moment
Would mean I would definately get my new baby
CONS:
Keeping the 2 sexes apart during seasons
possible increase in friction between my 2 boys
Any advice/experiences and views please!!
Archer

Hi Nicki, if you can't kennel at a distance I would find out if a local kennel can take an in season bitch for you, or would Barbara take her whilst she was in season. It can be done but as you have children you are going to make life difficult for yourself if you try to manage with in the house, when it would upset the dogs and although they may not become cross with one another they may well go off their food and squeak not stop.

It is so disappointing, hope I like the pup I am going to look at, have you asked Julie or Caroline if they are thinking of a mating if you like their lines, think you and I like the same type.

Haven't given up hope-still got my fingers crossed that she produces enough dogs.One may be enough if Linda decides she doesn't want one.I'm dearly hoping for good news but suppose just wondered about widening my options since I don't want to go else where.
When do you go to see your new baby-he must be 6 or 7 weeks now?
Nikki

Wont see him till I go to pick him up on the 9th of next month, had thought about going before but Lena is in Irland this week end and before now would have been to soon and next week apart from it being the hound club show would have been too near the pick up time. So I have an understanding with Lena that if I like one I can have it if not she will understand.

It is always difficult when the breeder or the sires owner want's one to show, I know you may not chose the same one but the chances are that you would, mind you with Street Wise & So Wise I would had I have chosen had the one I got, apart from him being The Sod I prefer what I got, and I am sure Linda feels the same. There seems to be a lot of people going for males at the moment if we are not careful the amount of brood bitches about in a couple of years time will be very few.

Think this is going to turn in to a Elkhound News letter in a moment so I will keep my fingers crossed for you and let you know of anything I hear of that I think you may like. Better e-mail if I do :D

Nicki

Really only you can answer that question. We have had a similar situation with Cattle Dogs and have been waiting over a year now, 2 misses and the last litter only had one blue which the breeder was keeping. However we were determined we wanted a blue boy and 2 weeks ago an all blue litter was born. Not sure I would have considered a bitch (although my current dog and bitch are neutered) as we weren't confident our current bitch would accept another. As Jackie said it could possibly be real hell for 3 weeks every 6 or so months, are you willing to go through the hassle, or to not have your bitch or dogs with you for that length of time? Are your male dogs likely to fight over the bitch, females of every species seem to have the knack of winding up the males at the best of times! :)

Good Luck with your decision

Hayley

Would it be out of the question to spay the bitch (at the appropriate time, of course)? If the bitch was spayed, two entire males and a bitch will usually get along fine - the bitch is still likely to eventually rule the roost

If not spayed, two entire dogs may get stroppy with each other with a bitch in season in the house - but it depends on the individual dog. Does your house/garden/kennel situation allow dogs and bitch to be separate for every season for x number of years without the chance of accidents? If not, do you want to put the bitch into kennels for every season for x number of years? Many kennels won't take bitches in season, for obvious reasons, so it may mean kennelling your lads every season.

Hi there i have a bloodhound dog staff dog pom dog and pom and chihuahua bitches.But i manage with no major problems,its a bit difficult when they are in season but they are worth it.I mean imagine a bloodhoundx chihuahua.mmmmmmmmmmm I always find the bitches are the picky fighting ones to each other.

I would say don't do it. Have seen how much hassle friends have that have both sexes in an average domestic setting. with children added to the equation makes it even more stressful with reminding about doors etc, and the whining will drive you mad. Also it is very likely the boys could fall out over the girl, as they will know she is coming in season sometime before it becomes apparent to you. It is why I keep to one sex, and there is only 3 of us in the house, with kids now 13 and 16!

You have time yet as your youngster is no age yet, so the right pup will come along soon enough. My Jozi is almost four now, and only just keeping another pup, though that does bring me up to FIVE. Oldest 11 1/2, and now youngest 7 1/2 weeks.

Think Nikki has had a pup in mind for sometime Barbara, like me, and now she has lost a dog the house must seem empty and I bet she does not know what to do with all that spare time now she is not nursing. It is surprising how frustrating it is when you do not have any control over where your next pup is coming from or who the sire will be who is used on the bitch you would love a pup from. You find yourself spending ages phoning up possible breeders and getting details of the next intended litter, deciding if that is what you want and when you decide it is you find the bitch has missed, refused the sire or the breeder has changed their mind. Then the litter is born and there are not enough of the sex you want or someone with a higher right than you has decided that they want one and you no longer have the pick. Believe me you start to wonder if you will ever find the pup you want, I have always started looking for the next pup when my youngest is about 18 months old and up to now my dogs have been at least 4 years apart. The one I hope to get in 2 weeks will be 3 years younger than Solomon, and I have been trying for the last year and half.

Yep I can see the problem. Even Stud dog owners don't have it much easier as they have no control over which bitches will want to use their dog, so can only have a pup from a bitch that is acceptable to them, when they would love such and such a bith's offspring by their male.

Mind you owning the mother isn't all roses either, as despite your best efforts she can mess you about, or the pups don't work out as wwell in reality as on paper, or worse still there is no suitable male you can put ther to who misn't alreaedy too closely related, and then you end up having to look MUCH further afield for a mate.

I can understand the gap that Archer has left, but the other dogs are still youngsters, maybe Archer could start them in Agility or Obedience while she waits for the pup. Hopefully it will not be a long wait.

Let me know as soon as you have your boy home. what are you going to call him? I have called my girl Lexi :D (Sexy Lexi, so maybe she won't be as difficult re mating as her Mum when her trme comes). lol :D).

At the moment it is Varg, but when we get him it could well become something like Sh*t Legs or worse. Do tell me if your Tasha is going to a show home, I do hope so. Will keep you posted, think Lena gets back from Ireland in the next couple of days so may be I'll get a decent photo to send you.

Did you know I have a Sexy Saxy, perhaps they should meet :D

Did you not get my Email. Tasha (now called Lexi) is the pup I am keeping, so yes she will be shown :D If I can get the lifts that is :D

Got e-mail with more photos of the last boy, but no comment about Tasha. Really pleased you are keeping her, know it's early days but for me she was the pick. As I said further up this thread there seems to be a bit of a lack of bitches at the moment, and it is no good to the breed if only 2 or 3 breed kennels are putting bitches into the ring. It is surprising how quickly the breed has gone from not many dogs to not many bitches, even Enid & Nessa have now got dogs both down in my books as bitch people. Still I suppose with a bit of luck it will stop a whole generation being sired by the same dog.

we would only ever keep 1 dog but any amount of bitches but that depends on whether you have a particularily dominant breed,akitas are,if i were you i would wait for the right bitch,it will be worth it,rather than 3 dogs