I HAVE 2 BICHONS THAT I INTEND TO BREED, BUT HOW DO I AVOID PREGNANCY ON THE SEASONS WHEN I DONT WANT A LITTER.

Separate them, and are you sure they are compatible when you do intend to breed them?

a part from what jackie has said i found that when i had 2 gsd's and the bitch was in season eucalyptus oil?? wiped round the bitches hind quarters was a good decoy to hide the sent.

Make sure that they are kept completely separate for the entire duration of the bitch's seasons. I'm assuming you have researched their pedigrees to ascertain that they are suitable to breed together?
:)

Well you will have to keep them apart for the bitches first 3 seasons at least, as she would not be old enough to be ethically bred from until a minimum of 18 monhts, and preferably two years of age.

I only keep bitches, as that way I can use the best and most suitable stud for each planned litter, and not have the hassle of keeping a male on the premises who after he had produced a puppy to keep would not be of any more use in your breeding program.  You would then have one very frustrated male!!!  He would only be of interest to other breeders if he won well and was compatible with th3eir bitch lines.  Likely Stud fees will not compensate for the stress and nuisance of trying to keep the sexes apart at these times.

My advice to you7 would be buy the best bred bitch you can find, and be mentored by her breeder in the world of tyhe Bichon, so that by the time she is old enough to be bred from you can hope to produce quality puppies to be proud of, and be able to help and advise the new owners with the experience and knowledge you will have gained.

The above method is the one used by most reponsible breeders, unless they have accomodation to keep both sexes entirely seperate.

Oops, I didn't read correctly that yopu already have both sexes.  My advice would be to show them both and get a breed expert to tell youif the dog is outstanding.  If not then unless you have a relative that can board him every season, or can put him in kennels then I would have him castrated.

If the bitch is a better than average specimin then I would take advice from several experienced breeders as to which of the good males in the ring would complement her good points and are particularly strong in any areas she is bnot so good.

If the bitch is deemed poor quality (co0nsistently places last or almost last at a good selection of shows through the coming show season) then I would forget using her as your foundation bitch.  Learn by showing and preparing her for show, as it is quyite an art, and then in say two years time get a good quality bitch pup from a breeder whose dogs you have come to admire.

Blimey thats a bit much, have him castrated, why, just 'cos he's not a perfect specimen..... What if she wanted to show him in the future? The perfect dog has'nt been born yet... (well it may be in my next litter).

I thought the idea of breeding was to try & improve, surely as long as the bitch does'nt have any major faults, like bad mouth or conformation, etc. Provided you choose a good stud dog that compliments your bitch you should be able to breed your own 'show dog'

Geoff :)

That's why you need something good to start with, Geoff - unless you have a degree in canine genetics and 30 years to spend breeding out the original faults!
:)

A very male perspective :D 

You notice I said get him castrated if they cannot ensure keeping them apart every season (this would appear to be an issue hence the posters question). 

If he isn't a really good dog (as you say breeding is about breed improvement) then he is unlikley to help produce excellent pups from the bitch of unknown quality.

If the bitch is of above average quality, then using a top notch sire will give a chance of improvement, breeding average to average will just give average.

Of course the bitch might not be good enough for breeding too, that is why I then suggest spaying her also. 

Now if the dog was not bad, and bitch not very good, it still wouldn't help the poster, as no one will want to use their so so dog on their top class bitch to get him a pup that is an improvement on what he has, and they would still have the seperation problem.

If you want to be a breeder you really need to own the mothers.  No mater how good a male you have you are at the mercy of the bitch owners as to whether a bitch of the calibre you would like will ask to use your dog.  If you own the bitch then you can use the best dogs available if compatible, and then have the choice of which pup to keep.

Like I said showing the pups should at least give a clue as to their quality and which approach is most practical.  I am sure the poster will please themselves. :D

I was'nt suggesting that the poster use her own dog on her bitch, just I can't see the point in having a dog castrated just for the sake of it.  At the moment we have 8 bitches & 1 dog (I lost my best Border dog last year) which are all kept indoors, we have no trouble keeping them apart when the bitches are in season.

I think a lot of the fun in showing dogs is winning with a dog you bred yourself, my first bitch (unfortunately) came from a puppy farmer, I then spent a long time studying pedigrees etc, going to shows & talking to people in the breed before I chose my first stud dog. I am now three generations down the line, ok I have'nt won any cc's yet, but I have won one B.I.S. at open show level & one reserve B.I.S. at a breed show.

The other thing of course, you could spend an absolute fortune on a puppy & then find its mouth goes wrong at 5 or 6 months old (thats happened to me too)....

Geoff :)

You're absolutely right, Geoff. Unfortunately there are very many people who think that any pedigree dog is worth breeding from. We know it isn't true - maybe 10% are good enough, and then you have to be very choosy about which dog they are mated with - but that is why there are so many disappointed pet owners around. This is, of course, one of the reasons why puppy farmers flourish.
:)

but the poster was intending to mate her two dogs, and it would seem from their post that keeping them apart would seem to be a problem, as otherwise why ask the question???

You have done exactly what we are suggesting to the poster to get off on the right track.

I too am now on the fourth geneartion of my own breeding.  First genearation was no better than her Mum, and in hindsight she was not the puppy I would have kept from the litter wqith the experience I have since gained.  got a RCC winner from the next generation, and a Champion from the third.  For my fourth generation I made an investment in the breed with 3 friends to bring in new blood in the dhape of a male from abroad, and hope fourth generation justifies my hopes.

Hoping that I can keep going forwrads (though life is often 2 steps forward one step back).

I was lucky to get a lot of mentoring, and have an insatiable appetite for research

She could still show him eve if the was castrated

Hello Guest
As long as she is in season you will have to keep them apart at all times. Nothing you can buy will mask the smell well enough for them to run together. I would not chance it.
Speaking from someone that owns dogs and bitches, it is the biggest pain of my life when the bitches come into season. All the seperate walking, and of course the dogs live with us in the house. If you want an easy life get the dog castrated, and go out for stud. If not keep them apart.  Depending on age, 12 months you can have the health tests done that you need to. Go to your vets and ask prices on the tests and book in. Do it all right from the start. Lots of people say showing your dog is all important. You could always contact your breed club for a contact of someone close to you that could help you in that way.
Also all breeds are different, but normally you dont breed until the bitch is two. My bitch for eg is three and its her first litter. So find out the best age for your breed. That means she could have 3-4 seasons before she can be bred with.
Nutkin.

the best way to avoid a pregnancy when you have both sexes is seperation.
It does from my own experience in having both sexes help with the smell and as a deterant for the male eucalyptus oil rubbed down the inside of the bitches back legs and around the flanks.
it is also useful if sprayed around the bitches wee especially if you do still walk her as some folk do and it will help in the house or her bedding area.
the poor dog will be going frantic with the smell from the bitch anyway this worked for me to deter the smell a bit.
each to there own i guess.... it worked for me.