Morning all

Well i have heard that a Norwegian Buhund puppy dog is for sale!

Ideally i think we'd like a bitch but don't actually know what the pro's / con's are of having a dog compared to a bitch? Can anyone enlighten me???

Thanks!

Bec

In general, I don't think there's that much difference as both have their good and bad points that just about add up to them being equal. I've loved my dogs just as much as my bitches. The main thing is the bitch will come into season twice a year with all the inconvenience that entails.

Many years ago there was a male Buhund near where I lived and he was a lovely dog - he was about 16 and very sprightly. He and my chow used to get on really well.

To be honest it won't make any difference until you think of having more :)

Thanks for your replies. I didn't think there was much difference. I think it's just because i've had bitches all my life and am worried of change!!!

Brainless, what do you mean about it not making any difference until we have more? Sorry if i'm being slow!!!

I had always have bitches too but then got my first male dog and now have 4 males and 1 old spayed bitch.  The boys certainly seem more loving and affectionate to me and all love a cuddle whereas my bitch tends to be a bit more aloof - loving but not as cuddly as the boys.

So I wouldn't worry about changing from girl to boy!

Good luck,

Ohhhh thanks Rachel!!!

God i'm so excited now! I was kind of thinking that i didn't really want to get a dog but now i've totally changed my mind and don't mind what we get!

It's great that they are more loving and affectionate! Bless!

Have you got Buhund's or a different breed Rachel?

Hiya,

I have 3 Gordon Setters, 1 English Setter and old lady Irish Setter.

They are soooo loving and they take it in turns to cuddle up on the sofa and my OH doesn't get a look in to sit next to me.  My English setter Charlie really snuggles up when I ask if he wants to come and have a cuddle.

My Irish girl and previous girls never really liked to cuddle and sometimes didn't even lie in the same room - we are so privileged if Sacha chooses to come in and spend the evening with us :-D  She is gorgeous though and a lovely girl - had so much fun at agility with her when she was a young spring chicken!

Well if you then decide to add to your canine family (don't rule it out as rarely so people stick to just one :D ) you will have to decide whether you will become a single sex multidog household (talking more than two here) an owner of a pair (dog and bitch).

Generally you won't have problems keeping all males, but if you then bring in an entire bitch into a male household you could have problems when the bitch is due in season with some rivalry.

If you get a bitch to join a male then one or other will need neutering unless you are prepared to board one out twice a year.

Also a household with one male and several bitches works fien too, with the proviso of avoiding missalliance.

If you had (like us) 1 entire male & 1 neutered male would bringing a bitch into the house still cause problems?
We are also thinking of getting another but have been advised that we could have major dominance problems having 2 entire gbgv's (our other is a lurcher) together.  So we're seriously considering a bitch.  We wouldn't rush into anything and have already decided we're prepared to wait until next year even, our gbgv is now nearly 20 months old & our lurcher is 9 years old.

I would say stick to males but have a larger age gap so there is no room generally for a dominance issue, as the older dog will be way above the pup in status.

Though if one of the males is neutered and is happily below the entire male and isn't a sexy boy despite neutering then I don't see a bitch as a problem, because of course they wouldn't be around her when she is actualy in season, only on the run up.

My freind who has two entire males and a spayed bitch got a bitch pup and she has recently had a season.   there waws some friction and a couple of spats between the boys even though the bitch was being kept seperated on another property, but of course they coudl still smel her on my friend and it made the dogs more prickly with each other.

As son as the bitch reached day 25 all went back to normal and they are best of friends again.  The males are four years apart in age, one is 7 and the other 3.

Thanks so much i would prefer males because my experiances with a bitch is that we had one when i was a child, (so none, LOL)  We never want to breed either so a dog would be more practical.
Hubby though is keen to get a bitch sooner rather than later because he wants to show as well (i do let him borrow JJ :-) )  Toby (neutered dog) is more interested in a ball and food but JJ (entire) falls in lurve with every bitch he meets

I think the best plan is to wait like you say and see how he grows, at the moment he will have a growl at some other dogs (always bigger than him or bgv's) but with others (smaller than him) he's ok

Thanks again

Hi Brainless,
How are you?
Two Dogs egh!! You are experienced. Bitches can be bad enough when they get
there P.M.T. bitching up one another. Male agro! couldn't stand the thought.
Unless, they were kenneled. If one was neutered and a lot lot older. That might
not be so bad. In the home! I'd be grey not blond!!
Regards
Denese

I have only ever lived with multiple bitches, it was in fact here on champdogs that I first heard people say multiple dogs are easier, but I think it is very much a bred thing.

Certainly in my own breed all males is not an issue, as long as they have been brought up from pups together, but put entire bitches into the mix and problems can ensue, but not a problem at all with spayed bitches.

I still prefer the girls, though having had boys to say there is something appealing about that maleness :D

Some say that males fight for breeding rights and bitche will fight for breathing rights, so the thing si to make sure they stay freinds.  Decent age gaps are a big help.

See Brainless experience!! I could just imagine them, cocking there leg up the
cream setee, and carpet to mark there teritory, against the other male
The Bitches are more loving, the dog was before he had his bitches.
The only problem with bitches is the heat, and there wee kills the grass

The only problem with bitches is the heat,

and the fact they're far harder to keep together without fights than dogs! Hence me having 6 dogs but only 2 bitches... Meant to keep a bitch from my next litter and already worry about it.

Apart from the seperation issue I prefer bitches as they don't cock their legs and don't have issues with other dogs taking a dislike to them.

Have never found owning five bitches any bother at all.  Most of my freinds ahve families of bitches that live amicably and it is rare for there to be a problem unless they ahve bought in an adolescent bitch or have two too close in age.

These same people find if they ahve entire bitches then the males are best kept apart permenently if there are quite a number of girls.

It's purely personal choice. I've had both dogs and bitches and will never have another dog again. Other people say they'd never have another bitch. My boys tend to settle down behind the chairs or in their beds while the girls demand hugs and cuddles. There's no single 'right choice'. The thing to do is see which puppy you like the look of most (if a breed where markings or colours vary) and which has the personality you like. :)

I much prefer dogs myself, and right now have 6 dogs and 2 bitches. :) I've found all my dogs in all the breeds I've had to be more loving, less aggressive, and far easier to train, including house training. :) (Over the years I've had roughly equal numbers of the sexes.)  Others have the exact opposite experience. :)

I had wanted a TT bitch, but the breeder we were buying from had 1 bitch & 3 dogs yesterday & wanted a bitch for herself. I have now decided to have one of the dogs & can't really remember why I had been so set on a bitch. Feel really excited now & will have to think up a boys name! will shortly be asking advice on size of crate etc!

The latter is easy the 24 inch high crate that is 21 i ches wide and 30 inches long will be ample.

Thanks brainless.

After all that i think we are going to go with a bitch! Thank you for all your replies though -they have been very helpful - please don't feel like you've wasted your time as your replies helped us weigh up all the options etc.

hi Bec When will you be getting your puppy? Hopefully we will pick ours up in 8/10 weeks, we are trying hard to think up a name, as we had only thought of bitches names & had decided on Sophie, so will have to put thinking cap on. good luck with yours! Have you any names yet?

Hi Diane,

Fingers crossed there will be a litter in about 10 weeks BUT there is a waiting list for this breed so hopefully the bitch will have lots and lots of pups!

I like the name Sophie too but my partner sits with someone at work called Sophie so he said we couldn't name her that as it'd be weird, lol! I like the names Ruby, Roxi and Bella! I am sure i'll be doing my research on dog names on the internet when we know we are definately getting a puppy!

Which breed are you getting? I bet you're excited?!

names.......http://www.lowchensaustralia.com/names/stars.htm

We are getting a tibetan terrier, it looks like a smaller version of Solo, who died last year. The owner's daughter suggested Schnoman , as he has three black buttons on his back1 will have to consider. Spent a couple of hours on various dog's name sites on the net last night, but nothing jumped out. Couldn't resist in Waitrose this morning & bought a crufts best of show squeaky toy!! you will hopefully be getting yours about 2 months after us, isn't it a long time? As I said we are having a boy, but really wanted a bitch, still I am not going to breed, so doesn't really matter! our last boy dog we had was a sheltie & he really belonged to me & protected me from all comers! the only drawback was he was inclined to 'mark his territory' if we went to a friends house. Will have to find out what to do about that.

Hope i don't sound too excited!

speak soon

Diane

LOL, JG - Bramble, my male, is the most loving of dogs and wouldn't leave our side unless he had to :D Tara does love a cuddle, but will happily spend the evening under a table or even in her bed in the kitchen. So is it a breed thing, pack hierarchy or what ???

Daisy

It could be a breed thing - the owner of the sire of my last litter had one of the bitches, and was amazed on walks that she doesn't go more than about 100 yards from them, when her dad is almost out of sight. My boys (although very affectionate when they want ;)) have always taken after their dad in behaviour and dash off several fields away, and can't be let off lead together or they'll go even further.

The bitches are a pleasure to walk while the dogs are nothing but stress.

The bitches are a pleasure to walk while the dogs are nothing but stress.

NONE of mine go far away, regardless of sex or breed, I've tried several times to change direction without saying anything and it's never taken more than 10 seconds before they all come charging past me. :) Maybe it is a breed things as I've never noticed the slightest difference in this respect.

I have to agree with rachelsetters.  I have a dog and a bitch, (I had a litter of puppies of the bitch and kept a dog).  He is definitely not what I was expecting a dog would be like.  He is so affectionate and wants to be with you whereas the bitch is quite happy doing her own thing.  I think the only thing I have found is that he is a bit more stubborn although he is only 7 months old so that could just be his age too.

I own Buhunds &, if I could only have one it would be a dog, definately. Having said that, bitches are generally easier to train and far less likely to try to be boss. Personally, I will never sell a dog puppy to someone who has never owned a dog before.

Hi Anwen,

Just out of interest - why would you never sell a dog puppy to someone who hasn't owned a dog before?

If it's your first time round, and you do not want to breed? Have a dog!

Hi Bec
The reason I won't sell a dog (as opposed to a bitch) is because I've seen so many who take home this adorable cuddly puppy & you can tell the owners until you're blue in the face not to let the puppy get away with anything. 18 months later, back comes this horrendous teenager because the owners can't cope with it :rolleyes: Obviously, I'm generalising but the ONLY time I let one of my boys go to a family who hadn't had a dog of their own before, I ended up taking him back at 4 yrs old & finally had to have him put to sleep after he bit a child. It broke my heart & I'm not prepared to risk that again. Bitches tend to be much less strong characters & easier to train, so I will let 1st time owners have a bitch IF I think everything else sounds OK. My ideal owner, if they haven't owned a Buhund before, is someone who's just lost, through old age an Akita/Malamute/Rottweiler etc. The Buhund is not the breed for everyone (though I can't understand why, myself :D )
When I was finally in a position to have my 1st dog (had always had dogs at home), I was after an Elkhound & the Club Sec. I rang questioned me to within an inch of my life as to why I wanted a dog rather than a bitch & pointed out all the pitfalls. It had never occurred to me to have a bitch because we'd always had dogs at home, so I was amazed by this inquisition. In the event, I bought a Buhund male from someone who didn't know very much about the breed & was just desperate to sell the puppies.

Bitches tend to be much less strong characters & easier to train,

In my breed I'd say it's the exact opposite. :)

a freind who is experienced in both buhunds and Elkhounds surprised me by saying in ehr view the Buhund males were harder than the Elkhounds.  I suppose a lot of it is that people don't expect such a cute not very big dog to be so determined (pig headed)

Exactly!!!!!!!

Thanks for your reply Anwen!

That's a very sad story about having to put that poor dog down...

Hello there

I'm not super-experienced like a lot of people on this board, but before we got our Aussie girl I'd only ever owned dogs ... and I really had my heart set on another dog. But we took on board huge amounts of help and guidance from the breeder (who knows her lines better than anyone), and ended up with the puppy that suited both me and OH best in terms of temperament/drive etc. Suffice to say we wouldn't swap her for the world now :) :) :). We've seen a few of the grown-up pups at various shows, and to be honest we did all get the pups that suited us best (nice when it works out that way!) .

I guess what I'm saying is I think all pups are individuals, and it may be best to put aside any pre-conceived notions and look at the whole puppy package rather than focussing on the angle of dog/bitch. And buy from a reputable breeder who will help you make that decision and wants the best for both their pups and for you :).

That said, our girl is just in the middle of her 1st season and it's a new experience for all 3 of us :).

Very good advice. This whole debate only shows that to judge one sex by a handful of dogs known is useless and ridiculous. It varys from breed to breed but MORE it varies from individual to individual. I have a mixture of entire males, castrated males, entire bitches and spayed bitches. Top of my dog pack, usually, is a young, strong minded, incrediably fast and intelligent spayed bitch.

You cannot say that an age gap between dogs will mean you have the older dog as top dog - if the younger dog is so minded he will slip ahead quietly as he matures a little if the older dog isn't fussed about maintaining leadership.

I have NEVER had one of my own entire males cock his leg inside ever, even with bitches in season in the house. Not once in 15 years or keeping both sexes. I have had visiting dogs do it however, but then have had visiting bitches squat over in season bitch discharge briefly left on the floor, to mark over it.

Its all down to temperament, not sex. As a RULE, there are no rules! Generalisation just confuses people because everyones experiences are different.

Di

hi di,

>You cannot say that an age gap between dogs will mean you have the older dog as top dog -<

completely agree, our oldest dog is bottom of our pack.

>I have NEVER had one of my own entire males cock his leg inside ever, even with bitches in season in the house.<

agree again.  it always amazes me when folks say their boys pee in the house.
we often sleep in our van when we are at rallies or more rarley, shows.  i remember talking to one person who said they couldnt sleep in the van cause their boys peed out the crates on them in the van!!   ours have never peed in the van either (apart from puppies of course.)

An age difference may not mean the older dog is top, but usually does prevent a power struggle. 

As you have said I have had my middle one move into pole position unapposed as her mother wasn't interested and the oldest was happy to give way as she matured.

I have only ever had visiting dogs both neutered and entire cock their legs, but not after they ahve settled in for a longer visit.

Likewise, none of our entire male elkhounds have ever cocked their leg in the house.  Two of those were used at stud.  However, my young male did cock his leg on me at a show once when he was being eyeballed by another dog!   We've had a few stud dogs visit too, and none have ever been anything other than clean in the house.
The bitches have always been "top dog" in our house.  Azzi first, the younger of our original pair of bitches.  She was succeeded at her death by Dordi, who in turn was followed by Lizzie.  There was some jockeying for position in the last year or so of Dordi's life between Dordi and Liz, but she remained top dog until she died.  The most dogs we have ever kept together was three bitches and an entire male.  For many years, my parents have kept three - I just have the two myself, an entire dog and a bitch, and they get on tremendously well.  They also fit right in with my parents current pack of two bitches and one castrated male, with Liz (the smallest) in charge of them all.

Funny how it is often the little ones that are the boss, as my Kizi is :D

so how do you tell for sure who is boss? i assume its my older bitch but im never really sure and i can never tell if its play fighting or real?