Hi
As some of you know I have a 2.5 year old entire male GSP who has to-date not been used as a stud; am looking at acquiring a bitch pup and am getting all sorts of differing advice from breeders as to how best to keep the pair apart when the bitch comes into season.  I know that ultimately, it comes down to the dogs in question, but I would be interested to know what has worked for you?  Or perhaps, more importantly, what didn't work for you!

Cheers 

Hi Jan,

I have always kept entire males and bitches at the same time, including a stud dog :)  It's not impossible by any means but does require 100% attention span by every household member to ensure no accidents come about and tensions (between the canines) are kept to a minimum.

Males, whether used before or not, often go off their food and lose general condition during the bitch's heat.  For that reason many owners will kennel the male (some prefer to do so with the female) during the cycle.  I have never removed any of my dogs from their home comforts - they have and always will be first and foremost family pets and house dogs so for our family that was not an option.  

I personally found that allowing restricted, supervised access to each other in the first and last days of the season was sufficient to prevent males going on full blown hunger strike or howling the house down.  For the middle 14 days or so (which varies bitch to bitch of course) it was separate rooms and each in turn was caged.  My girls are mainly restricted to the rear garden (supervised) during their heats and males exercised outside as normal with late night nature calls in the front garden - away from bitchy smells :)

Hopefully if you go ahead and buy in a bitch puppy you will manage the seasons and the mood swings equally well - however I can't stress enough how important it is to be vigilant :D 



  

Due to the layout of my house and having children I have only ever kept bitches.

If I had rooms where the dogs wouldn't have to pass each other just to go to the toilet then I might now consider owning a male as my kids are 15 and 19.

At the moment we have two entire males and two bitches in season.  They take it in turn to be caged for about an hour or two maximum at a time.for the first couple of days and the last couple of days they are allowed to stay out together supervised.  but when the boys pester the girls then they are seperated.  walks are fine as it's 5 dogs btween 4 people so two people and girls in one direction and two people, two boys and spayed girl in the other.

It's always been ok for us.  we have two cages so one pair go in one cage and the other pair come out of the other so no chance of anything happening.

The only problems we have had is two entire males with flying hormones which once resulted in a fight which was compleatly my fault (I pulled one dog away from cage with girls in and took him out of the room and pushed him into the other dog...pretty careless really!)

The only time I kept an entire male and female in the same house I ended up with a litter of pups I worked full time, OH wasn't as diligent as he should have been ;) I now return my bitch to her breeder (she only lives 15 minutes up the road :) ) as she usually has a bitch in season at the same time and the 2 of them go into a kennel together. So far it's worked as it was her litter sister who came in at the same time. Don't know how it will work out this time though. Seska could come into season any time now, and she has only just stopped coughing (kennel cough) so she obviously can't go and mix with other dogs. Expecially as her breeder has boarding kennels :( Looks like the cages will in full-time use this time :D

I've run into a several people when out walking who send their dog away to 'grandma's house' when their bitch comes into season. These people had family close by and it's not like sending them to a kennel.

The dog gets quite distressed when the bitch is in season. I have an agreement with their breeder that she has the bitch when in season if at all possible, particularly for the mid section of the season. In return I often look after the breeders dogs when she needs me to. In the past I have just separated them at home, but its hard work and I dont like seeing the dog too stressed. You could ask your breeder if they would make an arrangement, or make friends with other doggy people who might take your boy for a while. I am always looking after other peoples dogs....it pays to earn favours!
Cathy

I have an entire male who has been used at stud, a neutered male who has never been used, but wasn't neutered until 4, and a bitch. I have the added fun of having to keep the 2 males apart! With the use of a baby gate and 2 crates we have managed 2 seasons so far, but the 2nd one was easier as the neutered male had been entire during the first season. The neutered boy wasn't really interested even when she was 'red hot', though he put a paw over once or twice, but was easily told not to. We didn't leave them alone together just in case, but it made it easier being able to have two out together in the evenings. My entire male is fine for the first 2 weeks, but then goes off his food or gets so excited he gets sick, and he whimpers or howls most of the time for the final week. The bitch isn't at all flirty, which also helps. Next season I hope to have my friend take him for the final week, as I feel sorry for him getting so desperate. Of course, next season or the one after I hope to talk my OH into letting the dog mate the bitch, so who knows!!

I have two entire males and a young bitch living harmoniously together. When she is in season or "Operation Code Red", as we call ,it comes into force!!! She is either with us and boys in cage or vice versa. Doors closed and at night she is in our room, whilst we listen to our boys doing their Hanibal Lecter impersonations!!! I would never leave her in the house alone(even in cage&doors locked) she comes with us. I am a firm believer "where there is a w**ly, there's a way!" . I've known dogs to eat through doors, break out cages and break through glass to get their wicked way (and thats just the girls!). As long as you are very carefull with them and never take risks etc then you will be fine.

I am a firm believer "where there's a w**ly, there's a way!"   

God, that made me laugh - but oh so true!  Many thanks to everyone who has posted with ideas and suggestions.

Cheers

I have never kept males with my bitches, even when I did have space and facilities to keep them apart as I believe in travelling to the best dog available for each bitch, and because of the problems that I've seen friends struggle with trying to keep a male with in season bitches.  The howling, not eating and unbelievable escapology!

Do read the last last by the OP in this thread.
milk coming through already on the Breeding Forum.

So many people think that they have the facilities and knowledge to cope, only to find that they actually don't begin to understand hormones!:rolleyes:  You'll see that 'accidents' continually occur on here, just a snapshot of the bigger picture. .

i have kept males and bitch over the last 11 year with a stud dog.i found that when wispa had her second season she went to my mums for two weeks but i was going over and walking her,so when i got home i had the smell of her on me the boys went bad.so we deside on the next season to keet her at home BUT separted from the boys, but the boys would go in the run where she had wee and be out here for a long time coving her wee.and we didnt have any problems,from day on,we keep our dog/bitches in the same house but on a rota in different room/walk or i am very luck i can take them to work in the car went it not hot.
plus i have been very lucky the dogs have never gone off their food or howel in the night.
we only got one male at the momnet with 5 bitches so one of the girls that not in season will stay with to be a decoy from the bitch the in season.

there ways around it.plus i had kids at the time but they know that they werent to rearrange the dog while a bitch is in season.

Hi Gunner
We have 6 GSP girls and a boy. He is now 7 and a half and we recently had him neutered. we always separated the girls and him when they were in season by crating one or other when I was out but in separate parts of the house. When in, our house is quite big and there are 7 of us so the boy usually stayed elsewhere with one memeber of the family if they were in their room or upstrairs. It was never easy. For a couple of weeks he was quite miserable, whining, restless, howling and off his food. he had sired 4 litters in his time so knew what it was all about. I then decided to have him castrated and he has just sailed through 2 seasons and been so much happier in himself.
If you are thinking of having a bitch to breed then there is no easy answer unless one can stay with another family member. Your boy will be mithered when the bitch has a season no matter what you do. As you say it is down to the dogs and they are all different. Some people kennel theirs but mine are all house dogs. It also depends on how much space you have to keep them apart. We did it for 7 years and managed but at times you do have to switch off and also consider if you had a 'noisy' boy would it be a problem for neighbours. HTH
Sue

Hi,
I did train my bitches to there cages from 8weeks old, As we had our male first and he is also a lot larger.
The caged do come in handy dueing certain times, the bitches will take themselfs in there cages even when just left open. Also at bedtime, it is there own space, I do have the extra large cages.
It becomes second nature to keep them sep. You will find your own routine.
Cages have to be used at shows also.

i know someone who will let her in season bitches mingle/run with her entire dogs "most" of the way through their seasons. she only separtes them when the bitch is almost ready.

Yes! I know a few!