I've just been reading on another thread about male littermates- a post by Trevor suggested that you are less likely to have dominance problems with two males rather than two bitches which is fair enough but..............I am getting another puppy either in June next year or Jan '04 depending on which season the breeder decides to mate her on. For those who don't know I have a GSD bitch at the minute- and I was just wondering following on from the comment above 'What would happen with a male and a bitch'?

The male would be housed in kennels outside and would have a vasectomy since I would be showing him along with my bitch:)

Stacey x x x

Who's not 100% sure whether to get a dog or bitch next time anyway- so advice please;)

Why a vasectomy Stacey? Why not just leave him entire if you feel you can keep him apart and cope with his stress when she is in season? And when he wins his first CC will you be able to get it reversed ?;):D

I think I'd be dreaming if he got a CC:D I say a vasectomy because I have two children and I wouldn't want to take ANY risks whatsoever - you can never say never! And I'm not experienced enough if an accidental mating occured so the way I see it 'prevention's better than cure'. Besides they're going to be too closly related (half brother/sister):)

Stacey x x x

Stacey, can only speak for myself, I have no trouble with more than one dog but have had trouble with bitches, not all bitches but sometimes. If you keep your dog in his own kennel when the bitch is in season and he has had a vasectomy he will still want to get to the bitch and if he does he will mate her, the only difference is that there will be no puppies. If it is the pups that worry you then a vasectomy will work and if you also use Tardec it will stop the dog driving you mad whilst the bitch is in season. Not sure what you mean by "you have children" are you worried about mateing behaviour? If so another bitch may suit you better. I have kept 2 GSD bitches together with no trouble at all until I speyed one then I had trouble, as the speyed one became very pushy. Ja:)kie

Something that I've just realized is a possibility on here :) Please tell me if it's true....
Those who have or have had more than 3 dogs seem to have some type of kennel on their property and are able to easily separate K-9's from the household/other pets when necessary?

If this is true, I now understand why there is a lot of difference in outlooks between altering/intact pets :rolleyes: :D It's only natural ;) :) :D

I'd have a different philosophy too if I could have separated the first bitch that I ever had when she went into heat. Instead, she 'raped' my very uninterested nuetered dog (a moment after she 'took a break') in the side yard in front of school children coming home. :(

At the time, I was just relieved that he was 'fixed' so she didn't have Lab/shephard/Beagle/Fox terrier puppies!!!!!!!

I believe that keeping her in her crate for the entire time IN the house would have been a nightmarish impossibility. And property rules banned fences over 3 1/2 feet tall. Everywhere I've lived, there's been a restriction on fence heights. :Rolleyes: (sigh)

If I had access to a separate facility on my property, I'd likely be more for the 'natural' side of things too. But I've liked having my dogs for the past 8-9 years ...not someday when I might be able to have the perfect living arrangement :) And I've never really had any desire to own a dog over a bitch.... That's just the way things worked out :)

I only have 2 Sara but have 2 outside runs and today I am so grateful for them. I've just put my two out as I'm fed up of saying "NO!!" My in season bitch is flirting bad and my NEUTERED dog is showing ALOT of interest.
Neutering is not always the answer :rolleyes: but the two runs help ;)

I have 5, 2 females and 3 males. Never had a problem when my one came into heat. They get along great. But now all my dogs are fixed except a male. I had a problem between my hybrid and boston (both males) when she was in heat, my boston would start fights with him. So I just kept them seperated and all was well after her heat, now they play all the time. I have varie kennels in the house so he just went in there.

Hi all,when my girl came in heat after I had had my male neutered he went bonkers & tried to mate her. When I told the vet this he said *oh yes he will try & he can still mate her & tie, but they won`t produce any pups*!! He was 1yr when he was done & he`s turned 51/2yrs now & still tries it on, but I tell him *off* or the girls get fed up & either sit down or tell him off themselves, but if i`d have known his behaviour would still be the same before I had him nuetered I wouldn`t have done it. I`m lucky as I can isolate the girls during the critical times & have a seperate part of the field for them to run in, but I do have 3 entire males as well now.
Christine, Spain

I'm the same Christine - I thought if neutered they showed NO interest. Didn't find out till after his op that that is not always the case. I wouldn't be so quick to have it done in future - he is the first one I ever have had done (had 2 entire dogs before him but not with a bitch)
I will say that he hasn't been whingy or off his food which I believe can happen with entire dogs. He just responds to that which is offered on a plate (in more ways than one lol) ;)

Me too Saraw. He doesn`t go off his food but neither do the others, mind you my lot never go off their food :) :) & if they do it`s a sure sign they`re ill! Thats labs for you should be renamed hoovers or gannets. The other 3 are good really don`t whinge or anything but they do look around the field for the girls, as if to say *ok I know they are here somewhere.... but WHERE!
This is my first time having males since the family mongrel when I left home many yrs ago :)
Christine, Spain

A male I bred was castrated at 5 months due to his mounting behaviour. the people who have him came to visit me when his mother was in season. He was around 18 months at the time. If I had not removed her from the room, he would have proceeded to mate her, much to their embarassment. :D

I hope his entire brother who I am hoping to use on my Champion bitch has as much Libido, as they are both maidens!!! :D

B,
She'll probably just shoot him a look and completly take control of the situation. :D

Even though I have a kennel for my bitches to sleep in at night, they are in all day, and my house is not arranged in such a way that I could keep both sexes when the bitches are in season, so opt only to keep females. As it is a a suburban back garden there is no way I could keep an in season bitch out in the kennel, or a male for that matter, as being housedogs and neighbours close by, it would cause noise nuisance.

There are not that many who can easily keep both sexes.

I am only going on my experiance as well but, i always try to have one male and one female in the house as i find they get on better together, at the moment as you know i have two females and a male and it is the two females that have a dig at each other on occasions, i have found this when i had two males in the house as well, usually when they are coming up to there oooh im a big boy stage in there life when they want to take on the world and decide the closest thing is the other dog so ill have a go at that.
Biggest problem with having the male and female together is when she comes into season which Buffy is due in sometime soon so wish me luck!!! but it also depends on the dog, most get on with anything but if you get one that wants to be in charge there could be problems as a friend of mine found out when she had two gsd bitches and a gsd dog and she bought a leonberger dog, when he was a puppy everything was fine but as he got older, one day he and the other male gsd just started fighting and she had a hell of a job splitting the two up they wanted to kill each other, she ended up re homing the male gsd to her daughters house because they just didnt get on, she was very upset about it, but this kind of thing can happen, as she said she has had two male gsds and two female gsds in the house and they all got on fine, i said maybe its the change of breed they didnt like :D so you never know till you try good luck Diane

I don't think there is an easy answer to this but IMHO one of each has the best chance of working. I had 2 bitches who started to fight and would never want to go through that again.
I also had 2 litter brothers who never had a cross word and a father and son who took a dislike to each other long after the pup was mature
and had to be seperated.
I have one of each now and my last dog got on fine with the bitch I still have so that is what I base my opinion on.
Anne

hi as you know i have rottys 1 male and 1 female i also have a colly who is remale, my 2 females do fight sometimes and the male joins in which is pure hell, there is never one winner of the fight, as they are all strong dogs. I do find that the males are better behaved, except when my female is in season which is going to be anyday now ( oh god ) when I am not mateing them i bring the female in doors, she is ok by this but the male eats my garden sheds, we had to have iron gates made around my back doors because last year he nearly put the glass in. This time i am going to try that spray that you can get so that he does not smell the female ( has anyone used this and what do they think about it ) all of the dogs live outdoors they have 2 sheds and the garden is split in to two, so when pups are here i can put them in a safe place.

DEBBIE X

Hi Stacey

I would definitely go for a male if I were you. I currently have one of each but have kept a few of both sexes together in the past. I have had the odd tussle with a couple of males but they tend to sort things out and then forget about it. In my experience bitches, once they have taken a dislike to one another will never get on. They seem to hold a grudge more than the males for some reason and I have always found it much easier to seperate two fighting males than two girls when they have a go.

Lisa
xx

Jackie I'm not worried about mating behaviour- more that *what if* one of the kids left a door open or something and they managed to get together etc:) I'm not bothered by him being stressed out during her season- I can handle that- it's just I'm not ready for puppies nor do I want any- far easier to buy ONE than to wait a while longer and breed Kassie:) I don't want to be responsible for bringing 8 or so puppies into the world when I'm only wanting one- may aswell buy one:) Besides I can still go and have one of her relatives can't I:D :D My Dad is really getting into the whole showing business with me and so the male would probably find himself moving out twice a year:) It's just the talk of silent seasons etc that worries me- I would feel an awful lot better if I *KNEW* nothing could happen in the worst senario:) He would sleep outside in the kennel at night but still be with me during the day- just as Kassie is- when I put her to bed- I'd take him outside to bed:)

Stacey x x x

o.k this is a bit of some info for you and also a question for me.I have a 2 year old gldn girl and 11 month old gldn boy. I had my girlie nala first and things went all well. they got along as he was a puppy, now that he has passed her up in height and weight, he seems to throw his weight around and not let her eat till he is done eating.Whats upsetting is she was here first and never had a problem with his company or showed a dominance in anyway. They do get along in every other everyday activity, playing ball, walking on leash, it's just feeding time I have started feeding them seperatly in different rooms or when one is inside and the other is in garage.How can i get him to see her as equal ? thanks Toni

Hi Toni, he wont see her as equal as she has decided that he is the boss. It is only you who is worried, they will find the situation normal. If you have trouble at meal times then you are doing the correct thing. Had the bitch not been spayed then things may well have been around the other way. Of my 4, all kept in the house, the bitch is the smallist but the boss and the castrated dog at the bottom of the pile and pushed about by all the others but he is not hurt just mounted and pushed to the back. The boys (3) have their own order, behind me and the other bitch, and if they are on their own you can see who is top of the males. Don't interfere with things leave them as they are which means sideing with the male who should get your attention first, no need to go overboard but don't try to redress the balance by over fussing the bitch. Ja:)kie

An update on the events of my dog/bitch thingy:) It's going to be a total surprise:o I'm having the best --?-- whatever- be it a male that shines out- then a male I'm having or be it a bitch- I'll have the bitch:) We'll have to wait until they're 7 weeks old unless there is one more predominantly better than the rest which I can't see as Sue's litters are usually quite consistant with the quality throughout:) So I'm now on a waiting list for either next June or the Jan after- depending on which season suits the breeder better:)

Stacey x x x

I think Jackie is right in saying it is us that worries about pecking order and changes in it. If we can keep out it mostly will settle esp between dogs and bitches. My Una is 13 in March and is natural boss of Cava and of Braid before him, from the day the 2 boys came in as pups I pretty well stood back and let her "explain" to them who was top after me and it wasn't going to be them. Luckily Una has such a good temperament that I never worried about her going OTT or hurting them. They have toys and play together also eat and Cava at 19 months backs off if Una suggests it, sometimes he forgets his place and needs a reminder but not often. Una has always got along with any dogs she has met up with and is still very playful, she went to stay with a friend while I was at Crufts and was allowed to sleep in the bedroom as it was a strange place. One of the resident bitches thought she would like to lie where Una was and Una just looked at her and she changed her mind, no nastiness just a look. Another friend's dog used to pick on Braid who was a total softie so I used to put Una in the car first and she kept order by force of personality.
Only one she couldn't handle was Cassie and I will always wonder what was really going on there, she started out being aggressive to me and when I sorted that out turned on Una. Poor Una I had said for a while she was afraid of Cass but no one believed me, I truely think that there was something mental going on with Cass tried all sorts of tests but no medical reasons, tried a behaviourist and that helped a bit but she would still attack Una out of the blue. Crunch came when she hurtled across the room and attacked Una and in separating them Dad got bitten, as I was at work I had always said that if things got to much for my parents something would need to be done. Thought long and hard about rehoming her but because we couldn't find out why and because she had been aggressive to me I made the decision to have her pts as I would never have forgiven myself if she had been rehomed and bitten someone. She came to me at a year and there was always a self possessed aloofness about her, that first year is so important in really understanding a dog.
Sorry to go on but this post got me thinking back
Anne

thanks for your reply, I just wished they could eat together and be cute as they are when asleep! :) Toni