Thinking of getting a Female. Need advice/info

Hi,
I'm looking into getting a female pitbull which I will not be getting spayed.
When talking whith a friend he stated that female dog in general, that are not spayed shouldn't be kept in a house, because of regular spraying( on a monthly basis). I was just wondering if there is any thruth to this, and if so can they still be house traind?

any advice info is much appreciated. tks.

 

That is not true at all! I have a 16 month female that is getting spayed on Friday. She has been in 2 heats but besides that nothing. It is female cats that spray, not dogs.

My first question is, why wouldn't you want to spay her? Have you ever owned a female dog before that wan't spayed. It can get messy if you are not prepared. They go through heat (menstral cycle) 2 times a year for about 1 month. (Harley is usually about 25 days). In that time, she will be a different dog, easily aggitated, tired, more whiny. Plus, you have to make sure you have the right "supplies". I always used little boys underwear with a maxi pad in it. She will probably continuously take the panties off to lick herself, and if you are not watching her carefully, may bleed on some of your stuff. Almost bound to happen.

This is an uncomfortable situation for the dog, and you. I wish Harley never had to go through one heat, but I am glad she will be fixed on Friday and won't have to go through the discomfort this sort of thing can cause.

Please reconsider.

 

Regular spraying??? What does your friend mean by this? I've had problems out of unfixed (and fixed) male cats spraying inside, but never a dog and certainly not a female. I have two adult unspayed female APBTs inside and have had no problems whatsoever. Are you looking for a puppy or adult? If a puppy, you'll likely have a little bit harder time housebreaking her. Well, at least from my experience it was much easier to housebreak my adult dogs than it has been with the pup I recently got. May I ask why you don't want to spay her? Good luck whatever you decide.

 

I'm not planning on spaying it so that It can be breeded with my friends dog. I have read, and been told that a female dogs temperment wil change a great deal after having 1 or 2 litters of pups, making it more placid. is there any truth to this?

also how easy is it to predict the cycles so that i could make time to be around and care for the dog?

 

Im sorry but your post is making me a little irritated! You are planning on breeding this female and you don't even know about a female dog's heat cycle?

If you have to make time to care for your dog you should not own a dog. Caring for a dog is an all day everyday occurrence.
And the whole spraying bit is total nonsense. Breeding dogs should only be done by knowledgeable respectable breeders.
Please rethink your decision to breed.

 

oh boy... we have another one.

 

I'll be the first to admit, I know nothing about breeding dogs. That's why I DON'T DO IT!! But I know dogs female/male don't spray. Cats do! But what I am sure of is there shouldn't be any more puppies born onto this Earth by someone who is unknowlagable about how to do so properly. Don't take a P.B this color and put it with a P.B. that color and hope to make a couple hundred bucks. A woman named Karen Delise collects data on dogs, says there are 2 million P.B. in the U.S. right now. Unfortunatly a large number of them owned by irresponsible people. Just call around to your local animal shelters and get some numbers for yourself if you're in doubt. DO NOT get a female to breed! Get a female to spay and make her your best buddy, but don't bring any more P.B. puppys into this world when you don't know the ins and outs of what your're doing.

 

To answer your question

No there is no truth to that, whoever told you that is an ignorant person and I'd not listen to any of their advice without investigating it first. Why would you even consider believing such a thing. It can kill your bitch, cause infection, reguire an emergency c-section, malnutrition if you don't know how to feed properly, milk fever, mastisis, hemoraging and a whole bunch of other health risk but not really a temperament change to placid?? I have seen one dog become nuts after she had a litter, but she was already over protective, messed up dog, after the pups came she wouldn't let anyone near them. Still to this day she still has issues and bites the owners.

 

Okay... Before you do any kind of breeding whatsoever you should learn a LOT more about dogs in general and then learn about Pit Bulls, blood lines, show or working dogs decide what kinds of dogs you want to produce etc... I've been thinking and learning about breeding for two years now and I'm not even close to the point where I'd like to be so I don't breed (besides the dogs I have are not ready and/or are not worthy). IF you are insistant about breeding a female buy from a respectable breeder who either has a breeding for that Bitch planned or who will take you through the process step by step (still don't breed till you know more about dogs).

Why does your friend want to breed his/her male??? Why do you have to BUY a female for your friend to breed to? Can he/she not find a female to breed to that a reputable Kennel has? IS the dog registered? IS the dog worthy of being bred? Do you know the dog's background?

Females go into heat twice a year. When it begins you won't know she's in heat (unless you have a male dog that can watch to see a behavior change in him). There is A LOT to learn before you can even count on breeding a Bitch and knowing when to do so, etc... It's not something to be taken lightly because then you have to worry about whether or not the Bitch can and will deliver and care for the pups. If she does not you have vet bills or you have to care for the pups yourself... Then you have to worry about where the pups are going...if the buyers of the pups are reputable or if they are thugs who will fight the dogs or abuse them etc... THEN if you choose to be smart about it and take dogs back when owners have problems...you have to worry about that... Breeding is not easy, it's not safe, and it's not something a novice should jump right into...

Educate yourself, whitness some breedings and births, help raise or care for a mother and pups, attend a few dog shows, learn about the bloodlines, learn about complications, learn about what sports you may want to have your breeding dogs involved in choose what you want in breeding dogs and how you plan on selling them, choose if you will keep any, choose how you want to set up buyer contracts, how you plan on screening buyers, etc... EVEN after all that you may end up with a female with problems who can't be bred...then what?

Don't buy a female to breed....

I have two females and they go kind of nutty when they go into heat...they are clingy, flighty, they don't listen, they're agitated etc... My males quit eating, they're a nervous wreak... It's not easy to keep an intact female. Even if she's the only dog you own.

Re-think your ideas on breeding, contact a breeder to mentor you and learn the ropes before you even TOY with the idea.

JMO

 

I totally agree with everything you said Sara except for this part about not knowing if the female is in heat.

Their Vulva will swell and they will bleed and that of course is when you know the female is in heat.
Some females go into heat as early as 6 months.

 

The cycle actually starts before the swelling and bleeding...and doesn't end when the bleeding stops...That's what I meant... My males will try to mount my females about a week or so before they actually swell and bleed or they start marking (damn that pisses me off)... SOMETIMES there is no bleeding and you get what they call a "silent" heat or you get a "split heat" where the heat is short and then a few weeks later starts up again... If you don't know this stuff you shouldn't own a female that is not spayed...talk about risk of accidental breedings!

Usually females kept with males will come into heat earlier than females not kept with males... But there's always exceptions to the "rule"...

Don't breed till you know more about dogs... That's the best advice and answer to your question anyone can give you.

 

Actually:
The first part of the heat cycle is called “proestrus” and is characterized by swelling of the vulva (the vaginal area) and a bloody vaginal discharge, which may be heavy or light. During this time, the female becomes very attractive to male dogs that will go over high fences and barriers to reach the female. The female, however, will not permit the male to breed her during proestrus and cannot become pregnant during this part of the cycle. The average length of proestrus is nine days, but this is the most variable part of the cycle and will generally last from 2 to 21 days.

The second part of the heat cycle is the fertile part and is called “estrus” or standing heat.” The vaginal discharge usually decreases during this time, and is often more like mucus than blood. The female will now permit the male to breed her.

The last part of the heat cycle is called “diestrus.” This is the stage during which the various hormones of the heat cycle are diminishing, and the female gradually becomes less attractive to males. The length of the diestrus is highly variable (1-2 weeks is typical). Vaginal discharge and vulvar swelling should steadily diminish during this time. Most females will have some degree of mammary gland development during diestrus; some will even produce a small amount of milk. Watch closely for two months or so after a heat cycle since this is the most common time for the development of uterine infections. Some infections will have a foul vaginal discharge.

 

OMG!!! Breeding her! Is this wiht your smart friends dogs that tols you females spray.
YIKES!
Please reconsider. You need to learn sooo much more about dgos in general before you should even consider getting one. You have so little knowledge at the moment, I don't think a Pit would even be a good first dog for you.
For one thing you said you had to make time for her when she goes in heat. APBT's need their humans all the time. Sure they can be left for a couple hours a day, but to just never be there is not good for any breed especially a Pit Bull. I know my dog Harley hates it when I leave and we worked for months to overcome her anxiety. I only leave her alone when I am at work, and I only go out in the evenings if my spouse will be home with her or vice versa. Very rarely do we ever go out in the evening after being at work all day and Harley being alone.

If you are not willing to do this, you should not have a dog. Get a cat. They require much less maitenance and attention.

I hope you really listen to what everyone here is trying to tell you. No one here is trying to make you mad. We are just trying to educate you on why making such a huge decision as breeding will be a really bad idea.

 

tks much for your replys.

I don't think ill be thinking bout breeding again anytime soon.

 

ps: what i ment by making time to care for the dog was, i currently work 2 days a (week morning shifts). time for a dog isn't really a problem for me I will be around pretty much 24/7. but when breeding came to mind I was thinking i should maybe plan on taking some time off during the heat cycle, but not to worry I have more than enough time to take care of a dog, and would never consider leaving it alone for long periods of time, or at all if possible.

againt tks for your replys.

All the people here seem much more knowledgable than i could hope to be, thats why i thought i'd get your oppinions/thoughts 1st. Ive already taken them into consideration, and will not be attempting to breed the dog i choose

tks much[/b]

 

Chronic Blue- Everyone does get a little definsive when someone without alot of experience in dog breeding wants to consider breeding. Im sure you understand its because there are so many pits that don't have good homes or are put to sleep. Im glad that you have reconsidered, there are just to many unwanted pits/dogs in this world.

 

Chronic:
Congrats on your decision. You have potentially saved the life of at least one dog that may have been put to sleep.

keep researching the breed. Also, where are you planning on getting a dog from?
Shelter, Rescue, breeder?

There are people on here that will be better able to help you than I, but there are specific questions/traits you should ask about BEFORE adpoting/buying a dog.

Any help guys?

 

I am so glad you have at least asked questions and are being open-minded. Deciding not breed is the responsible thing to do at least until you are educated enough not only with APBT but dogs in general.
I am sorry for coming off so rude in my earlier post it's just that there are so many dogs right now in shelters awaiting their death because so many uneducated/irresponsible people decided to just throw to dogs together to make cute little puppies that grow into big dogs that are no longer wanted. It just makes me so angry and sad at the same time.
In my county alone there are 80,000 dogs euthanized each year.
And I live in a very small rural community.

 

Glad to hear that.

I hope you stick around and contribute to the great conversation!