Dogs Make Great Pets. The Adventures of Sassie the Super Dog - Should you breed?

There was no question about it, if and when we bought a dog it would be de-sexed as soon as it was old enough, my partner was adamant about it. So, as soon as Sassie was six months old the deed was done. Sassie is our 3 year old Cocker Spaniel cross King Charles Spaniel, our very smart and very adventurous dog.

Ok so what does desexing have to do with the hub's title "The Adventures of Sassie the Super Dog - Should you breed? Well, when Sassie was about 18 months old I actually regretted having her desexed due to a lovely little jack russell we met on one of our many walks along the Parramatta River which flows past our home in inner Sydney.

Let's start from the beginning.

One particular morning our walk had been reasonably uneventful (Sassie tends to get up to mischief occasionally) and we were on the home stretch, about 15 minutes away from home. Walking towards us was a lady with her jack russell who was off the leash just like Sassie. Otto, the jack russell and Sassie started to become acquainted so Rose (Otto's owner) and I began a conversation. We spoke for about five minutes and then made our goodbyes. As Sassie and I started walking towards home Otto just followed us so I turned to him and told him to go back to Rose. In the meantime Rose was calling to him but Otto just looked back at her and kept walking with Sassie. Rose kept on calling but Otto just ignored her. This went on for a few minutes but Otto refused to go to Rose, it was obvious he wanted to stay with Sassie.

Rose and I walked back towards each other and put both dogs back on their respective leashes and headed back on our respective way. To this Otto protested very loudly by barking and refusing to walk, he just sat and didn't move. I tried very hard not to laugh but it was so cute to see Otto pining for Sassie, who, by the way, was totally ignoring him by this stage. "Right, that's enough Otto, let's go!" exclaimed Rose as she picked him up said goodbye to us again and headed off.

Otto still protested by whimpering and making 'lovestruck' noises to which Rose and I just laughed and agreed that 'puppy love' was just grand! Oh and where was Sassie whilst Otto was pining for her - sitting quietly waiting for us to go, totally disinterested except cocking her head at the strange noises coming from Otto. If Sassie had not been desexed would her reaction have been different? Would she have found her first love? I guess we will never know.

We headed off home to the sounds of Otto with Sassie oblivious to his affections. Hearing Otto's protests I did regret desexing Sassie so soon but we had followed our vet's recommendations.

Sassie is now 3 years old and hasn't had another incident of 'puppy love' so my regret didn't last long and as she is always happy, eager to go on walks and play football in our backyard, in the end we did the right thing.

Still, there are times when I wonder what her puppies would have looked like had we bred her? Can you image though if she had a large litter, who would we have to dog sit them when we are away, maybe we could look at dog daycare but that would cost. What about training, we would also need a dog trainer if we didn't sell the puppies.

Sassie was desexed at 6 months old and at first I didn't regret doing it so soon because we were told by our vet it was best to do it earlier than later. He recommended that dogs and cats be desexed at 5-6 months of age and there is no maximum age. There are many advantages by desexing early such as preventing some behaviourable problems and medical issues later in life.

Well to our surprise a medical issue came up quite quickly for Sassie. On the day we brought her home she was quite drowsy as was expected and slept most of the day. Our vet suggested she may sleep for a couple of days for longer periods than usual. Sassie was (and still is) a very active dog and although she slept the first day the next day she was back to her usual self, bounding and jumping around the backyard oblivious to the fact she had stitches in her abdomen.

It was in the late afternoon that I noticed Sassie had a lump about the size of a golf ball where she had been operated on. This hadn't stopped her playing most of the day so it must not have been painful. I decided to ring the vet and just check whether this was normal to which he replied "no it wasn't" and we should bring her in for a check.

Sassie had not rested long enough so she had popped some of the stitches which meant another two nights in the vet hospital. More expense for us! I asked the vet whether it would have been better to wait another couple of months to desex her and he suggested it might help when a dog is as active as Sassie but the recommendations are for 6 months as a general rule.

When we collected Sassie two days later she was drowsy again as they had given her a sedative so she wouldn't pop the second lot of stitches. Luckily for her (and us) she did sleep the required amount of time and recovered from the second operation without any further mishaps.

In hindsight we should have waited until a few months later to desex Sassie as she was quite an active dog as a puppy but this may not be the case for all breeds. Check with your Vet for the best time to desex the breed you have and discuss the dog's nature before deciding on the best time.

Had we decided to breed Sassie I would have researched before buying her and prepare my home to be able to provide for extra pets around the home. There are so many things to consider if you do decide to breed your precious pooch and in Sassie's case we did consider it for a millisecond when our children pleaded to have more than one of her breed.

Also, Sassie is already two breeds - a cocker spaniel and a king charles spaniel - both spaniels but still two different types. I was reluctant to add another breed to the mix so breeding her was definitely not an option.

The following is a short list of some things needed to be considered when and if you want to breed (or if you are brave enough to).

• I want to make some money!

Watch out for this trap because it could cost you more than what you bargained. What happens if you can't sell all the puppies? Or worse, your children fall in love with one and won't let you sell it?

• I want another dog just like mine

Breeding your dog is not necessarily going to give you a dog the same as the one you already have, remember it takes two so there will be two sets of personalities in the puppies.

• I want her to experience just one litter

There is no medical evidence that proves this theory right, ie it can cause more problems medically than it solves.

• What is the reason you want to breed?

To show our children about life and birth; it seems to be a nice hobby; I really love dogs. Unless you have the facilities, the patience, the medical experience (or someone nearby who does) then stick to just having the one or two pets and enjoy them.

• How to avoid medical problems

The best way to avoid medical issues is not to breed at all but if you insist then have your local vet's phone very handy. Make sure all vaccinations are up to date and have your dog checked physically. Also, the partner should be thoroughly checked as well.

• How often should I breed with one dog?

The only reason to be breeding is to improve the breed of your dog and only breed once every two years. Please do not breed before the dog has turned two, let them enjoy being a puppy first.

• Care of mother and puppies

One of the main things you will need is extra food* apart from proper bedding; being able to keep the puppies warm (up to 90 degress farenheit, 32.2 degrees celcius), the proper type of box for the litter and be prepared for supplementary feeding if there is a larger litter. There are so many more things you will need to do, so do your research and learn as much as you can before you have the first litter.

*up to 3 times more than normal for the mother, puppy food can be fed to the mother as well.

• How best to sell the puppies

Family and friends are an easy way to sell if you only breed once but you will need better strategies for further litters. Also, what if you have returns; or your friends change their minds once they see the puppies? Be absolutely sure of being able to place the puppies before you consider breeding.

• Further information if you're still interested after reading the list
  

If you are really serious about breeding then why not visit a breeder or two in your area for some advice. Do as much research as possible because animal shelters are already full with unwanted pets, don't let one of your litter end up there as well.

Visit sites such as Dog Channel.com and Pedigree pups.com to obtain more information and ideas on how best to breed your dog. In Australia you can visit http://www.dogzonline.com.au/ or http://www.ozdoggy.com.au/dog_breeders_australia.html.

• Don't want to desex or breed?
  

And for those of you who are against desexing but don't really want to breed either there is now an alternative - the doggie chastity belt. An inventor from Louisiana has come up with a novel idea for people who don't wish to 'harm' their pets by desexing them, they can now use a pet anti breeding belt to be placed on your dog when they are on heat.

For more information on just another way to protect your pet visit...

http://www.pabsforpets.com/