puppy issues

Question
QUESTION: I have a 3 month old german shepherd female.she is adorable and pretty much a normal puppy
what i want to know is,is it safer for her to be mated once so she has the experience of a litter when she grows or shall i have her spayed?my primary concern is whats best for her and will make her life longer and more productive.
i have heard its best to have bitches mated once for them to remain healthy

ANSWER: There are some credible arguments for delaying spaying, but none for going ahead with one litter.  Even if delaying spaying is better, many people fail to cope with the risks of a female in season.  In addition to the mess and hassles, there are several things that can go wrong and be fatal.  I would talk to your vet and go along what he feels best.  Usually that means spaying by 6 months.

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: my puppy is very moody.
she listens to commands only when she feels like.i am not able to get het atention when she's busy playing something.she doesn't respond to the command "come" or "no" 50% of the time,though she understands both.
she is 3 months old now and i started her on paper training from the time she came to me,which was one and  a half months back.she doesnt eliminate in the house all day but at night she still is eliminating in the house.if i place the paper she goes on it and if i dont she just eliminates where i keep the paper for her usually.
is she capable of controling her urine al night or is this because she's too small to control from 11:00pm to 6:00am


Answer
At 3 months, she should easily be going all night.  Have you discussed this with the vet?  if there isn't any physical problem, I would try a crate.  

It is only natural that a puppy resists its crate at first. What the puppy wants more than anything else is to be others, you, anyone else in the household, and any other pets. In our modern society, even if we are home, other things distract us from the attention an uncrated puppy must have. The only real solution is to crate the dog when you aren't around. The dog may be happier in its den than loose in the house. It relaxes, it feels safe in its den. It rests, the body slows down reducing the need for water and relieving its self. Dogs that have been crated all along do very well. Many of them will rest in their crates even when the door is open. I think the plastic ones give the dog more of a safe, enclosed den feeling. Metal ones can be put in a corner or covered with something the dog can't pull in and chew. Select a crate just big enough for the full grown dog to stretch out in.

Leave it some toys. Perhaps a Kong filled with peanut butter. Don't leave anything in the crate the dog might chew up. It will do fine without even any bedding. You will come home to a safe dog and a house you can enjoy.

A dog that has not been crated since it was little, may take some work. Start out just putting its toys and treats in the crate. Praise it for going in. Feed it in the crate. This is also an easy way to maintain order at feeding time for more than one dog.

The "shut the puppy in a safe room" is a fallacy. Very few houses even have a safe room. How many of us have a room with a hard surfaced floor and nothing else? Most rooms have electrical cords to chew if nothing else. In addition to destroying anything a bored puppy finds to chew, it may choke or have intestinal blockage from the pieces. I had a friend that left her dog in a "safe" room. It ate a hole in the floor covering. The safe rooms fail to give the dog the comfort of the enclosed space their instinct requires. Nor do they restrict activity extending the time the dog can go without relieving itself.

The key to most behavior problems is approaching things using the dog's natural instincts. Dogs see all the people and dogs in the household as a pack with each having their own rank in the pack and a top dog. Life is much easier if the 2 legged pack members outrank the 4 legged ones. You can learn to play the role of top dog by reading some books or going to a good obedience class. A good obedience class or book is about you being top dog, not about rewarding standard commands with a treat. Start at http://www.dogsbestfriend.com/ For more on being top dog, see http://www.dogbreedinfo.com./topdogrules.htm