Buying a dog

Question
Hi!

In this May June, I have made a genuine plan to buy a female dog of the Bully Kutta, my all time favourite breed. But my family members assert that it should be a male dog due to the complication of heat in a female dog. I respond by pointing out the fact that if I buy a male dog of good calibre, we may or may NOT get a good bitch for it and despite of a good male, the puppies would be of a lower quality, due to the female.

In other words, I want to buy a top notch bitch so that I get get puppies of similar quality. And this leaves me with some questions.

1. In dog breeding, should the quality of the dam has to be better or the quality of the sire? I heard that the quality of the dam should be better. In other words, does a good female dog determine good offspring?

2. At what age, should a dog be allowed to mate? And considering that a Bully Kutta is a huge dog breed (32-33 inches till shoulder), how much time will it take?

3. I read somewhere that big dogs grow quickly but their litters are small, but small dogs grow slowly but their litters are large. Is it true?

4. I heard from a friend that a purebred dog only gives 1 or 2 puppies but a mixed breed dog gives many puppies. I remember my friend saying that his crossbred dog once gave 15 puppies!

5. I think that when puppies are young, the weak ones that are about to die should be allowed to die. Because this way, natural culling can occur.

6. Can the pick of the litter be male? Or is it always female?

Thanks!

Answer

Hi Raiden,

Aside from being able to have a litter or puppies, there really isn't much of a difference in owning a male or female dog. The choice should be based on the sense of connection you feel with an individual dog more than anything else.

The Bully Kutta is an extremely dominant dog and is usually only recommended for experienced dog owners. If you've never owned a dog before, this could be the wrong breed of dog for you, even though they are beautiful. You should read up on the potential problems of owning a dominate dog, and plan on doing obedience training starting when your dog is about 4 months old.

If it's at all possible, you should find out about the health history of the parents of any dog you'd consider buying. Though generally a healthy breed, the Bully Kurtta has a tendency to develop arthritis/ dysplasia and blindness in later life, If your dog's parents comes from healthy breeding stock, he or she will produce puppies that have a better chance of also being healthy.

Some female dogs will come into their first heat cycle as early as five or six months of age. But they don't reach physical maturity until they're between one year to 2 1/2 years old. Their bones and joints are still developing, so for a healthy  litter,  you should wait until a female dog is physically mature before she's bred for the first time. Breeding larger breed female dogs before they've reached physical maturity can lead to health problems.
Just as it's unhealthy to breed a female dog too early, it's unhealthy for the dog to be pregnant too often. One heat cycle should go by before your dog would be bred again. Because pregnancy is so physically demanding, a female dog should not be bred at all after age six or seven. At that point you may want to consider having your dog spayed, so there would be no chance of her accidentally getting pregnant.

Male dogs on the other hand, can be bred as early as six months of age, and can continue to be bred (provided they are healthy) for their entire life, without restrictions on frequency.

Healthy, puppies start long before breeding ever takes place. Temperament is a hereditary trait in dogs, although it can be influenced by other factors such as how well the dog was socialized. When it comes to breeding your dog, look for a male with a gentle, sociable disposition. Prior to breeding both your dog and the male should have a veterinary exam to confirm they are in the best of health, and if possible do genetic screenings to rule out potential health problems. Pregnant dogs have special nutritional needs. Be sure to read up on the correct diet that any pregnant female dog requires.

You don't want any large breed puppy to grow to quickly. It can lead to joint problems such as hip/elbow dysplasia later in life. Be careful about  feeding a large breed puppy too many calories or too much calcium. Your veterinarian can advise you as to the correct puppy diet.

I do not agree with you that a weak puppy should be left to die. A weak puppy needs your help, and possibly the attention of a veterinarian. It can grow into a perfectly healthy adult dog, if proper care is given promptly. If you can't provide a litter with the care they need, you should not breed your dog.

The pick of the litter is something to be worked out with the owner of the stud dog. It can be either male or female, or it may be based on something else, such as color or temperament.


I hope I've been a help.
Best of luck,

Patti