Too many boy puppies

Question
I have a 3 year old male Bichon stud and 3 females of different ages.  All 4 dogs live in the house and are members of the family.  We have had 4 litters of puppies and the gender split is 18 boys 6 girls.  My husband wants to fix our stud and purchase a new male.  I asked for 1 more chance and the time to research if I can adjust his food give him more exercise or anything that would increase the female pups in his litters.  I personally think boy puppies are better pets, however the people who purchase puppies from us want girls.  I also really do not want to add another dog to the house right now.  Any advise would be helpful.  Thanks Loretta

Answer
Hi Loretta:

Although I'm not a scientist I know it's generally accepted by most that the male is the one who primarily determines offspring sex - that is, his DNA & sperm composition which obviously contains it. So it's more than likely using another male as stud will increase the number of females per litter IF he has the heritage, ancestry & genetic background that seem to link a higher ration of females to males. That would be a key point to investigate with a breeder if it comes to that. However, since the dogs are a part of your family, I can say with at least some degree of certainty that by adding an unaltered male it will turn your home into a slight battlefield. Your current male is 3 years old & has been used as a stud. He has his home, his territory & his women. Although neutering him will cause him to feel less territorial, etc. he will probably resent the new male & may show some aggression. I think you really should consider simply using either another stud whether natural or via A.I. before actually purchasing one. See if that shows a different result. Then decide how much you really want to pursue continuing to produce puppies. I'm including a few links to sites I think are good to read & seriously consider.

http://www.canismajor.com/dog/hvpup1.html

http://www.canismajor.com/dog/gscreen.html

http://www.cal.net/~pamgreen/byb_excuses.html

http://www.mydog8it.com/before_you_breed.htm

http://dog.lifetips.com/cat/57510/dog-breeders/

http://www.thekennelclub.org.uk/item/476

As for feeding your current a different formulation or increasing exercise - there's no harm in either & who knows, it may affect the outcome. Sometimes seemingly trivial links can be found but I don't know of any readily accepted or proven way. Personally I just let nature take its course, although there have been times when I desperately wanted a male - one poor woman waited a year & a half for a boy from my dogs! No cooperation LOL!

Anyway, I hope this helps you in some way - feel free to let me know if you have any questions or additional thoughts.