Battle Between The Sexes
Yes, even in dogdom ... there exists the battle between the sexes. Male versus female. Dog over Bitch. While dogs are on top, they hump the females, there are doggie bitches ... the alphas and there are the wimpy males. Generally, male dogs are more beautiful than the females. It is a fallacy to say that females cost more. It is merely a justification for backyard breeders or puppy millers, the enterprising individuals who look at dog breeding as a means of livelihood. A friend of mine once said and I honestly believe that he has not changed his opinion, if you want the bucks, you are better off getting an outstanding male stud dog that all the breeders would want to avail of the stud services for their bitches. True, male dogs can render services any time. Let's say you charge 15,000 pesos for a stud service. Bitches come on heat one after the other. So in a month, depending on your stud dog's popularity, you can have as much as 15 bitches availing of your stud's services. Bitches on the other hand come on heat only twice a year and you're left wishing to the number of puppies to be whelped. Not only that, you have to prepare and rear the litter. Deworming and vaccinations cost. Not to mention that sometimes, puppies die or for oen, as a breeder, you should be ready to rear the puppies you bred in cases that you can't find buyers for them. Keeping your cost down doesn't guarantee you profits. So normally, you want the litter gone fast before the puppies start eating more and more. So much so for dog breeding as a lucrative business.
THE GET-RICH-QUICK-SCHEME
by Chris Walkowicz and Bonnie Wilcox, DVM
"Breeding dogs is a costly business if done right. It is even more costly - to you reputation - if done poorly. Few people make money from litters, and none become rich. Most breeders are content to break even. Those who do have a "profit" use it to help defray expenses. A typical dream fades as follows: Your bitch whelps a normal healthy litter of five, and you see the dollar signs toddling about. You sell the first pup, and the sale pays for the pre-breeding veterinary fees and the lovely whelphing box that you built. The next sale goes for advertising and for the pup's exam, first shots and worming. The sale of the third pup covers the food bill, the second inoculation, registration of the litter and the pedigree forms. By this time, the others need their next shot ( six for each pup in the first four months) and more food (boy, do they eat a lot!) the local market is saturated, so you continue advertising in desperation for the last two prospective owners, wherever they may be. Finally, one more sells, which means you can reimburse your brother for the stud fee he lent you. You cut the price to sell the last one (which is all knees and elbows by this point) and pocket the "profit". That is, unless you have tail docking, dewclaw removal, ear cropping or shipping expenses. Wait a minute ... did you forget to deduct the expense of purchasing the dame and several forays into the showing arena? there go the profits.
Ah, but there's next time. The last enlightening experience taught you a few lessons. Eliminate shipping and breed to a local stud. So the pups come. Or rather a pup, because it's a litter of one. That one goes as the pick pup to the stud owner, because you worked out a clever deal. But you must still pay the vet, the food bill, the registration ... Well, this can't happen twice in a row, can it? You breed the bitch on the next season since she only had 1 pup. So you pay the fee, paint the box, buy food and count the people who said they'd like one. This time there are ten pups. But all the interested buyers have an excuse for why this is a bad time, and the pups hang around for six months. You buy a ton of food, give sixty shots, buy a large exercise pen and dream up ads and more ads. Then you buy two kennel runs, because the girls are starting to come on season. Heaven forbid any of them bred! Someone from your first litter calls and needs to return his pup because he's being transferred overseas. You welcome her back, stacking crates like egg cartons. Finally, the last two pups are given away. Never again, you think! But a year later you've had six calls for puppies, and pain diminishes in memory. So you take a deep breath, collect deposits and decide to try again. After all, your bitch has three champions in her lines! She whelps eight pups. Six are reserved at 300 dollars a piece. At last, you relax. But they contract a virus when they're six weeks old, and all but three are lost. Of course, you've already sunk your fortune into food, shots and other necessary accouterments. The remaining pups must be kept for another month until they're back on their feet and no longer contagious, and it's cost you ninety dollars per pup for hospitalization and intravenous fluids to keep them alive. The six people cancel their reservations because (1)they don't want a pup that's been sick; (2)the pups aren't as cute at three months old as they were at two, and (3) they've already found another one. That's it! Three years and nothing to show for it but bills."
So you want to breed, huh?
And that is why you want a female dog. Or that is why female dogs are more expensive than male dogs? When choosing the sex of the dog, keep this in mind. When you want to show, you are better off with a male dog. Male dogs are beautiful in the ring. They shed less than females too so as far as showing, they can be in the ring more than the females. The bitches come on heat twice. They look grand when about to come on heat or while on heat but they do blow their coat after. You need to wait for the coat to come back again or else you'll be showing a dog not properly conditioned. The only thing about males ... they pee all over the place but of course that can be resolved.
Fellow dog lovers (& divers!) are always welcome in our homes!
Don't forget to leave your paw prints (or bouys) behind!
THANK YOU FOR DROPPING BY!
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