Living with Dogs

Ah the boys, the lovable boys! Ask any Weim owner and they will tell you, the boys are categorically oh so sweet, forget those manipulative bitches, the boys are their heart dogs.

So let’s talk about those boys this time. (Read companion piece, Living with Bitches.) One of the main reasons people want girls is because of their smaller size, and they don’t really like males due to marking and leg lifting as well as the “boy” behaviors (mounting, aggression, etc).

Leg Lifting

Leg lifting usually starts some time at around five to eight months old and can be dealt with the same way you did when you house broke him.

Now, just because you are dealing with the issue the same way as when you house trained your Weim, does not mean that he sees marking and eliminating as the same thing. Quite the opposite, actually, they are two different behaviors completely.

You need to teach him where he is allowed to mark/not mark. He isn’t born knowing this, it’s your responsibility to teach him. Be vigilant so you can catch it the first time he tries, and punish the behavior.

It bears repeating — catch this the very first time he tries it, and you will be miles ahead of the game. A house with marked scents (his own from previous instances or from other dogs) will attract more of the same and will make marking harder to break.

If you have chronic problems with your male lifting his leg in the house, keep him in a crate when you can’t supervise him, and a belly band for those times you want him loose in the house and might not be able to keep a strict eye on him.

Properly managed, an intact male can be just as clean in the house as a female, including when living with other intact males.

Yes it’s true, early neutering will sometimes keep a boy from ever lifting his leg, but it doesn’t guarantee the absence of leg-lifting either. Most learn this behavior from watching other boys anyway.

Other Boy Behaviors

What about mounting and humping behavior? Or fighting and aggression? Turns out, these aren’t really gender specific problems!

Girls can be just as territorial, and as the old wives tale goes, a bitch fight is much much worse than a dog fight. The bitches may do it less frequently but mean business more so than dogs.

Males will roam when he smells a bitch in heat blocks away, and this is something that both neutered and intact males will do, with intact males being more motivated to find his lady friend.

Health problems with intact boys usually involve urinary tract infections and prostate enlargement or infections. Accidents in the house with otherwise house broken males should send you to the vet.

Living with intact male dogs is generally not any more of a challenge than living with bitches. And if you want the sweet goofy lovable doofus, a boy dog is for you.

Bottom line, both males and females have their pluses and minuses. Why not get one of each gender so you can experience both? 😉

About Anne Taguchi

Surviving life with Weims!

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