[colebabe27]

*I am not trying to breed the dog for myself, nor will I be involved in the birthing process. The dog will go to the company to be whelped.* I am looking for some information on living with an intact female or male dog. I will possibly be housing an intact Golden for a company that breeds these dogs for service dogs. If I decide on the female, she will have 3 litters and then ownership will be transferred into my name. They breed once a year. My concern with the female would be the heat cycle (bleeding, etc). I would like to hear about some experiences people have because I know all dogs are different. With the male, he would be a stud until about ten years old. I would drive him to the training center about 5 times a year to be bred. My concern would be him running away after a female in heat. I would normally keep him on a leash, but I have had two Goldens and neither of them would run away if we let them out to go to the bathroom. If I have to I can do the leash thing, that's not a big deal. My questions about the male would be aggression and the running away thing. Remember I am asking about GOLDEN RETRIEVERS, if anyone has this experience. All breeds and dogs are different, but Goldens are known for their laid back personality. Thanks in advance.

[labman]

Some others here and I tend to be spay/neuter fanatics. However there are good reasons to breed dogs. I am highly involved in raising puppies for a dog guide school. I am friends with several of the families that host breeding stock. I have knowledge and am willing to share it with you.

In the picture above, the black Lab on the right with the blue sanitary garment is in season. The garment holds a pad to control the bleeding. Thus she could come to her half sister's 11'th birthday party. The yellow Lab in the bean bag chair is their mother, now retired breeding stock. The sanitary garment is one way of coping with the discharge. She was not bred that cycle.

Keeping an intact female is a big hassle. The school I have raised 15 puppies for does not spay/neuter them until they return for training after they are a year old. The last 2 spared me me the hassle by not coming into season before we returned them. I did have the joy of going through it with 9 other females plus having 4 intact yearling males.

You must be prepared for behavior problems not limited to creative, strenuous attempts to get loose. Well trained Dawn suddenly decided she wanted up on the furniture. You also have to tolerate the smell. You can't bathe a female in season without risking an infection. Usually I am not much for bathing dogs, but I always look forward to them finally being over so I can. Depending how well leash laws are enforced in your area, you may have a bunch of males hanging around. It is less of a hassle for my friends the cycles the females are bred. They are expected to deliver the dogs to the school's breeding kennel as soon as the discharge starts. The dogs are kept in a highly secure area until their season is finished.

I see less of the males, but wouldn't worry too much about their behavior. Remember, they are chosen partly for exemplarly behavior. I think part of the reason the school requires their males to live in somebody's home is to weed out behavior problems. Mostly I see them at the large annual gathering where everybody with a puppy or breeding stock is invited for the day. Even with an occasional female in season, I have never seen a problem.

I am a little surprised at the term ''company''. Most of the service dog schools are non profit organizations. You get to keep the dog eventually, but is it spay/neutered at that time?

Goldens are fine dogs. The friend that had the dogs in the picture is has a Golden now and was dropping her first litter off at the school today.

[colebabe27]

Thank you so much for the info... I stand corrected, it is a non-profit organization, but I guess it was too long to write haha... if I get a female like I said before, she will have three litters and then I will DEFINITELY spay her. I'm for the spay/neuter as much as you are. Both of the Goldens I used to have were neutered so I wasn't really sure what I would be dealing with. As for the male, they can be bred so late into life that they would transfer ownership to me at 10 years old or so... if you want to check out the site, I posted it in the question about the woman with a special needs son. The site is 4 Paws for Ability.