Puppy/Bitch advice and information please!

[palo1]

I wonder if the experienced AAD forumites can answer some questions for me! I have put my name on the waiting list for a pup (Irish terrier - yippeee!!) having spent just over a year doing some research and finding an assured breeder with dogs I love and a home environment that is fantastic. The breeder is waiting for her bitch to come into season but had estimated that I might plan for a puppy in July'ish. It will obviously happen when it does but that would be great timing for me as I can take extended leave from work to start with almost any time through July/August and into early Sept. The thing is that I had sort of expected that a mating might have been possible by now....Am I just being impatient? Are bitches usually coming into season by now or is it absolutely entirely variable? This is not the bitch's first season but will be the first mating. I think she is 2 years old. Sorry for being daft - I have never had to consider seasons/timing before now! The end of August/early Sept would not be such great timing for me and hard to take long leave but it would not be a disaster if pup arrives later- I certainly do not want to look elsewhere. How do folk cope with the waiting ? The poor girl has not even been mated yet and I am desperate to whisk a pup away!! Please tell me that bitches are weather sensitive and as soon as we get warm, sunny weather she will be good to go! Thanks.

 

[CorvusCorax]

It's variable and depends on the age of the animal, bitches come into season generally twice a year in my own breed. But some bitches take split seasons, some are 'ready' at different times during their season. I've seen bitches be tested here, be driven to Germany and then be tested by another vet and have to be left there for an extra week as they actually weren't ready at all. So.....with dogs, nothing is guaranteed lol.

 

[bonny]

The bitches that I have had have come into season at random times and sometimes not at all so I wouldn’t rely on anything

 

[meleeka]

Sorry I don’t think it’s weather dependant with dogs. They are generally every 6 months regardless of the time of year. (Lots of variations to that of course).

 

[palo1]

Thanks - yes I was afraid of this! The breeder thought that her dog would be ready for a mating in Feb/March from past form I guess. I will keep waiting patiently...with fingers crossed that we get there in the end. I have never had this experience before (puppy waiting list so far in advance) - it is just torture!!

 

[Clodagh]

A lot do come in season as the days lengthen. I notice out shooting there are more bitches missing at the end of Jan than earlier in the year. I think if they are near another one in season it helps aswell. (Unscientific but just my own observations).
July isn't looking good!

 

[{97702}]

If there is one thing that can be guaranteed, it is that bitches never seem to want to co-operate about coming into season 😄 as others have said, it’s roughly every six months depending on the breed/age of the bitch/how contrary she is being 😄 if she lives with other bitches and one of them comes into season that will usually bring the others in as well

I’m super excited for you too OP, so fab to hear of someone who is really doing it properly and has done all the research etc! We will of course require updates every step of the way, and lots of pics when puppy arrives

 

[palo1]

Thank you! Yes, very exciting - if rather frustrating at the moment as we are still in the window of pup arriving at the best possible time in the year for me. I have never been in this position before though experienced with dogs and pups; but they have all been rescues or 'add-ons' previously. I saw the Irish terriers last year at Crufts and thought I would find out about them so went to various shows etc - definately an eye opener as to the contemporary show dog world!! (My parents used to own and show Springer Spaniels and Newfoundlands but things have certainly moved on since their day...) I loved all that, met lots of lovely people and finally tracked down an assured breeder who I met and have visited several times now. I absolutely love her dogs, the way they are kept, trained etc and have had a very warm reception with walks etc included in the mutual vetting process. It's very exciting to consider a new breed (only sight and nose hounds previously) but certainly not spontaneous at this point! That is not a bad thing by any means but now I would just love to hear that 'my' breeder's lovely girl is in pup. She is a gorgeous dog with such a fab character that it will be awful if I have to wait even longer. But hey ho, no one negotiates with Mother Nature.

 

[{97702}]

Strictly tongue in cheek of course... but you have a sight hound and you want another breed???!!!😱😱😱😂😂😂

 

[Widgeon]

When we were on the list for a puppy the bitch didn't come into season until weeks after expected. Fortunately my work are flexible!

 

[palo1]

Strictly tongue in cheek of course... but you have a sight hound and you want another breed???!!!😱😱😱😂😂😂

Indeed...I personally would always choose a whippet/lurcher/greyhound to be honest but my OH just doesn't do pointy dogs! Infuriatingly, a very good friend is a KC assured breeder of the most fabulous whippets too. As we are a family and all have to live together, compromise is fine: I am generally a dog lover so find it easy to flex - my OH is a farmer's son who, when we met, slightly struggled with the notion of a 'pet' dog!! At the moment we have a lovely, older fell hound and I never thought I would be interested in anything other than a hound of some sort and they are truly lovely animals to live with. It was most unexpected to suddenly find an entirely other sort of dog that spoke to me but it is exciting to have a change and the hope of another pointy or sniffing hound at some point in the future is not entirely lost. But for now I am in the grip of a terrier acquisition mission. Thankfully my hounds have given me considerable experience of issues around recall and the general 'Why should I?' that comes with the more independent sort of dog...

 

[Moobli]

Exciting times but the waiting for news is very hard! Fingers crossed the bitch cooperates and pups are born at the optimal time for you for time off work etc, but if not then I am sure you can work around it. It is definitely worth sticking with a breeder you are happy with even if you have to wait a bit longer.

 

[Clodagh]

Indeed...I personally would always choose a whippet/lurcher/greyhound to be honest but my OH just doesn't do pointy dogs! Infuriatingly, a very good friend is a KC assured breeder of the most fabulous whippets too. As we are a family and all have to live together, compromise is fine: I am generally a dog lover so find it easy to flex - my OH is a farmer's son who, when we met, slightly struggled with the notion of a 'pet' dog!! At the moment we have a lovely, older fell hound and I never thought I would be interested in anything other than a hound of some sort and they are truly lovely animals to live with. It was most unexpected to suddenly find an entirely other sort of dog that spoke to me but it is exciting to have a change and the hope of another pointy or sniffing hound at some point in the future is not entirely lost. But for now I am in the grip of a terrier acquisition mission. Thankfully my hounds have given me considerable experience of issues around recall and the general 'Why should I?' that comes with the more independent sort of dog...

I was going to say we have an Irish Terrier here on the farm (not ours) and she is as disobedient as any sight hound!

 

[palo1]

I was going to say we have an Irish Terrier here on the farm (not ours) and she is as disobedient as any sight hound!

'Tis a good thing then, that I have no great ambition toward mega-obedience!! At least I will be able to blame it all on the dog...I am actually looking forward to classes and trying to make a better job of obedience training than perhaps previously. A terrier is a good challenge and all.

 

[palo1]

Well, a frustrating update here: the bitch I was hoping would have pups has still not come into season though the breeder very kindly says she will help me find another pup from a similar set-up (very domestic!). The breed society puppy helpline has also offered to help - at the moment there may be one litter with pups possibly available in July/August. I haven't been in touch with that breeder yet though I will make contact and enquire. The thing is, that after a year of researching, visiting shows and homes, talking to breeders etc I am beginning to feel that it's just not meant to be....I could leave it another year of course and wait and hope that a pup from my 'chosen' breeder is available or I suppose I could 1) give up 2) look at other breeds. It's just a bit of fatigue setting in I guess and I certainly didn't expect it to be so hard to find a pup from a breed of my choosing but I suppose doing it 'right' and heading for a small breed makes it harder. Encouraging words may be needed...!!

 

[Chiffy]

Sorry to read this palo, it is exactly what happened to me. I decided I needed to downgrade in size and energy levels from many , many years of Flatcoated retrievers. I did a load of research, went to Crufts, visited a breeder. I chose to have a Smooth Collie. They are a vulnerable breed so not that many breeders.
I put my name down with two breeders for a Sable bitch. Did anyone breed one, they did not. I was getting desperate for a youngster to bring on as I had a middle age dog and an oldie. In the end I succumbed to another flatcoat related to my others.
She is great but no more, so when the oldie died I tried again. Still no luck so have really burnt my boats now by taking on a rescue who is a Collie/ retriever cross!
Good luck for getting what you want in the end.

 

[blackcob]

It took two years from start to finish to get my pup from a numerically small breed - hang on in there! I wanted a black dog, in a breed that is 90% black, but the long-planned litter turned out a statistically miraculous litter of golden bitches and every subsequent litter put my way was either golden or female too. The one black dog pup produced in that time period was spoken for about 10 times over. I thought I was jinxed.

It was a complete spanner in the works for me as well as I was hoping to have a dog of competing age as my oldie retired, as it is I will probably have a gap now and not know what to do with myself for a few months. Plan C puppy was worth the wait though.

 

[Clodagh]

If I were you I would get myself a long dog to play with in the mean time, or some other easy to obtain hound. (Maybe a rescue or something). Or if your OH does tractor work a tractor dog, to fill the new dog needed now hole, might be an idea.
Then just sit and wait for your Irish terrier to come along. .

 

[palo1]

Thanks all! There are a number of options and Clodagh - I have indeed been eyeing up local, easy to acquire beddy whippet types!! I am at the point where I just need to sit back a bit and see what happens. Usually in my life animals have come along in a timely fashion so I don't really want to push my luck with this. A good dog is a good dog regardless of breed too.

 

[{97702}]

Thanks all! There are a number of options and Clodagh - I have indeed been eyeing up local, easy to acquire beddy whippet types!! I am at the point where I just need to sit back a bit and see what happens. Usually in my life animals have come along in a timely fashion so I don't really want to push my luck with this. A good dog is a good dog regardless of breed too.

Where oh where do you find beddy whippet types??? I can never seem to find one 😊

I’ve got to admit I always say that I don’t mind what colour or sex my next rescue greyhound is, as long as it gets on with my current lot! It makes it so much easier - this time I went to see a small blue bitch & ended up with a very large brindle dog 😄

 

[GSD Woman]

I'm sorry the breeder's bitch didn't come in like she should have. Ha! Like a bitch is going to do anything she isn't in the mood for. My 10 month old just came out of season and I thought I was going to lose my mind. Seriously though, could you find a dog overseas? In the US a lot of good breeders bring over dogs for competition or breeding from Europe. My sable boy's sire was an import and my older bitch is out of an import.

 

[palo1]

I will continue to hope that an Irish puppy might be available at the right time for me but we have now also had chance to discuss as a family what to do if that doesn't happen....Comments and advice on our thoughts are welcome (please!!)

At the moment I have a lovely retired Trail hound: she is 12 and in excellent health and spirits. I have very tentatively approached the Lakeland Trailhound welfare (where I acquired my older girl when she was 2) about another one. I have been completely honest and open with them about my situation but they are a lovely bunch and very understanding!! I could, I would hope, be approved for another Trailie which would be a popular choice in the household. Pros are that they tend to be fully stock trained, super typical hound temperaments: energetic outside but very biddable, idle house dogs. However the cons with that are that a young (but not pup ) Trailie would need a fair bit of training including house-training, they are quite large dogs and we would (for simple space reasons) prefer something smaller, they shed rather tremendously too though that isn't a massive problem in all honesty. I do like them very much!! They are smart, athletic and healthy though tend to be somewhat 'independent' in terms of training though they do have good brains with the right approach. Of course the training issue is not really an issue as a puppy needs huge training inputs too and I am up for that.

The alternative would be to find an alternative sort of active terrier type that would be a good substitute for an Irish. Is there such a thing?? I am not so keen on the Wire Fox Terrier or the Welsh terrier. The smooth fox terriers are gorgeous but probably as difficult to acquire as an Irish!! I do really quite like the Lakeland terrier but have not much idea about what they are like nor where to acquire one. Having spent over a year researching the Irish terrier I don't especially fancy traipsing round doing the same for a different breed and I believe (possibly wrongly) that I could find a healthy Lakeland without too much trouble or needing to buy from an assured breeder. Am I wrong?? Can anyone here tell me about Lakies or suggest a reasonable alternative. Long dogs are sadly out as OH simply doesn't 'get' them!! He is happy about active terriers or hounds of the Trail/Fell type. Thanks helpful people!

 

[Clodagh]

He had a lakeland dog and he was the most amazing terrier ever, he was a wonderful dog.
BUT he was obsessed with hunting. Maybe not typical as OH had worked him, but he would sod off and go to ground at a moments notice. You do get show lakelands who are much bigger than the workers, at least they wouldn't fit down the smaller holes!
Temperament wise he was a saint, he really was the perfect dog, and I am not a terrier fan generally.
On the plus side you would probably only need to attend a couple of terrier shows to find one, if you are near the Lakes then Lowther?