Originally posted by: 0roo0roo
Originally posted by: thedarkwolf
Originally posted by: triacontahedron
Before deciding on breed you might want to consider gender. The questions you asked depend more on sex then type of dog. Generally female dogs are lower maintenance then male ones. On average they smell less, run away less (male dogs are always looking for a thing to hump especially if there is a female dog in heat in the neighborhood) and less aggressive (get into less fights). The downside of a female dog is that you will have problems 2 times a year: you have to keep you pet on leash and fight other dogs, there is also bleeding but they usually clean after themselves. One more thing is that you should breed a dog at least once for it to be healthy ( no such problem with males obviously).
uh no especially the last part. The male female thing doesn't really matter personality wise. If you neuter a male dog they will be no more likely to run off then a spayed female dog. Some dogs just like to run off more then others male or female. A female dog will not bleed twice a year if she is spayed and it would be stupid not to have her spayed and letting one breed once doesn't make them healthier. Thats just dumb.
from what i remember, neutering/spaying basically freezes they sexual maturation at the time you do it more or less, so the earlier you do it, the less troublesome your dog will be. horniness and all that. do it as early as your vet suggests and your dog will probably be easier to deal with.
can't you bury a plastic fence in the ground around the perimeter to prevent escape?? or drive long metal stakes or something into the ground, i dunno, guess its a lotta work..
just get some books on raising a puppy, their stages of development are only months long..like socialization and stuff, don't miss it, you can't make it up later. bigger dogs make dicipline training more important.