Boy Pup or Girl Pup?

Many people believe that female dogs make better pets... female preference seems to be ingrained in people.  Most calls for pet dogs have people wanting a "sweet girl".  They don't think females display alpha behaviors like "marking" and/or "humping".  They believe that they are more docile and attentive and do not participate in fighting over dominance.

Well folks, this is not true and they don't call them a "bitch" for nothing!

In the dog pack makeup, females usually rule the roost, determine pecking order, and who compete to maintain and/or alter that order.  The females are, as a result, more independent, stubborn, and territorial than their male counterparts.  The females are much more intent upon exercising their dominance by participating in alpha behaviors such as "humping".  There IS a reason people utilize the technical dog term of 'bitch' in a negative way and it refers directly to the behaviors exhibited by the females of the dog world.

Most serious fights will usually break out between 2 females.  Males, on the other hand, are usually more affectionate, exuberant, attentive, and more demanding of attention.  They are very attached to their people.  They also tend to be more steadfast, reliable, and less moody.  They are more outgoing, more accepting of other pets, and take quicker to children.  Most boys are easily motivated by food (how true!!) and praise, and so eager to please that training is easy.  However, males can be more easily distracted during training, as males like to play so often.

And no matter what age, he is more likely to act silly and more puppy-like, always wanting to play games.  Boys are fun loving until the day they die.  Females tend to be more reserved or dignified as they age.  Witness the human equivalent of the twinkling eyed Grandpa still playing catch at age 70, while Grandma quietly observes from the porch.

Boys do get bigger than girls, but only by an average of 1-2 inches and 2-3 pounds in the Chihuahua.  In the Chihuahua a variety of sizes can be found regardless of sex.  There are a lot of self claimed "Miniature Breeders" out there but be aware that it takes a well planned breeding program to keep a Miniature from generation to generation.  The difference between sizes and sexes is minimal, if bred correctly, and for improving the breed according to the standard.

Neutered males rarely exhibit secondary sexual behavior such as "humping" or "marking" and lifting of legs.  Once the testosterone levels recede after neutering, most of these behaviors (if they ever existed) will disappear.  Boys who were neutered early (by 5 months of age) usually don't ever raise their leg to urinate.

And while the female will usually come to you for attention, when she's had enough, she will move away.  While boys are always waiting for your attention and near at hand.  Females are usually less distracted during training, as she is more eager to get it over with, and get back to her comfy spot on the couch.  The female is less likely to wage a dominance battle with YOU, but she can be cunning and resourceful in getting her own way.  She is much more prone to mood swings.  One day she may be sweet and affectionate, the next day reserved and withdrawn or even grumpy.

The female also has periods of being 'in heat' unless she is spayed.  Intact females also lift legs and pee mark.  Seasonal heats can be a month long nightmare not just for the female, but you and every male dog in the neighborhood.  Did we mention that the seasonal heats happen TWICE a year?

If you are not breeding, you'd be best off to have her spayed since during this time she can leave a bloody discharge on carpets, couches, or anywhere she goes.  She will be particularly moody and emotional during this time.  A walk outside during this period can become hazardous if male dogs are in the vicinity, and she will leave a "scent" for wandering intact males to follow right to your yard, where they will hang out, and "wait" for days.  Also, intact females are prone to many infections and cancers and female problems, that neutered and spayed pets are not.

Research has also proven that a female NOT bred during a heat cycle stays in a flux of estrogen level which may give us the reason as to why females are more moody than males.

Males generally cost 1/2 the price to have neutered as a female does to be spayed and are usually priced less, as females are desired so often by breeders.

SOOOOOO... before you decide on that age old dilemma of male or female, give consideration to any other dogs that may be in or around your home, your financial situation as to having the dog altered and whether or not you have the space, time and money to raise a litter of puppies.  Keep in mind, if you already have one dog, they'll always compete or fight less, and enjoy the company more, of a dog of the opposite sex.

Writer unknown.

Dr. Strain sent Danna Ceja what he is submitting to TNT after the misquotes that Gloria Lambert wrote in the June issue, he also sent it to Peggy Wilson President of the Chihuahua Club Of America to present it at the nationals.

Merle
George M. Strain, PhD
      Recent issues of Top Notch Toys have printed dialog about the merle gene, especially relating to its presence in the Chihuahua breed. One particular article (1) cited research of mine (2) with an incorrect interpretation that I wish to correct. In addition, I would like to provide unbiased up-to-date information on the merle gene that may inform and clarify the debate on this issue. I have been performing research on hearing and deafness since the late 1980's, and am identified as a leading authority on deafness in dogs, so I am well positioned to provide this information. I should point out that publications and writings of mine from past years discussing the merle gene no longer represent my opinion, as recent research has led me to change my position.

      The above-cited article contained the statement that "According to Dr. George Strain merle and piebald dogs with blue eyes are 50% more likely to be deaf." The research from which this was drawn only applied to the piebald gene and only applied to the Dalmatian breed, where blue eyes and deafness are a widespread problem (30% of US Dalmatians are deaf in one or both ears). My research did not apply to dogs with merle, and I am unaware of any study examining this issue using adequate numbers of dogs and dogs from breeds other than Dachshund, where the published studies have limitations (see below).

      Two pigment genes are associated with deafness in dogs: piebald (S) and merle (M). Piebald, which is present in Dalmatians, bull terriers, cocker spaniels, Jack Russell terriers, Chihuahuas and others, is a recessive gene. There are three recessive alleles for piebald: Irish spotting (is), piebald (sp), and extreme white piebald (SW); dogs that have uniform color without white carry the dominant allele (S). The piebald gene produces areas of white by suppressing pigmentation cells (melanocytes). Merle, which is present in Shetland sheepdogs, Australian shepherds, Dachshunds, Great Danes and others, is a dominant gene. Merle produces a color pattern where patches of color are diluted or absent (white); animals homozygous with the recessive allele (mm) have solid color. Dogs with piebald must be homozygous to have areas of white, while merles can be either heterozygous (mM) or homozygous (MM). There is no evidence to suggest that dogs carrying both the piebald and merle genes have an increased likelihood of deafness.

      Much of the literature on merle in the past focused on problems seen in homozygous merles and in breeds where the merle gene can produce dramatic effects B in some cases including deafness, blindness and microphthalmia, and sterility. Even heterozygous dogs in these breeds can have less serious visual and auditory deficits. This indeed happens with some breeds, but unfortunately many people have taken this truth and extrapolated it to apply to all breeds carrying the merle gene, which is not true. For example, dogs in the Catahoula breed can be homozygous merle without any of these health defects, and heterozygotes do not seem to be affected. Until recently it was not possible to even distinguish between mM and MM merles in some breeds.  

      Since not all breeds carrying the merle gene experience the deleterious effects, it is incautious to proclaim that the presence of this pattern in a breed will be injurious to the breed without first investigating whether deaf or blind dogs result from breeding heterozygous merles. Are there any known deaf or blind merle Chihuahuas? If so, are they heterozygous or homozygous? In many breeds carrying merle, breeders know not to breed homozygous merles, and visual and auditory deficits do not seem to be a problem in the heterozygotes. Studies have examined auditory function (3) and visual function (4) in heterozygous and homozygous dappled (merle) Dachshunds, as described in several writings by Dr. Malcolm Willis. These studies, from geographically and numerically restricted populations, found hearing loss and deafness and visual abnormalities, but only examined small numbers of dogs B 38 in the first study and 18 in the second. Dappled Dachshunds, when carefully bred to avoid MM, do not appear to have deafness or blindness in the general population, so one must be careful to not raise alarms at the presence of merle in a breed until experience shows that a true problem exists.

      A large leap in understanding merle occurred when Clark and Murphy of Texas A&M University identified and sequenced the canine gene for merle in 2006 (5). The gene, named SILV, (also known as Silver in mice) plays a role in pigmentation in skin, eye, and ear. Dogs with the merle phenotype have a short piece of DNA inserted into this gene B a DNA modification known as a short interspersed element (SINE). This work was performed with Shetland sheepdogs, and then confirmed in merles from eleven other breeds, including Chihuahua. The sequence of the SINE was the same in all breeds, suggesting that all breeds in the study shared a common ancestor. The merle SINE insertion has three components: a head, a body and a tail; the latter contains a long string of repeated adenine nucleotides (polyA). For a dog to show the merle phenotype, it must have both the SINE insertion and a polyA tail that is of sufficient length (90-100 adenine repeats). Some merle-merle breeding produce homozygous merles called cryptic because they don=t show the merle phenotype, and when bred they do not produce any merle offspring. It turns out that the polyA tail in cryptic merles has been truncated to 65 or fewer adenine repeats. So, the merle gene phenotype can revert to the non-merle in one generation. In the same way, it is theoretically possible for the polyA tail length to increase from genetic processing error, spontaneously producing a merle (5,6). The likelihood of this possibility is unknown but probably low. 

      It has been suggested that merle appeared in the Chihuahua breed from a cross to another breed, such as the Dachshund. Others have suggested that the gene has been present for many generations, but that the pigmentation pattern was incorrectly described, such as blue and tan or black and silver. A single event of the first possibility might still make it hard to explain all of the merle Chihuahuas now in existence. Regardless of the source of merle in the breed, to my knowledge there is no data at this time to suggest that merle Chihuahuas are prone to visual or auditory problems. I would encourage the breed organization investigate the prevalence of visual and auditory disorders in merle Chihuahuas prior to making decisions affecting the breed standard.

      More information on deafness in general can be found on my research web page: Deafness in Dogs and Cats, www.lsu.edu/deafness/deaf.htm.