As your pet dog matures, you can expect them to undergo some changes. Many of those are physical changes, but others may alter your pet’s personality.
Your dog’s personality changing a bit as they mature is normal. However, is it possible that some of those personality changes were brought about by certain events? To be more specific, could previous breeding experiences influence your dog’s personality?
Those are important questions to ask for just about any pet owner. We’re going to address them in this article. Stick around so you can pick up those answers and better understand your pet in the process.
Does Breeding a Male or Female Dog Change Their Personality?
Breeding is an important event in a dog’s life, but is it something that can affect their personality long-term? To answer that question, let’s take a closer look at how breeding affects both male and female dogs.
Changes That Affect Female Dogs
Personality changes are easily noticeable in female dogs after breeding. They become super protective over their puppies during this time.
Your female dog may bark or growl at anyone who tries to approach her puppies. She may even bark at you if you startle her. Attempt to touch her puppy with her nearby and she may even lunge at you.
Don’t take that as a sign that your pet hates you. Her hormones are just acting up and that’s causing her to be fearful of anyone approaching her pups. You can do her a favor by giving her some room to relax.
Female dogs may also be more anxious around strangers days after giving birth. They may start barking as soon as they spot an unfamiliar face.
Once again, you have to excuse your pet because she is just experiencing the after-effects of being a new mother. Hopefully, your guests will also be able to understand.
Thankfully, the changes in your female dog’s personality are not permanent. As soon as her pups start to become more independent, she will return to her old self again.
Changes That Affect Male Dogs
The personality changes in female dogs after breeding are easy to spot. You cannot always say the same thing for male dogs.
Personality changes for male dogs post-breeding occur more on a case-by-case basis.
Your dog’s personality may change greatly after breeding. They may become more rambunctious and hard to control in some situations. Other male dogs may not change at all.
There’s no way to predict how your dog will change after breeding. You just have to sit back and watch them for a while to see if any changes take hold.
Do Dogs Change Behavior When in Heat?
On average, female dogs enter their heat cycle every six months. During that time, you will be able to observe numerous changes in your pet.
You may notice numerous physical changes. A dog in heat tends to release a bloody discharge. Her vulva may also swell in size and she may urinate more frequently.
Notably, physical changes are not all that you will see if you have a female dog in heat. There are behavioral changes to watch for as well and we’ve highlighted them below.
More Receptive to Male Dogs
Ordinarily, your pet may not pay that much attention to other dogs while she’s out for a walk. That could change if she’s in heat.
All of a sudden, your pet may look more at the dogs around her. The male dogs, in particular, will catch her attention. She will also not shy away from male dogs that approach her.
Some female dogs will even seek their male counterparts out. Make sure you keep her on a leash to avoid any unexpected encounters.
Your Dog Is More Energetic
Female dogs in heat may display more energy. That spike in their energy levels could be explained by their desire to mate. You can expect your pet to get even more excited if she spots a male dog nearby.
Even after returning home, your dog may stare at the front door and scratch at it. Her desire to mate is driving her behavior at that point. Unless you want puppies, you should keep her indoors.
Your Dog Appears Fidgety
Some dogs may appear uncomfortable and fidget while going through their heat cycle. The discomfort may only be temporary. In that case, you can just wait it out.
Unfortunately, some dogs are plagued by that discomfort for a longer period of time. You should take your dog to the vet if they seem to be fidgety or uncomfortable for too long because there may be an underlying issue there.
Does Breeding Your Dog Make Them Aggressive?
There are pet owners out there who are hesitant to breed their dogs out of fear that they will become too aggressive. They’re afraid that their pets may change beyond recognition and that they could present a danger to others.
With female dogs, it’s easy to mistake them becoming overprotective for being aggressive. Keep in mind that they’re barking because they’re trying to keep their puppies safe. They’re not being aggressive because they hate you or anything like that.
It’s a bit different with male dogs because they can become more aggressive. If they get a sniff of a female in heat, they may start to become aggressive towards other male dogs that they perceive as competitors. Then again, other male dogs remain the same pre and post-breeding.
Note that dogs may become aggressive for other reasons. Dogs who are currently experiencing pain become aggressive and the same goes for those who are afraid. Older dogs also tend to become more aggressive.
Why You Shouldn’t Breed a Dog?
Breeding is a big step both for your pet and yourself. It is not something to take lightly.
Pet owners who are not willing to take responsibility for puppies should not allow their dogs to breed. Those puppies may become neglected and malnourished because you weren’t prepared. That is unacceptable, so avoid that problem by stopping your dog from breeding.
Breeding should also not be done without conducting a great deal of research first. You must understand what breeding can do for your pets and their potential offspring. Only proceed if you understand the risks involved are willing to accept them.
Lastly, you should avoid breeding if your only goal is to turn a profit. Come up with other ways to make money that don’t involve endangering your pet’s health.