Beebe is awesome because she is the only dog who does not go insane when there is a bitch in heat at my house. That, and she is a reliable, good little worker.
The boys stop eating and howl for 2-3 weeks non stop, and the one communal brain cell they share between them is wholly dedicated to locating and claiming girls. They have no time for “mom” and I get the cold shoulder. Farrah also has no time for mom when the boys are around. She has other things on her mind, the least of which is doing what I ask of her, at home or in class.
For those without intact boys, stud urine has an awful lingering stink, and it’s sticky, and it somehow ends up on the doorways to the bitch area and on my houseplants, but only for about 3 weeks. That and the pining necessitate temporary confinement and revoking of privileges.
So, for about 3 weeks, Beebe got to enjoy put up with undivided attention from mom. By the end of the first week, she realized that she was now the only dog allowed in the bedrooms, on to the sofas, in the living room, etc, and then she was ok with all the petting and fussing. She has also become quite a lap hog.
Anyways, the boys and girls are back to normal now and Beebe has another flyball tourney in a few weeks. She has been running with the Seattle Flydogs for more than two years and in that time has earned two performance titles, earning a place in Shiba Inu history. I am starting to think about retiring her from the team to pursue other events, like Rally, although she clearly enjoys herself when flyballing.
Hokusei Kashinoki Shiba and Hokkaido Ken 北西樫ノ木 
And thus concludes the reason why I don’t think I could be a breeder.
Major props to you, though!
I love our altered dogs. They are just companions without all that “lets procreate like we have to to survive” thing. It’s nice.
We have a Chinese Crested powder puff that was neutered at six months old, and he’s a very good boy who has never marked, but when the bitches are in heat, he has his ‘girlfriends’ that he likes to hump. And he’s quite clever about it, too, he waits for them to lie down. He’s thirteen now and still goes at it.
Do Shibas typically have false pregnancies? That’s fun, too.
Aww, your girls have a pervy Uncle Powderfuff!
I have heard about false pregnancies in Shibas, but I don’t think it is typical. I bet it sucks though. Does it happen more in some breeds than others?
I think it is probably confined to specific lines. Like if your bitch’s mother had them, she’ll probably have them, too. My old lady Afghan, Zora, had bad ones, produced milk, mothered small dogs, nesting. Her daughters also have them, and will mother our Italian Greyhounds until they get tired of being cleaned, and even allow them to nurse. Zora’s granddaughters from my backcross litter (75% Afghan, the Afghan sire is not closely related to Zora), still get a little boobage but they don’t produce much milk and they don’t mother. Some of my other Afghans have had them, too, but not all. And my Salukis and Azawakh really don’t have them at all except to get a little boobagey.
False pregnancies can be frustrating but it is just really cute to see the bitches mothering the little dogs.
Very nice post Lindsay. Points out why having an intact dog can be hard especially if you have a intact dog or a neighbor does.. Not many dog owners are up to managing a intact male..