Things To Think About Before Buying A Utonagan
Before you purchase a Utonagan, please make every effort to find out as much as you can about the breed. The Utonagan is not a dog that should be taken on lightly, puppies are cute but they can take up to 4years to mentally mature. The Utonagan is not a fighting dog, nor a guard dog and adores human company, he is not a dog that likes to be left alone for hours on end and is therefore not suitable for working families as they can be destructive if left alone for too long. Be sure you know as much as possible before you buy. Make the effort contact other Utonagan owners, attend shows and talk to as many breeders that you can. You will be given much conflicting advice, but common sense often allows you to decide which advice makes the most sense. The more you know before hand the better equipped you will be to deal with situations should they arise. Sometimes Utonagan dogs end up in rescue because the owners weren't aware of just how much was involved in owning one, make sure yours isn't one of them.
If you are looking for a puppy you can contact breeders through the various websites on the internet. Don't buy the first puppy you see, look around and talk to the breeders, don't be afraid to ask questions. Make sure you see the puppy with its mother and that the living quarters are clean. Remember too that the dam may not be looking her best at this point. Don't buy from a pet shop, because for every puppy sold another will take his/her place - these pups are often from puppy farms from overbred bitches and often from poor living conditions. If answering an advertisement in the paper make sure that you visit the home of the seller, don't make arrangement to meet half way or for them to come to you and trust your instincts. Be sure your breeder gives you a feed chart, a record of his vacinations and the date he was last wormed along with their Registration Certificate and Pedigree Certificate.
In general bitches are usually that bit smaller than the males who tend to be more muscular and larger in both structure and size. Males are maybe slightly more dominant in personality and maybe that little bit more stubborn. Utonagan pups take upto 4 years to mentally mature. Much of this time is hormone influenced, boisterous behaviour is quite normal for young Utonagan dogs, they tend not to become couch potatoes until they are adults. Bitches will come into season around 6 to 9 months old and then every 6 to 9 months after that. Often after her second season you will see a change in her personality and she will begin to calm down. Males have a testonerone surge at around 9 months old, this hormone surge can sometimes make them more boisterous as they learn how to be a "man" dog, but once the hormone levels have settled down he will then begin to calm down also. If you already have another dog, aim to get your second dog of opposite sex, usually the bitch will become the boss in a male/female relationship.
Try not to castrate your male until he is at least 12 months to 2 years old as they need their testosterone surge. Castration on a young boisterous male Utonagan rarely calms them down and if done too early can sometimes make boisterous behaviour worse. Try to let your bitch have her first season and then aim to spay mid way between that and her next season. Humping behaviour is rarely curbed by nutering, humping is more likely to be associated with dominance or nervous behaviour than anything sexual and breeding him/her is not the answer either. A neutered dog obviously will never contract testicular cancer (males) or pyometra (females). Pyometra often occurs around middle age and can be fatal. The risk of mammory tumours are also reduced in a spayed bitch.
Did you know that should your dog escape or be stolen and he ends up in a shelter or with a rescue, that you only have 7 DAYS to claim him!!! Microchipping your dog is the most efficient way of ensuring that your dog isn't one of the many dogs rehomed because the owner couldn't be traced. A microchip is approximately the size of a grain of rice and is inserted just under the skin at the scruff of the neck, the proceedure is quick, painless and will last a lifetime.
Aim to buy only from a reputable breeder. Avoid puppies that are priced too low, breeding Utonagan is hard work, time consuming and very expensive.
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