Frequently Asked Questions

There are many questions that we are asked on a regular basis here at Peachy Keen. We have compiled some of them for you to read in case you are wondering some of the same things.

Will my dog get fat if I have him neutered?
This is a very common misconception. Just because you have your dog spayed or neutered does not necessarily mean that he or she will get fat. When a dog is spayed or neutered they will lost the desire to want to roam and will therefore lose the desire to exercise themselves in this way. As a pet owner, you must ensure that your pet is getting proper exercise as well as a balanced diet. On occasion spaying/neutering a pet will cause a drop in metabolism, therefore making him/her process its food differently. You may need to cut back on the food that your pet is eating slightly. Some pets' appetites may not alter but if they do, you must be aware of it.

I want a female because males mark their territory.
Females will mark their territory as much as males will. Getting your pet spayed/neutered will decrease its desire to do this. If a male is neutered before it learns to lift its leg to urinate (typically around 6 months of age), chances are it will never lift it as an adult.

Does the fact that my dogs parents have performance titles
mean that my puppy will be high strung?
Just because your puppy's parents have performance titles such as herding, agility, flyball or obedience, does not mean that your puppy will be high strung. This simply means that the parents excelled in these avenues. There are many puppies that come from high strung and working parents that do not have the drive and desire to work as the parents do. This is the reason that we put our puppies through extensive temperament testing when they are young. There are many occasions where we will find exceptional working ability in one or two of our puppies, and the parents are couch potatoes. Each puppy has an individual temperament and that needs to be discovered and respected. We look for certain traits when we are selecting puppies for families. We want to ensure that every puppy that we place will be in the environment that was best suited for it. We rarely take markings or color into consideration when making our decisions. There are occasions where a family may want something in particular and we will take this into consideration when it is time for the puppies to go to their new homes. But above all, temperament and drive is our priority and our responsibility

I have children and I have heard that a female is
better than a male, is this true?
This is another misconception. Females are not necessarily better than males in this type of a situation. The best thing to do in a situation where you have children and are concerned about their safety is to leave the option of male vs. female open until the temperament testing is complete. Our puppies are raised with children. We have had a few litters where children have been in the whelping box assisting the new moms. During our temperament testing we will test each puppy's tolerance with children. We perform many of the thing like pulling ears and roughhousing with the puppies, as children will do. This is another reason that our temperament testing so so important in the selection process.

I am not sure that I want to have my puppy spayed or neutered,
I may want to have a litter when he/she gets older.
Raising a litter can be a very exciting thing to experience. It can also be alot of very hard work. We have a strict screening process for all of the dogs that we use for breeding. Our dogs are put through various temperament and health screenings before we consider breeding them. The cost to breed, whelp a litter, and raise the puppies can be expensive and very rarely will a profit be made. We do not breed our dogs to make a profit, only to make an impact on the Border Collie and Performance worlds. There are also health benefits to having your new puppy spayed/neutered. A female being spayed before her heat cycle greatly reduces chances of things like mammary tumors and a male being neutered greatly reduces chances of health issues such as testicular and prostate problems. And of course, your dog will be a much better pet and housemate when spayed/neutered. And a loved housepet and best friend is the number one priority for us here. We want to know that above all, our puppies will be someone's new best friend.

Some trainers want me to use food to train my puppy.
I don't want to have to rely on food, why isn't praise good enough?
Praise is a wonderful thing but it must be learned by the puppy that praise is a reward. Food is a motivator for any animal. It is their basic instinct to survive. Food id the paycheck for a young puppy. Just as you would not go to work for praise alone, neither will a puppy in most cases. There are some puppies that will do this, but not most. Food is also a stepping stone to teach the basics. Once you have the basic commands and skills taught to your puppy, you will be able to back off of the food and rely more on praise and also toys as rewards. Just remember that the better the reward that you offer the more willing your puppy will be to learn the new tasks asked of it.