How to determine the sex of a puppy?

Having decided to get a dog, each owner thinks for a long time about what breed of dog is best for him. It is also important for him to decide on the sex of the puppy. Conditions for females and males may vary. For example, during pregnancy and lactation, the female requires special feeding.

Knowing the sex of a dog from early childhood may be required for several reasons. They are described below.

• Perhaps the owner of the newborn is a breeder. Then he needs to learn how to accurately determine the sex of the pet, so as not to mislead future buyers who come for a particular puppy.
• There is also a downside, when it is better for the buyer of a puppy to independently verify the sex of the pet, if there is a suspicion of dishonesty or inexperience of the breeder.
• Not knowing the sex of the dog, the owner will not be able to come up with a nickname for it and leave the pet without a name for this period.
• The breeder must know in advance the sex of the animal in order to determine its future fate. Perhaps the seller will keep the dog for further breeding.
• It is also important to know the sex of the dog in advance in a situation where the pet is turned on by a second animal. For example, two dogs of different ages rarely get along in the same apartment.

It is better not to torment a newborn puppy in search of genitals - this is unlikely to bring success, and harm to the weak body of the animal can be caused.

You can even more accurately determine the sex of the animal at the age of 8 weeks. By this period, the male genitals become distinguishable.

Particular attention should be paid to the rules for examining a puppy under the age of one month. Movement should be careful not to hurt or frighten the puppy. In this case, you should use the recommendations of professionals.

1. Before inspection, you should thoroughly wash your hands and dry them well. It is necessary to carry out manipulations only in a warm room.
2. Before adopting a puppy, it's worth making sure the mother doesn't mind. There are individuals capable of showing aggression even towards the owner if they feel that the puppy is in danger. If a whelping dog does not express aggression, but shows anxiety, then you should not touch its cub yet - it is better to try to conduct an inspection another time.
3. Carefully and without haste you need to take the puppy in your arms. If he begins to whine or tremble, then it is better to put the baby back in place and try again next time.
4. Then you need to put the puppy on its back in a heated dry towel so that the belly is clearly visible. In this case, you need to support his head.
5. You should carefully examine the puppy's belly. The umbilical cord should not be confused with the male genital organ, as both parts look the same, but the navel is located under the ribcage and the genitals are below: in the abdomen between the hind limbs.
6. You do not need to hold the newborn in your arms for more than 5-10 minutes, otherwise the smell of the puppy will weaken and become poorly distinguishable for the mother-dog, and this is fraught with the refusal of the female from feeding.

It is worth recalling that up to 4 weeks it is quite problematic to accurately determine the sex of the baby, and errors often occur.

Distinguishing between girls and boys at the age of one month can be on the following grounds:

• in guys, under the navel, one can observe a "button" with a small hole - this outgrowth is the foreskin of the male genitals;
• in girls, the genitals are located much lower: at the base of the abdomen.

When the puppy is two months old, you can determine its gender by examining the anus.

• In boys, the anus is located under the tail, there is nothing nearby.
• In girls, the labia can be seen under the anus. The loop at this age is still small and flat, but one can already observe a subtle vertical slit. In addition, the female genitals are always covered with hairs.

The easiest way to determine the sex of puppies is older than three months., although in this case difficulties may arise, since depending on the size of the dog, the size of the male genital organ can vary greatly, and then the male can be confused with the female. At the age of two months, guys can see the scrotum, and up to this point there may be a smooth space between the hind legs, since the testicles have not yet descended into the scrotum.

If the same manipulations are carried out with a three-month-old male, then you can feel a bulge in the place of the male genitals. In boys of long-haired breeds, a tuft of hair is often observed on the genitals.

Behavioral differences between females and males are rarely taken into account, although the difference can be discerned here too. For example, males of service breeds are often more determined and fearless, and girls try to stay closer to their mother. Aboriginal puppies exhibit the opposite behavior. For example, females often express courage, masculinity, they can go on the offensive themselves, while boys, at the sight of danger, try to stay away. Dachshunds also have a more familiar form of behavior: dachshund boys are more energetic, courageous, brave, and girls prefer to avoid conflicts as much as possible.

Usually the largest puppy is born in the litter first, and it often turns out to be a male. Comparing his appearance and behavior with littermates, one can roughly guess which of the puppies is a boy. Females usually develop faster, they are active, are distinguished by agility, show quick wits early, learn to use the acquired skills faster.

Boys are usually more massive than sisters. They have a large build, powerful bones, and a rough muzzle.

However, these signs are not indicative and can only serve as an unreliable preliminary method for determining sex, since much depends on the breed, the health of the mother-dog and the condition of the puppy itself.

There are also several additional traits that can help distinguish male from female.

• You need to watch how quickly the puppy begins to mark territory. Males mark their property at the age of 2-6 months, and for young females this behavior is not typical. You can distinguish the desire to mark territory from ordinary urination by the behavior of the dog: it quickly empties the bladder in many places, often doing this on purpose after careful study and sniffing of a specific area. Dogs-girls during a walk can stop in places interesting to them and sniff the object for a long time, but they will not urinate on it.
• Every six months, each female is in heat. For the first time, the process can occur at the age of 6-10 months. The release of blood continues for about three weeks. During this period, the dog's genitals swell, the animal seems more anxious. Discharge from the vulva can be not only bloody, but also transparent. Many owners, having seen blood from the genitals of a dog, mistakenly believe that this is certainly a girl. However, this symptom is typical for males with problems of the genitourinary organs, therefore it is important not to confuse and show such a dog to a veterinarian in a timely manner.

• The surest way to determine your gender is by contacting your veterinarian or experienced breeder. If the owner doubts the sex of the new pet, then you can consult with a specialist. This can be done even online. For example, you can take a picture of the baby's belly and its genital organs that have begun to develop, and then send the picture via the Internet. Experienced dog breeders can easily determine the gender even from a photograph.

Inexperienced owners often erroneously determine gender. This may be due to some factors.

• Until the age of six months, some males sit down before emptying the bladder, which misleads the owners and give them a reason to determine their sex as female. There is also the opposite situation, when a young, clean female leaves her hind paw before urinating to keep the coat clean, although many people think that this manner is peculiar only to males.
• All dogs, regardless of gender, have 8 or 10 teats. At an early age, they are not clearly visible. Many puppies have only 4 nipples, but according to some owners, this is how many nipples a male has. From here again there is confusion - a young female with four visible nipples “becomes” a guy, and a grown boy, who has 8 nipples visible, “turns” into a female.

How to determine the sex of a puppy, see below.