lefty's random dog thread.

[lefty]

Quote:

Do you have any reading material for opponents to castration? I've never seen any but I don't frequently read about dogs.

Do a search and you should find a lot of material. The AVMA has come out against early spay and neutering and now recommends owners wait a year. Remove the testicles and you affect the endocrine system of the dog and this is never a good thing.

Quote:

What's the general consensus about Cesar and his training methods? I watched a few of his videos (not the TV show) and it helped a lot with some of an extremely dominant Corgi's behavior but not all. My girlfriend did agility classes and most of the trainers use strictly pro-rewarding methods rather than establishing pack leader stuff. To clarify, reward methods for obedience as well, not just for agility.
My Corgi continues to bark a lot at outside noises. Door, garage opening, etc. I understand they're almost hardwired to be good guard dogs but it gets annoying.

Controversial. Reward based dog trainers believe he forces the dog into a state of learned helplessness - what he calls "calm submissive." I agree to a point but also think this is necessary in many cases to break unwanted behavior and rebuild desired behavior. As long as the dogs aren't being smacked around (necessary in some cases) I don't see it as a problem. If the bottom line is, "Jesus Christ, lady, take your dog for a walk, stop treated it like a ******* child, and cut out the bullshit" I think it's a pretty good thing. Mind you, it's a TV show and things are not quite as they appear.

Barking is a *****, particularly in herding dogs. There's an old adage that says, "teach your dog to bark on command then never give him the command" but I'm not sure that will help you. It takes a lot of effort to get a dog to stop barking at outside noise. Sometimes though it can be as simple as letting him have his head then praise and distract. "That'll do, pig."

I was under the impression that neutering the dog would help with the excitement . . . am I wrong?
My friend always thought it was cruel as well and it would completely change the dog post operation.
^and the barking as well. i thought neutering would fix all these behaviors..

Castration will "fix" none of these problems. It can alter future behavior in a puppy since you're cutting off a serious amount of hormone, but that's not to say that different unwanted behaviors won't crop up. There is no cure for submissive urination. You can mitigate it by changing your behavior toward the dog if that effort is worth it.

Well, I can't under stand why cutting your balls off would keep you from taking a piss when excited. Maybe a lobotomy would help... but seriously three are no magic fixes. Just be aware that a dog with balls can knock up other dogs.
Exercise is the closest thing to a fix all, IMHO.

I ran into a college friend whose new wife has effectively cut off his balls. He asks for permission to piss so maybe it does have an effect.

Exercise solves a lot of issues in dogs and people.

lefty

 

[gettoasty]

i just want to cover my basis.

Friend asking me to watch dog for 3months. In my previous life I have helped raised the pup so there is a solid relationship to begin with.

Was just wondering if all those issues could be stemmed before dropping it off to me.

ty^^

 

[skitlets]



i just want to cover my basis.
Friend asking me to watch dog for 3months. In my previous life I have helped raised the pup so there is a solid relationship to begin with.
Was just wondering if all those issues could be stemmed before dropping it off to me.
ty^^

I found it helps to think like a dog, A causes B.

As Lefty mentioned, exercise! A brisk walk relaxes the dog mentally and physically. They'll be less of a handful once they're tired out.

 

[gettoasty]

true ^

friend doesn't walk dog nearly enough. actually she is pretty irresponsible imo ... /sigh

 

[lefty]

Something to keep in mind is that when I say exercise I mean focused exercise or training opportunity. A walk is all well and good but try and add in OB or agility work. Directing your dog through a series of obstacles will do wonders for his mental well being.

lefty

 

[kwiteaboy]

My little girl a few months ago. Not sure what she is, but we think JRT and dachshund, as her sisters were very short-legged. We adopted her at about four months, and she was spayed at about three. Seems way too early and makes me think the mandatory spay/neuter law here needs some loopholes.

 

[lefty]

Cute pup. What do you mean by mandatory s/n?

lefty

 

[kwiteaboy]

You can't adopt a dog or cat from a shelter here (Virginia) unless they've been spayed/neutered, apparently regardless of the animal's age.

 

[lefty]

That's pretty much true of every shelter. When you said you saw the siblings I thought there was another situation.

lefty

 

[curzon]

Gotta wonder about messing with the hormones before the animal matures a bit. If one is inclined to do so I'm thinking between 12 and 18 months is about right.

 

[jhcam8]

One Deerhound leaping...

 

[gettoasty]

hey guys

so at the beginning of the new year i will be "babysitting" friend's dog, 3+ months
i am still contemplating whether or not i should take on this extra responsibility.

taking everything into consideration, winter time in the bay area = showers and cold in the morning, then having to rush to work, i am having more and more second thoughts.

i am supposedly the only one capable of caring for the dog; i have done so with my friend (exgf) for 2 years when were previously still living together.

with the dog's best interest and irregardless of said friend, should i?

arrive at work at 10, I am figuring i have to be up by 7:30 the latest. and with my crap sleeping hours, this is more of a pain each time i think about it.
main point is i am wondering if anyone is up at these hours walking their dog?

thinking long and hard about it, i feel this will also better shape my schedule and give me the strict routine i may need. so, it's a win-win for me and the dog.

edit:
it takes an hour to walk the dog:
walk the dog then rinse all his paws in the garage/comb his hair before reentering the home

 

[skitlets]

Ultimately your call. If you're thinking of getting a dog on your own in the future, you could use these 3 months as a sort of trial period.

 

[limping_decorum]

My mom is considering another dog, and we want something that is large (70-115lbs), passably intelligent, unbreakable, won't eat my 3 year old cousin when she plays pony, and preferably won't kill the neighbor's labs.

one of the last videos my older brother has of his ridgeback is of his two year old holding on to the dogs tail as the dog is walking around the house.

as far as other dogs...had no problem with large dogs.....the neighbors chihuahua confused the hell out of him

 

[Stazy]

My dog has been a total asshole today.