jesomil

I have worked in 3 vet clinics. The first place had two vets who handled animals very badly but at the next two places, all the vets handled the animals with respect and care. It used to make me cringe at the first place. People would come in and request their favourite vet who was sweet as pie in front of them, but once the animal got out the back, he was awful. Dogs got hit, cats got thrown. The animals were just a money making object that he didnt give a toss about. Luckily he retired not too long after I was there.

Thanks for all the replies. I am not concerned about weight gain as that is easily fixed, I was more concerned about behaviour changes. I have seen a few bitches become a little less tolerant with other dogs once desexed. No one seems to have seen that in their boys here so that is good! I will get him done. Seems like there are no reasons not to .

Yes, but it wouldnt be such a distaster if they happened to get together. OH will be helping me and while he loves the dogs, he is not as careful as I am. So this way, I can rest assured and wont have to double check him all the time. Dxenion, cute photo of your bucket heads! Thanks for all the opinions. Nothing too negative so far!

I am considering desexing my 6yr old male and wanted to hear about any negative issues that have arisen from doing so. When I google it, all that comes up is "everything must be desexed" articles so I cant find anything that discusses the cons. He has been a successful trialling and stud dog when he was younger but I wont be using him anymore. He is the most perfect gentlemen of a dog. He socialises happily with other entires and girls and has no behavioural faults at all. Its just that I am expecting a baby in a few months and it would be so much easier not to have to separate the dogs when in season. It is pure laziness on my part, I know that... Has anyone desexed an older dog and seen any changes. Eg, Has it caused aggression or any other issues? I am really torn up about this and am 50/50 as to what to do.

I think it was the Shiba.

My pup was really high in the rear end at 6 months but now at almost 8 months she is starting to level off again....slowly.... She had a lovely topline at 8 weeks so waiting for that to come back! I dont like the growing stage either

Dont be too hard on yourself CazReiAndKuma. I find the animals become harder when I am pregnant and my tolerance levels are less but then it all gets back into a good routine once bub comes. My dogs used to be my babies and my everything. They had the best of everything and were always with me. I used to say that it wouldnt change when I had kids but it did. I still adore them and they are my sanity sometimes but the relationship has changed and now my kids are my everything. I have got into a routine where pram and dogs go out every afternoon for a big run and then when kids go to bed at 7pm, then its dog time. Its when I do all the grooming, training and playing. I organise days off where hubby looks after kids so I can still compete with the dogs. Training the dogs is great as it gives me something to work on and something for my mind to think about other than sleep and feed times for kids. Dogs have certainly been my sanity when having tough times with kids. Even sitting there brushing them is so relaxing. I know what you mean with the food. I used to spend ages making sure they had a very good diet Have you ever fed you dogs bones? I get bags of chicken bones for $1 from the local market and they do well on them. Giving only cheap kibble will affect their coats and teeth but if you mix it up with other things, you should get by. I have found kibble like Bonnie in bulk bags is still cheap but much better than some of the other nasties out there. I currently give the dogs advance but also alot of chicken bones and all of our left overs such as porrige in the morning, fruit and meat scraps later in the day.

If left unchecked, this sort of behaviour tends to escalate and the dog wont just grow out of it. Get a good trainer in now to show you how to manage this behaviour while it is still very manageable.

I think any dog who has its needs neglected will do these behaviours regardless of inside/outside. Leaving my dogs inside while I was gone all day would be absolutely horrible for them. What would the poor things do all day? Sleep? I have never had an issue with barking, digging or fence jumping with numerous outdoor dogs. My Kelpie lived inside from 7 weeks till around nearly one. He is simply an outdoor kinda guy. I think dogs can also get conditioned to boredom and doing nothing with their owners and get used to it. There would be alot of dogs who live inside, get locked inside by themselves all day, see their owners for a few hours then go to sleep all night. There would be alot of indoor dogs who dont get walked so basically they get used to life of doing nothing. There is so much more to this than outdoor verses indoor. Neglect happens just as easily with both. I used to go to peoples houses to groom dogs and the amount of matted, flea infested, non walked/trained or stimulated indoor dogs I came across was shocking. These people always had their dogs around but simply never noticed them. I have a few friends who have indoor dogs that dont do it so well. The feral things rush the front door when you arrive, annoy visitors no end and the house stinks and there is hair everywhere. These dogs from several different families are very rarely walked, never been trained and certainly dont attend any dogs sports. Its far easier to lean down off the couch to pat them than putting down the remote control and getting off their butt to actually do something worthwhile with the dog. People on this forum with indoor dogs would give their dogs alot more attention than the norm. Everything depends on the owner not where a dog lives.

This is referring to extremes. The "resident" dog in the photo is obviously neglected, underfed, chained and probably has little if any contact with people. Of course it is going to have issues due to the way it is kept. Unfortunately that photo is what alot of people seem to think outdoor dogs are.

There seems to be a lot of negative generalisations about outdoor dogs... It is hard for people to look past their own experience. People have different breeds, numbers of dogs, lifestyles and environments that must all come into account before judging whether indoor/outdoor is best. For my active working breeds living indoors would mean sleeping most of the day confined to a very small house with limited activities. Living outdoors for them means living with a large yard full of interesting things for them. They regularly are sprinting around, chasing each other with toys or just wrestling, they dig, they are regularly in and out of the clamshell pool, they dig up bones and chew sticks, they follow the chooks around, chase birds away, chat to the rabbit, go on lots of car trips, go free running everyday including a swim in the river, have most of the family outside with them for a large part of the day etc etc etc. When I have a Kelpie inside, he will sit on his mat, follow me around, but the moment I even look at the backdoor, he lightens up and leaps around for me to open it. I do have the dogs inside when I feel like it but my choices certainly arent due to health or being clean. My lifestyle and the dogs I have chosen suit best with the way I choose to keep them and they are certainly not missing out on anything being outdoors. I believe they gain. If someone has a single dog and an indoor lifestyle then I agree the dog would be better off indoors with that person.

I hadnt heard this before but have certainly experienced it. We got a girl at 5 months who had basically no handling, lived in a pen, never been on lead etc and she turned out to be the most solid, people friendly, bomb proof dog. She is highly social and fine in every situation. The boy had no exposure to life apart from sheepdog training/trialling and is the same. 100% perfect with people and walks happily through the city with all sorts of noise. I think the lack of socialising could really mess up some other breeds.

I love dogs that have a purpose and drive. I like Kelpies because they are incredibly loyal, sensible dogs. They will work and work and keep up with whatever you want to do with them. They are also happy to snooze at your feet if nothing is happening. I like their strength and athleticism and they are not needy. Very easy dogs to have around and take anywhere. I loved my Afghan because she made us laugh constantly. She never needed me and snubbed me most of the time unless she felt like being affectionate. She was the least sensible dog I have ever had and fell into the creek and would get tangled in the bush and stand there helplessly. She was a complete drama queen but so beautiful to look at. She felt she was way above the other dogs and people with her nose in the air. She was a good worker though and would do beautiful obedience routines just for that little piece of food. I like Corgi's because although they have short legs, there is nothing little dog about them. They tend to have good working drive and are very trainable. They will stand up for themselves and are also strong, sensible dogs. I like their little size so I can have more of them and they can sit on the lounge without taking up the whole space.

I have always had my dogs living with the chooks with no problems at all. I certainly have to teach them at the beginning what is acceptable but after that there are no probs. I have never had a chook killed and the dogs keep the foxes away as we live near the bush so lots of foxes. I usually only have working breeds so maybe that helps although I did have an Afghan living with my Silkies years ago. I think that only worked because the Silkies were so placid that they never ran around or flapped and sat when approached so no good for chasing. Probably would have been a different story if they were more flighty..

Good post Dasha, I agree.

Just out of interest, what difference would it make?

I dont think it would hurt after desexing. By the time they wake up, the initial sting would be long gone. I have crunched many an ear (under GA) and never saw any response to the ear when they woke, even when I was cleaning all the green ink off.

My Kelpie had his WKC tattoo done at 4 months. Its quite big as it is 5 numbers/letters and boy did he scream. It was quite awful. He really should have been done at 8 weeks like alot of them are. He is still flinchy and sensitive around that ear 6 years later. When I had my old girl desexed, I requested for no tattoo and they didnt do it.

She has an experienced owner who would be able to tell if she had any psych probs. She is just a full on dog suited to a different job.

Dont worry, I 100% agree with her decision, I was just having a poke at her. She is fun to have a poke at .

Dogs are for life and not just for Christmas Dasha

My little Corgi was attacked about 8 years ago by a Rott and an amstaff x. We were happily walking on lead up our street when these dogs who were being walked off lead grabbed her. The attack was very severe and the owner was in shock so didnt move. It was evident these dogs were very serious. I went into a calm zone and grabbed the back legs of the worst aggressor and pulled them upwards so it let go. I had to yell at the owner to grab that dog while I did the same to the other dog. My poor little dog then ran home and I found her under the house. She sustained very severe injuries that required several surgeries and about 10 days in at the vet. I will never get over that experience. The next time a dog ran at her I turned into a fierce protector and booted it so hard in the face that it ran off.

I have always had 2 or more girls together and never had a problem. Hopefully you wont either. It sounds like you have done all the right things to find a suitable second dog. Its normal for dogs to have a small snap if another is annoying it and it should only last 1 second. Just make sure you are the leader, dont baby the new dog and dont let the new dog get away with everything just because she is new.

Call me what you will but if I had a dog like that, I would PTS. Kids have to come way above dogs and to restrict their friends coming over because of a dog is not fair. This dog has snapped at a childs face before and it is very likely it will happen again. Management is great but there is always the possibility of a mistake especially with children around. It is simply not worth which ever kids face it will be. Thats great you are going to see Nekh! Hopefully it is a training issue that can be helped.

Just a thought, do you always interact with her in highly stimulating environments? It sounds like she is very switched onto stock and movement and that overrides you. Dogs can take some pretty harsh corrections when in drive and not have much affect. What about if you spent some good quality time with her where there is only you. Like take her to a deserted park and train her there. Take her inside with you sometimes and tie her to the chair while you watch tv, train her in your loungeroom where there are no other distractions. It might help develop a bond so she doesnt just view you as the discipline giver. She needs to discover you as a friend, playmate and boss. You need to have her respect away from distraction before you can expect anything with distraction. ETA, I know there is alot more needed than what I suggested but it might help in some areas.