Salukifan

Of course! You can start by never reinforcing the dog pulling by allowing it to move forward by doing so. This is best started with baby pups and those who allow a pup to pull are setting themselves up for a lot of sore arms as the dog gets bigger and stronger. You can use a clicker pretty effectively to reward a loose lead. Or you can train the dog to walk in a position that doesn't allow it to pull on the leash eg. walking by your side. But for powerful dogs that have no understanding of walking on a loose lead OR for powerful dogs capable of dragging their owners, you need an effective method to control the dog while manners are taught. What the tool will be that assists with that will depend on dog and handler.

Because the general or accepted percertion is that harnesses are benign?? Same thing was thought about head harnesses for a long time.

And may I add, you don't run the dog in them, as you would in a fly ball harness. You take the harness off if the dog is running or doing agility etc. That is just common sense. And that, sadly is not a universal attribute. My limited observation has told me that the overwhelming majority of dogs taken to offlead areas in harnesses to run will keep them on when off lead. The most commonly available flyball harness that I've seen in this country couldn't have a worse design for canine movement. And the dogs have to jump in them. ETA: Although I see the company now has a Y front one available now :)

Do these harnesses cross the dog's chest/shoulders or are they Y harnesses? If they are the former, they will be inhibiting natural movement in the front legs and muscle issues may occur. This is one of the reasons Guide Dogs are supposedly looking at redesign of their traditional harness and their dogs do not wear those harnesses 24/7. A canine massage therapist friend of mine was asked to work on a dog that had been kept 24/7 and exercised in front crossing flyball harness. She described the level of muscle atrophy in the dog's front end as "disastrous". And before you call for some scientific basis for that assertion, I'll add Dr Christine Zink's views on the issue. For many dog sports people, Dr Zink is THE authority on physiology. I'm sure there would be work by her in the journals. I know she conducted research that showed poorly constructed harnesses caused significant changes in canine gait.

Who said anything about not using tools?

Youngest I've heard of was 5 months although thAt was a smaller breed.

He sure is and probably has been for a few months.

The way some dogs walk on harnesses, I worry about their soundness. Hauling your owner along on two hind feet is hardly ideal. Ditto dogs being walked on harnesses that restrict their front movement. *shudders*

As I said, it's not that uncommon. It makes the desexing more complex and akin to a female spay because of the increased surgical time, therefore the price is more too. I think the general consensus is that it should be done at the usual time of desexing. There is a risk that retained testies can become cancerous but from my reading this does take a while. I think any time from now on would be fine but the timing is something you could discuss with your vet. Your boy is definitely old enough to sire a litter so if that is an issue (in terms of access to entire bitches), I'd be opting with sooner rather than later. Yes, both testicles removed is the usual male method of desexing. You can get a vasectomy done but I have no idea why anyone would want one on a male cat. I wonder if your friend got that right.

Which part are you concerned might not be normal? Paying more for desexing with an undescended testicle? Definitely normal. The vet will have to locate it internally and remove it. Longer surgery, more incisions, more $$$$ A male Whippet pup with an undescended testicle? Certainly not uncommon. It's an issue in the breed. I do hope it was pointed out to you when you bought the pup that it might not descend.

Yep. They have their uses but they are not for your average Jo to use without knowledgeable instruction IMO.

Every tool has its uses (or nearly every one). I'm not a fan of haltis or harnesses but I can see they have their uses. But tools are not substitutes for training. When a dog pulls, half the issue is at the other end of the lead. Change the method of harnessing the dog and don't modify the handler response and most dogs will learn to pull on anything. I watch dogs on all kinds of harnesses pull their owners past my house every week. So sure, try a harness but get some training on how to use it. Otherwise, you're right back where you started a fair bit of the time but out of pocket. There is no gadget that will reliably stop a dog pulling without the owner modifying THEIR behaviour. End of story.

Somewhere in the middle of both sides of the story lies the truth. I have no idea where. However lying about the fate of the dog was just stupid.

It would be the rare puppy, that if left unattended, wouldn't make a play thing out of everything it could get its mouth on. First rule - if you dont' want puppy to wreck it, don't leave her unsupervised with it. Any reason puppy can't be outside when you go out? If you want her not to toilet inside then you have to make sure she's never forced to by confining her inside. Locking her in the bathroom is not a long term option. I suggest you sort out some secure outside fencing or buy a decent run. Agree on getting a trainer in. This will be a large powerful dog and you need to sort out ground rules and a training program ASAP. I think you're on a steep learning curve for puppy raising and the right trainer is a huge help. You also need to be heavily socialising this pup and sorting out on lead manners and a reliable recall NOW. No reputable breeder I know would have allowed you to pick up your pup at 6 weeks and ANKC registered breeders who did that would be breaching their Code of Ethics. However, that horse has bolted and its now down to you to make up for the loss of time your pup got with its littermates by ensuring that she develops excellent bite inhibition before its too late. ETA: I think crate training sounds like a good idea too.

I think Persephone has zeroed in on the key flaw with the board and train plan in this instance. Perhaps the owners need to consider how their treatment of both dogs might be contributing and to understand that the best way forward will come from someone who views the problems where they are happening - in the home. It's a bit like expecting any relationship to be resolved by only one participant changing by going away for a while.

Agree on the specialist visit. Until you establish what your dog is allergic to, you're operating blind.

Talk to your vet. One option that my sick dogs have found highly palatable is Hills I/D canned food. It's basically chicken and rice in a can and it smells like it. Option B is boil a whole chook in water until the chook falls about, remove it and then boil rice in that water, take the flesh off the bone of the chook and add it back. That makes a very palatable food.

It cut a swathe through American Cockers at some point too. Devastating.

That isn't an argument! How do you calculate 'luck'? I do it with probabilities, because it's the scientific way. You need to know whether dogs are affected to calculate the probability of a dog being luckily healthy. I actually wasn't trying to argue anything. I was just saying and still am that making claims about an entire population without numbers to back it up is not very convincing and it's kind of unfair to that population as well. When people do that about registered breeders everybody here gets very upset about it. I am suggesting perhaps it's hypocritical to then turn around and do the same thing about another group? Whether it's justified or not is unknown, so it seems fairer to at least modulate language so it's clear what is being said is someone's opinion, not established fact. I love that now it's my job to collect the data because I said it would be good to have some. I don't think it would be hard as you are saying, but I guess we'll never know if no one does it. I guess it's much easier to just be opinionated about something without having to find out if it's true or not. Although less scientific, in the absence of data, anecdotal evidence is at least some kind of evidence. I have never heard of research being conducted or data being collected on health issues in crossbred dogs or dogs of unknown parentage. I hope it IS collected because as you suggest, it will provide facts. I'd like to see the issue explored scientifically and my guess is that the evidence would show neither purebed nor crossbred dogs are immune from inheritable health issues.

It also shows how over-using one dog or one line can do much damage. I wonder how breeders take this into consideration? We always talk about "bettering the breed" but it doesn't seem like there is a breed master plan, just individuals doing their best. Apparently there is a similar issue with Std Poodles and many dogs being traced back to a few very popular show dogs a few generations back. It's called Dominant or Popular Sire Syndrome and it isn't confined to dog breeding. A sire named Impressive produced a very serious issue in Quarter Horses some years back. He was responsible for a genetic mutation that produced a devastating muscular disorder that widely in the breed. Google "Impressive Syndrome" if you want to know more about it. The best breeders breed on pedigree not popularity but this is the inherent danger in ANY breeding. Genetic results are not entirely predictable.

I think most dog trainers could help you with these. Your dog's thieving is play. You're playing the game by her rules when you chase her. Stop chasing her and teach her a "give" and reward that. If you need help with leash walking, a trainer or obedience classes would be your best bet. You've got an intelligent dog bred do do a job and get a lot of exercise. She needs good physical and mental stimulation. Training could solve both those issues for you.

The next questions are a) how representative is your sample population? and b) what proportion of BYB puppies from parents that haven't been health tested have heritable diseases that can be tested for? and c) Is this number significantly different from the proportion of pedigree puppies that have heritable diseases that could be tested for? And finally, what is the probability of getting a puppy from a BYB that ends up with a heritable disease that can be tested for? What if there really was no need??? Can you show there is a need? Do you have data? I can analyse data! Any dog over about 15 kg that is going to be used for breeding should probably be hip and elbow scored. HD and ED are size, not breed specific and two of the worst affected dogs I know are crossbred. The only two dogs I know that have needed hip replacements were pet shop/BYB purebreds. Luxating patellas are rife in small crossbred dogs and could be tested and scored. Any oodle could potentially be PRA affected. Lab x Poodle crosses come from two breeds with a genetically identical form of PRA. The better crossbreeders are testing. Most F1 puppy farmers aren't. Ditto Cocker/Poodle cross breeders and any CKCS used in any breeding program should be heart tested. Many purebred dog breeders do regular eye tests on breeding dogs. That is a practice that could be done on any breed or crossbreed of dog.

Some interesting information on conditioning programs

A few have asked why the emphasis on roadwork so I'll explain as best I can. Both a canine massage therapist and a Bowen therapist have told me that repetitive, lower stress exercise like road work is better for gradually building muscle and for preventing and repairing muscle injury. With a breed like Whippets, their running style is explosive, extremely high speed and hard on muscles and body. They don't just trot or canter around. With roadwork replacing free running as the usual exercise I have seen an early ligament issue on my youngest dog resolve itself and I understand that these kinds of issues can be both common and chronic in racing dogs. In essence, its more gentle and less stressful as a 'usual' method of exercise for my dogs. I appreciate that it's not practical for everyone. I'll see if I can find some science to back this up. I do believe its important for a dog's balance and coordination to give them some free running on uneven ground.

Just wanted to start a discussion thread about canine fitness and exercise programs. As a former agility trialler I was always interested in canine fitness and as a showie, I think it plays an important part in soundness and movement. My research and speaking with canine health professionals has led me to place an emphasis on road work over free running. The advice I've received suggests no matter the size, age or build of the dog that road work is a crucial factor in canine muscle fitness although clearly the length of the work will vary. I also like to give my dogs some offlead time per week. My young adult dogs would get about an hour of road work about 4 times a week and a couple of half hour offlead times if I can. The oldies get 20 minutes of "road work" which is basically me escorting them from one sniff and pee spot to the next but they still get out. What do others do, and why?