Nekhbet

get yourself involved in a good dog training school to help him as well. He doesnt need to be put under random dogs noses in order to learn to gain confidence, in fact the handler needs to learn the skills to help growing dogs understand the world and how to behave in it. Timidity is not something you want in a dog either, although weims can err on the side of timidity at times. Socialisation is not simply seeing something. It is the dog experiencing new things while being shown how to respond to them by the handler I would worry about that before ASAP desexing. Personally a really timid dog I would not desex and cause an instant artificial hormone imbalance. There is always a full system adjustment period after a surgery like this. Work on the personality first, then the clackers

Maybe the owners need to realise it's their responsibility to step up and train their dog if they want it to have a chance of a decent home and not just another untrained herder on death row at the pound. Everyone is right though, it's not you're fault about this dog. We all have our limitations and your family and animals always should come first.

I keep my bitch in a crate away in quiet area of the house when I'm not home and the males away from her. She gets to play with 'safe' dogs under my supervision in the backyard only. A bit of dog juggling but never had an accident. I let my dogue and malinois out together when she's on heat (may I say under eagle eye supervision) but only because when he was young she slammed him for showing interest so it fizzled out. Saying that I'm not stupid enough to believe because of this I can leave them together unsupervised. Personally if you dont want to breed there is always the option of discussing Covinan injection with your vet to delay her season but I'm not sure the minimum age for it.

If the dog has a problem of over testosterone then yes, there will be a problem. Saying that you will know he is over testosteroned by the fact his testicles are roughly the size of small mangos and the pup has the attitude of a 21 year old male about to get into a friday night bar fight Having been a vet nurse I see no massive difference in trauma leaving them later too unless there is a problem like one has snuck back into the abdominal cavity or never descended at all. Considering we're talking a difference in months not years it's negligible. Bitches are a different issue since they develop a lot of vascularisation and abdominal fat around the intestines and organs. If you're not comfortable doing it now then dont. Remember you can always rebook a surgery but you cant put testicles back in

You're going to have fun when Jenna reaches maturity. She's still a pup but the crap she's taking off Max and not reacting too wont last forever. You need to start bootcamping that male of yours ASAP. If you've already contacted K9 Pro, get into the training now. I think there's a few people in this thread that simply mistake rude, bratty behaviour in their dogs for 'dominance'.

you're making a big assumption here too that a dog left after 5 months with it's testicles in is going to pretty much guarentee a dog that you cannot take anywhere. Training and socialisation as well as genetic temperament are going to have a bigger impact in the long run. Desexing wont stop him bowling the kids over, pinching their toys or pulling their pants but training will. You also need to socialise him properly as that again will have a bigger impact on his long term behaviour, testosterone or not. I would be listening to your breeder before your vet. As for 'male behaviours' I have a pair of bitches that scratch grass, cock their leg, will hump other dogs and act like dominant cows if allowed ... obviously not an over testosterone problem Cancer risk, your vet probably meant prostate not testicular cancer. If you want the dog desexed to prevent accidents or in the case a neighbour around you decides keeping an entire bitch in their backyard (in which case you will be privy to all manner of carrying on from an entire dog) then go for it, but I would follow your breeders advice at the least. Personally I would wait until 12 months and over. As for entire dogs and kids not working together ... and I dont have kids of my own at all

you need someone who can properly assesss the dog's temperament and help her in a more professional capacity. I would not be rehoming a dog that has shown behaviour like this to anyone without a behavioural assessment at all. She's shown some pretty serious flaws in my book.

dont feel too bad I have a 6 month old who has just created a confetti party of stuff in my living room ... you just breathe and think, they're dogs and they're babies

I agree with Joe, Bianca you need to find an experienced trainer who understands what is going on. I too would not use a head halter with a lunger, save trialling new things until you find someone experienced. Personally, call the local Schutzhund/Sportdog club

Just FYI http://www.apetitefoods.com/black_dog.html Some of the blackdog treat meat products such as the roo/chicken/beef nuggets, balls, crinkles, sticks, discs etc contain wheat to bind them in the manufacturing process. Just the products that look minced and shaped contain it. Products such as the jerky, dried liver, beef cubes, ears, bones etc do not. Wheat as an ingredient of these non biscuit products is currently NOT written on the product label. I was wondering why my rottweiler's ears were becoming stinking again despite not (supposedly) getting any wheat in his diet. Well the treats I was using were the source of the wheat. I have suggested the company at least put such a potential 'allergen' of sorts on the stick on label of relevent products so owners of sensitive dogs and consulting veterinarians can be made aware. I was a little miffed because after finally getting his ears right I'm back to cleaning that stink out again for a couple of weeks and they are sore for him too. So those of us with allergic dogs, if you're not sure which ones are safe for your dogs feel free to PM me and I can ring the rep for you if I can catch him, or contact the company directly

the point is to apply enough pressure with your thumb until you see the face go 'oh crap thats not nice!'. Dont stare your pup in the face and growl there is no need to, people who have this habit and do it to older dogs end up bitten on the face by a dog that takes up the challenge. The point is not to dominate the pup into submission, just to make mouthing feel really yucky for them and get no exciting attention from you either. If I do it to a pup I say nothing, I stay neutral so the pup is not flooded with stimuli. $I take my hand away for a couple of seconds, then offer it limply near the dogs face and if the pup doesnt nip it instantly gets quiet praise and a treat, or toy if thats what's floating the boat. I pat the pup around the head and face, get them used to being handled and touched and praising them the whole time they accept it. Never had a head shy dog from it.

the reason prongs come apart is people open them at any link around the collar which stretches them. I only ever use the last link near the looped chain, in 5 years the same collar has never come apart.

www.prok9supplies.com have some nylon choker style or K9 Pro have the ones with the clip

check chain and prong work on a different mechanism in what effect they put on the dog. The check chain combines sound as well as a sharp sensation around the neck (if used properly) whereas the prong will work on a different level with it's pinching sensation around the neck. Hence why some dogs really feel weird with a prong on the first time. But it is true you need a lot less on a prong then you will with a check chain ... well most of the time

sounds like an inability to digest decent food. Take her diet back to square one, start the dog on soupy consistency foods and gradually move up from there. I would be doing it over a space of weeks. Constipation after a lifetime of food that is 90% water is not surprising. I would be surprised if after that long her intestines are able to digest properly ever again. Having the same problem with a dog thats been on a lifetime of rubbish food, good food is taking time to introduce properly.

Dr Neils is the distributor in Australia

if you use a check chain you have it a larger then normal size so it doesnt initiate a correction. The DD collar if fitted correctly wont get in the way, check out the Leerburg website under prong collars for info on how they fit them together.

my 97 commodore wagon was always excellent on fuel even though it is a V6 - the ecotecs made all the difference. Conversely if you want a do up I have a great panel van that can pull anything, dual fuel for sale :p needs a little work but she has tonnes of life left in her AND totally dog proof yours for a bargain! Why don't you try a Mercedes Benz Vito turbo diesel? They can tow, have masses of room and you can have more seats or just the front seats and tonnes of room for stuff in the back. Their front seat is not above the wheel so it drives like a car not a van. Just watch before 2001 the manual gear boxes could be a bit dodgy but the autos were fabulous.

never seen a dog get sick of flavour unless they're just playing you or it's making them sick. If you want variety use the VAN dry mix and use different meats. I had a rep keep trying to sell me on the K9 Natural and for what it is, it's horribly expensive. Just remember too the K9 Natural has a terribly high level of protein for a growing large breed, I would reserve it for an active adult dog.

If it works for you and helps the dog settle and learn then use it. Just remember all equipment is always just a tool to help you get to your end goal. Plenty of reinforcement is always required over simply applying punishers, they're to help the dog learn what is wrong and then you show what is preferable.

have someone sit in the back with him and help him settle down. Reward for calm behaviour and redirect any attention to moving objects. Also try giving him some exercise to wear him out a little before he hops in the car

so what happens to dogs that cannot find homes? We warehouse them in kennel runs until they go crazy? This is a double edged sword that can be abused by those who think they are doing some dogs a favour. I've seen run crazy dogs and it's terrible. There is more to life then just being alive. They should amend the law to 28 days then foster home.

particularly mouthy or pushy breeds that already have a propensity to inflict a hard nip. Then there are the individual dogs as well that you just see that self control is beyond them. No dog that has passed through my hands mouths me. They never have, never will. My second working line mal is taught to go mouth her toys NOT me if she wants to latch onto something. There is theory, then there is practice. The average joe blow is not a dog trainer. They dont really know about the intricacies of shaping a dog to get to what you want, learning theory etc. Why would you then go 'let your dog mouth you until it's painful for you then squeal'... just hope they didnt get a high drive dog that then takes that squeal as a cue to keep going. Most people will get bitten, angry at the pup (for what, you let it mouth you then you just decide it's enough? Confusing much?) or not do it properly and end up with a bigger problem when the dog matures or is teething and not listening. There is no need for a dog to chew on you whatever the level - thats what toys are for. Also, remember a dogs behaviour will change with maturity ... we've all seen it, they get cranky, dont listen, ramp up a notch or three, grabbing the leash, etc why chance a nip on the hand? Stonecutter if your dog has learned from the start behaving = getting fed then you have avoided that problem totally. Not every pup will nip or bite but the ones that do need a hand at learning it's wrong and there's a better way to behave :D We dont let toddlers smack their parents so they learn 'what is too hard a slap' do we? The minute a child smacks their parents its time out! What is the difference with a puppy? Thats my theory and I stick to it. Like I said, you dont have to be mean and definately dont hurt the dog, give the pup chances to win ALWAYS and learn but if they lunge or grab you hard ... sorry you stuffed up and there's a consequence. The little gears will roll and the pup will think, hmmm that is so not worth it! and remember the lesson. Two littermates playing cause a heck of a lot more sensation then I ever will to a dog. *** Apologies if I railroaded your thread ***

The pup has already learned to ramp up the nipping, which you have to nip in the bud. Dogs dont speak english, how do they know what OW means? Behaviours are better dealt with on the spot - a little discomfort never terrorised anyone, it's a surprise not a painful infliction of torture It is natural ... onto allowed chew items NOT people. You always reward the pup for not doing it but a little incentive to stop itself from biting you never went astray. And thirdly, stop reading bloody Ian Dumbar. A dog does NOT HAVE TO MOUTH YOU IN ORDER TO LEARN BITE INHIBITION. I say what I say because I've seen the dogs that have been allowed to mouth people as pups and they still do as adults. Then people like me get called because by then it hurts or it's destructive or even dangerous. Dogs are not allowed to put their mouths on people ever and thats a full stop. If you want to allow your dog to rake it's teeth on your arm and tug on you, good luck. I think it's highly irresponsible long term especially with some breeds.

Corvus considering your own dogs are not really that controllable and you dont know what to do half the time I dont see why you're suddenly lecturing me about dog training. Considering you say yourself you dont know how to use corrections and wont, dont suddenly throw theory at me because you read it somewhere and it sounded good. I've done what I type at least. When you get some real practical experience then come and tell me I'm wrong.