Willem

from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neutering Disadvantages General As with any surgical procedure, immediate complications of neutering include the usual anesthetic and surgical complications, such as bleeding, infection, and death. These risks are relatively low in routine neutering; however, they may be increased for some animals due to other pre-existing health factors. In one study the risk of anesthetic-related death (not limited to neutering procedures) was estimated at 0.05% for healthy dogs and 0.11% for healthy cats. The risks for sick animals were 1.33% for dogs and 1.40% for cats.[8] Spaying and castrating cats and dogs may increase the risk of obesity if nutritional intake is not reduced to reflect the lower metabolic requirements of neutered animals.[9] In cats, a decrease in sex hormone levels seems to be associated with an increase in food intake.[10] In dogs, the effects of neutering as a risk factor for obesity vary between breeds.[11] Neutered dogs of both sexes are at a twofold excess risk to develop osteosarcoma (bone cancer) as compared to intact dogs. The risk of osteosarcoma increases with increasing breed size and especially height.[12][13][14] Studies of cardiac tumors in dogs showed that there was a 5 times greater risk of hemangiosarcoma (cancer of blood vessel lining ), one of the three most common cancers in dogs, in spayed females than intact females and a 2.4 times greater risk of hemangiosarcoma in castrated dogs as compared to intact males.[15][16] Spaying and castrating is associated with an increase in urinary tract cancers in dogs, however the risk is still less than 1%.[17] Neutered dogs of both sexes have a 27% to 38% increased risk of adverse reactions to vaccinations . However, the incidence of adverse reactions for neutered and intact dogs combined is only 0.32%.[18] Neutered dogs have also been known to develop hormone-responsive alopecia (hair loss).[19] A 2004 study found that neutered dogs had a higher incidence of cranial cruciate ligament (CCL) rupture, a form of anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury.[20] A study of golden retrievers found that castrated males were 3 times more likely than intact males to be diagnosed with lymphoma and 2 times more likely to have hip dysplasia.[21] Specific to males About 2% of castrated male dogs eventually develop prostate cancer , compared to less than 0.6% of intact males.[22][23] The evidence is most conclusive for Bouviers.[17] In a study of 29 intact male dogs and 47 castrated males aged 11–14, the neutered males were significantly more likely to progress from one geriatric cognitive impairment condition (out of the four conditions – disorientation in the house or outdoors, changes in social interactions with human family members, loss of house training, and changes in the sleep-wake cycle) to two or more conditions. Testosterone in intact males is thought to slow the progression of cognitive impairment, at least in dogs that already have mild impairment.[24] As compared to intact males, castrated cats are at an increased risk for certain problems associated with feline lower urinary tract disease, including the presence of stones or a plug in the urethra and urethral blockage.[25] Neutering also has been associated with an increased likelihood of urethral sphincter incontinence in male dogs.[26] Specific to females Further information: Canine reproduction § Altered Females There is some weak evidence that spaying can increase the risk of urinary incontinence in dogs, especially when done before the age of three months. Up till 12 months of age, the risk decreases as the age at spaying increases.[27] Spayed female dogs are at an increased risk of hypothyroidism. IMO it is legal administered animal cruelty....

...yep, some dogs can be very sensitive to all kind of noises ... :laugh:

bump...

How about showing some photos here?...not everyone is on Fakebook or like to use it :) ....

you might need some decoys (dogs and people) to train passing them without any signs of aggression; I guess it would be pretty difficult to eradicate this behaviour in an uncontrolled environment on a normal walk (plus there would be also your other dog). IMO you need to train this in a controlled environment with an experienced dog handler as decoy (who recognizes the thresholds of the trigger zones etc.), but without any other distractions. As you already tried e-collar and other tools & methods with little success it will be tricky to achieve the wanted result just with positive reinforcement, nevertheless I definitely would start with this method first. In a controlled environment it is much easier to get the message good behaviour = reward to the dog and reinforce it.

anyone tried this ?

you could first freeze it http://poopfreeze.com/ ...and then http://auggiedog.com/ :D ... but maybe carrying a small bag of sawdust is easier and might work even better....

yesterday was the first Agility training of the year (after the long Christmas break)...and also here she showed such a matured behaviour ...we got a lot of 'wow, she has changed so much...' from our group and the instructors . She run off 1x for a 2 second sniff with a dog (approx. 20 m away) from the other group so, but came back immediately when I called her...otherwise it was the most relaxed Agility training for me so far :) .

hm,...so you teach him stealing?...he will learn pretty fast that all he has to do is to steal something if he wants a treat or reward... :D

You can teach him 'learning based on rewards'...start with something that is easily achievable (recall...drop...fetch...bark...no-pull...heel...let him walk on a board...taking something special in his snout, e.g. newspaper...whatever is easy for your dog...) and use a good treat as reward. The more he gets into this 'game of seeking' for the right choice that results in a yummy treat as a reward (if there is the right choice depending on the cue) the easier it will be to teach him more challenging tricks ('sit' is obviously somehow challenging for him, so wait with this 'trick' till he learned 2-3 other tricks).

Orijen Six Fish Dog: fish and a little bit of veggies...looks pretty good and yummy; my only concern would be the yams, but with 80% fish the yams conc. can't be high...

her recall is really amazing - I might be just lucky and she is just the type of dog as I really did nothing special. I assume using the 5 m leash and let her walk loosely most of the time and recall her when she used the whole length of the leash might have helped. We did this all the time, again and again. Now if she walks off leash 20 meter in front of me on our off leash track she always turns around reassuring that I'm still there ...a short whistle and she comes running towards me. She has 2 Labs and a Kelpie as best friends and sometimes - when we met one of them in the off leash area - they are running side by side through the high grass going nuts...and she still comes when I call her...maybe I just found the right treats for her :D .

...yep, that's one of the reasons why I really like to train the dog / dogs (of course I also like just to spend time with her): it is so bloody rewarding!!!...it also shows you your own weaknesses and realms where you have to improve: when I tried intensifying the training I just finished a very stressful job and was pretty much burned out - she showed me very quick that the training wasn't working when I was stressed out and that I have to become a little bit more balanced...once I recognized this and regained my 'inner balance' her progress in behaviour improvement was amazing.

definitely worth it and I'm sure it will pay off big times for the years to come. Timing was also good as I could work the last 3 month from home respectively did a lot of renovation work at our house, hence could train her at least twice a day.

...this morning was the first obedience training of the year after a long break over Christmas. She changed quite a lot - it seems that other dogs respectively playing with other dogs are not anymore the biggest attraction in her life. When I let her run off leash with the other dogs before the official training (fenced area) she wasn't over excited...and definitely didn't go nuts like she did 4 month ago. No matter where she was and where she was running: recall was 100% !...good girl. In the official training she was also good - not perfect, but really good - we have some shaping to do so, but I'm pretty sure we can sort this out over the next 2 weeks. Overall she is a fantastic dog and companion, and she has a huge positive impact on our health: the daily walks resulted in significant weight losses, significant increase in overall fitness, and she taught me to be more balanced. Wrt the topic 'How To GET Her Focus When Other Dogs Are Around': I guess it was a good mix of training (lots of training), following advices given by other forum members here in this thread, socialisation and normal maturing over the last 4 months that resulted in an absolute fantastic outcome .

Thanks for the warning, yes, that's a serious threat - it is also used here in NSW. We have a lot of foxes in our area and I recall seeing the signs quite often when we went 4Wdriving. Usually the bait is not used directly on tracks, but who knows for sure?...

is she spayed? Nope she is too young to be spayed I thought the accidents might be linked to incontinence due to spaying as it seems she didn't realize it, but if it occurs it is mostly in older dogs anyway and not in puppies, hence not likely in this case also if she would have been spayed. Not sure about the fake grass as it 'allows' her to pee inside - I see your idea behind, but I think it is actually more confusing for the dog and I would be concerned she gets used to peeing inside.

Worth looking into rail trails and travelling stock routes. :) hm, yeah...the old stock routes ...very good idea!!!Thanks!

dog on a long leash (no matter whether it is 5 or 10 meters) going nuts with another dog doesn't work ...results in one big knot = chaos :D . I recommend to train the recall before you respectively your dog reach the other dog - and therefore it doesn't have to be a 10 meter leash: if your dog is e.g. 3 meters away from the other dog, you are 5 meters from your dog controlling the distance to the other dog with the leash...that's perfectly fine for training the recall. If Thistle comes ...treat / reward and next time closer...and again and again...you can reward the dog allowing a brief sniff....once the dog responds reliable you can let them run free (without leash) and play for a few minutes in a fenced area, then try the recall again...

I'm just organizing a trekking tour with our dog for myself - the problem is that most (nearly every) known track is in NPs - no dogs allowed. I'm a little bit familiar with the area around Yalwal (west of Nowra - approx. 140 km from Sydney) and there are a lot of tracks outside the NP. Once I have done my planning I can send you a copy of the map.

yep, 10 m is very long...IMO it doesn't make a big difference whether you train the recall while your dog is 5m or 10m away...I use a 5 m long leash and it works just fine (nothing fancy, I just check that they have a strong bolt snap hook...).

is she spayed?

was the dog fed only with beef or chicken or have there been some 'supplements' added when he showed allergic reactions?...and what was the allergic reaction? ...itchiness?....or digestion problems? Feeding dairy products (including yogurt) in addition might also cause heaps of problems if the dog is lactose intolerant (which is common for dogs once they don't rely on mother milk anymore). If I would feed my dog pure beef (or chicken....turkey....)and would let her eat as much as she wants she would get very likely a running stool or constipation so I have to be careful regards how much I feed. However, if Panic is really allergic to beef and / or chicken, fish and eggs are a good protein source...I guess you could also get reindeer meet in Alaska you could try?

...looks pretty good, but still has 10% carbohydrates, so I wouldn't use it as long as the yeast infection is an issue, however, it might be an option for later. ETA:...seems to be also a good alternative for treats...and they even sell it in our local pet shop...I might give it a go.

...some light reading: http://www.vet.cornell.edu/labs/simpson/docs/NeigerSimpson.pdf from the linked study: H.Pylori is normally not prevalent in dogs, while other Helicobacter species are prevalent in over 70% of the dogs (without causing health issues); the conclusion, that the H.spp causes the health issues is very difficult to verify - other causes seem to be more likely; it is very difficult to eradicate, and if, reinfection is highly likely; treating for H.Pylori might do more damage than good.... Patch had Endoscope & Biopsies done & Diagnosis was: Moderate to Chronic Lymphocytic Gastritis with associated spiral bacteria infection... the vet Patch sees specializes in IBD & he said if he were to find 5 dogs off the street & do Endoscope & biopsies they would all come back positive with the Helicobacter, some dogs have no symptoms while other dogs have symptoms, acid reflux, pain in their abdomen, ulcers, feeling hungry all the time, vomiting, eating grass, depression etc.... I've done so much research on dogs & humans suffering with Helicobacter-Pylori... I've had ulcers from the Helicobacter 3 times when I was young & I was put on a Pump Proton Inhibitor PPI (Somac)in the end a drug Patches vet would not give Patch long term cause you can't just stop taking a PPI after being on it for 1 month....He said I can give Patch the Losec or Somac for 2-4 days to settle the acid but I must stop...I've been on a PPI for 13 years now & when I try to stop I have serve stomach pain, so I understand what the vets is talking about with PPI's, doctors don't try & find the problem just give you drugs... so I understand why Patch vet wont prescribe repeat scripts.. He put Patch on a gluten free vet diet Royal Canine Sensitivity Control it's the only Gluten free vet diet but after doing research Beet Pulp helps feed the Helicobacter, a lot of vet diets have beet pulp in them... Patch did the best when eating "Meals For Mutts" Salmon & Sardines Brown rice & veggies, I'd love to try the Grain Free MfM but Patch can't have high fat kibbles I can't find the study done on rats, where the Bismuth Salicylate killed the Helicobacter in the rats stomach lining...even in the human study the Bismuth Salicylate killed the Helicobacter & stopped it returning when given with triple therapy Metronidazole, Amoxicillin, Losec had good results... Vets are still learning & trying to find out what drugs work the best & what diet is the best...I've even tried Raw Diet with No Carbs but Patch kept regurgitating the raw into mouth then swallowing & swallowing then getting Acid Reflux aaaaaaaaarrrrrrhhhhhhh.. I now see the lady vet at the same practice cause Patch other vet Simon is always booked out & does a lot of surgery.... Patches lady vet is more into holistic side of things & doesn't push drugs, her Helicobacter dogs are on low dose Metronidazole the Metronidazole seems to keep the Helicobacter low & the dogs don't have any symptoms...but she is OK when I say no to the Metronidazole & lets me try new things, I suppose they're learning off Patch, he's been a really hard case, he was a rescue that was used for breeding... http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3925860/ so the vet didn't diagnose Pylori!!!...they just found the normal H.spp nearly every dog has. You had H.Pylori that caused your ulcers, but you can't compare this to what the H.spp might (or might not) cause in your dog. I would be very concerned to bombard my dog with heavy drugs that will definitely cause some kind of unbalanced metabolism just to fight something like H.spp that she will pick up anyway literally everywhere.