[ruchirtnt]

Originally Posted by shashank.nk

GSD is ruled out as i need a dog which sheds very little due to my dad's allergies. How good is a mastiff cross when it comes to shedding ? If it sheds a lot, i'll have to it out.

which mastiff you are referring to - bull or english, if you are looking for short coat dog then boxer can also be a good choice

[KarthikK]

Rottweilers are strong-willed dogs which need firm and patient training, agreed. That doesn't make it a non-newbie breed. In fact, there is no such thing as a newbie breed or an expert breed. This is like saying expert parents or newbie parents. Parents are parents, cannot be termed newbies or experts. Pardon the analogy, but that's how it is. Most dog buyers start out new (first dog) and slowly learn and evolve as owners/trainers.

It all depends on the owner. If you can read up on the net about your breed's specifics, watch videos on training the dog, and train it yourself patiently with commitment, you can happily have a trained dog no matter what breed, or what size. You just need to see how the specific traits match your requirements.

Newbies can get tired with the hyper agility of a jack russell terrier which is the size of 2 rabbits perhaps, or the chewy behaviour of juvenile retrievers too. The key is patience of the owner here, not newbie/expert profile of the owner. A badly brought up breed will go bad anyway.

Just my 2 cents.

[Gansan]

Originally Posted by Gansan

They are at present contemplating to give their house rent free, in return for which the tenants must take care of the dogs.

Problem solved. They have identified a dog-lover couple who will occupy the house rent free and take care of the dogs. A few friends in the locality will keep a discreet eye from a distance and report on their continued well being.

[mayankk]

Originally Posted by KarthikK

Rottweilers are strong-willed dogs which need firm and patient training, agreed. That doesn't make it a non-newbie breed. In fact, there is no such thing as a newbie breed or an expert breed. This is like saying expert parents or newbie parents. Parents are parents, cannot be termed newbies or experts. Pardon the analogy, but that's how it is. Most dog buyers start out new (first dog) and slowly learn and evolve as owners/trainers.

It all depends on the owner. If you can read up on the net about your breed's specifics, watch videos on training the dog, and train it yourself patiently with commitment, you can happily have a trained dog no matter what breed, or what size. You just need to see how the specific traits match your requirements.

Newbies can get tired with the hyper agility of a jack russell terrier which is the size of 2 rabbits perhaps, or the chewy behaviour of juvenile retrievers too. The key is patience of the owner here, not newbie/expert profile of the owner. A badly brought up breed will go bad anyway.

Just my 2 cents.

+1
Thats what I said.

In fact, any dog, big or small, will be protective of the family and house.
Its just that size is a bigger deterrant.

Instead of going after purebreds, or some such, why not drop in at your friendicoes, or equivalent, and get a good guy home.

[kri$hna]

Guys, i need help with a new problem that I have not faced till date.

There is an awkward situation with my pet, creating nuisance these days. We have quite a few stray dogs in our locality, few male & few female. Off late, there is a female i think on heat and after my pet which is a male GSD.

The problem is, this female stray wants to mate with tiger and other male strays in the locality are after that female . We try to lock the gate & grills to the balcony, but the deewani somehow gets through jumping walls and starts acting funny at the gate. Tiger never had a mating session and is confused like hell i believe. He shouts, groans and ignores all at the same time. I was contemplating the suggestions of my friends, to get tiger neutered but didnt go ahead with the plan but tiger doesnt have any experience of mating.

The other nuisance of this issue is, the male strays in the locality have grown aggressive against the female & tiger as well, creating trouble when tiger is out for a walk. Sounds like a bollywood story, but thats what is happening lately !! My wife says we shall look for a suitable partner (may be a female GSD) for tiger, but since tiger is not regd with KCI, i dont think there will be any good options here ?

I am again thinking of getting tiger neutered, but is it going to complicate health or any hormone imbalance ? Is it a good option to neuter or is it better to find a partner (which is difficult) and comes with its own set of problems & compatibility issue?

Please suggest any alternatives for this issue, both to solve tiger's anxiety & the local gang wars

[KarthikK]

Originally Posted by kri$hna

The other nuisance of this issue is, the male strays in the locality have grown aggressive against the female & tiger as well, creating trouble when tiger is out for a walk. Sounds like a bollywood story, but thats what is happening lately !! My wife says we shall look for a suitable partner (may be a female GSD) for tiger, but since tiger is not regd with KCI, i dont think there will be any good options here ?

I am again thinking of getting tiger neutered, but is it going to complicate health or any hormone imbalance ? Is it a good option to neuter or is it better to find a partner (which is difficult) and comes with its own set of problems & compatibility issue?

Please suggest any alternatives for this issue, both to solve tiger's anxiety & the local gang wars

funny situation you are in, but not uncommon. Neutering will not have any adverse effects whatsoever. In fact, it is better for the pet if it is neutered, both for its own good and and your own good too. Some benefits that I can straight away point out -

- prevents testicular and prostate cancer in males (some main causes for premature deaths)
- prevents aggressive/boisterous/disobedient behaviour in males
- when they see a female dog in heat, they will go crazy if un-neutered , to the extent of escaping from your house altogether to get the chance of mating (yes, they will run away if given the chance)
- will prevent territorial aggression towards other dogs in your neighbourhood (but of course, if some dog comes very near to your house it will still try to bark / chase away the stranger)

Get him neutered, it is the best thing to do as a pet owner. We should not breed pedigreed dogs just for the sake of 'satisfying' their urge or whatever (there is no such thing, its just their instinct). This leads to unwanted litters and remember, if there are 7-8 more pups entering your house, it is your responsibility to find good homes for all of them. And also, if those owners decide not to keep those pups/dogs later, you have to take them back and care for them.

Avoid all this confusion, get him neutered and let him live life king size, in your house. No more doggy gang wars, no aggression, no romance stories

No hormonal imbalance will result after neutering. Tiger will be as normal as any other dog, in fact better and calmer than other dogs. Many people say neutered dogs will get obese, but it is not true. Obesity results due to lack of exercise, nothing else. You can safely close your eyes and get it done, just make sure you get it done at a reputed vet hospital. It is a minor surgery and the dog can be sent home after 3-4 hours of rest. You just need to make sure he takes it easy for the next 2-3 days and he will be fully back to his original lifestyle from then on.

P.S - good reputed breeders of pedigreed dogs won't sell you a pup unless you guarantee to get them spayed / neutered. They are worried about the pedigree quality going down with unnecessary breeding by amateurs. In the US of A, spaying/neutering for pet dogs is virtually compulsory today - unwanted dog litters being the main reason for that rule.

[kri$hna]

Originally Posted by KarthikK

... It is a minor surgery and the dog can be sent home after 3-4 hours of rest. You just need to make sure he takes it easy for the next 2-3 days and he will be fully back to his original lifestyle from then on.

P.S - good reputed breeders of pedigreed dogs won't sell you a pup unless you guarantee to get them spayed / neutered. They are worried about the pedigree quality going down with unnecessary breeding by amateurs. In the US of A, spaying/neutering for pet dogs is virtually compulsory today - unwanted dog litters being the main reason for that rule.

Now tiger is already close to 2yrs 8months old. So would it be fine to go through the neutering surgery at this age ? I was under an assumption that it helps when done at an early age and might slow the dogs' reflexes & thinking when done at a later age, is it true ?

Our vet doctor is a regd government practitioner as well and he has 4 clinics in hyd and is pretty good at his work. He was suggesting us to try breeding once and then later spay him if necessary. But we think its either spay or let him be as he is rather than toeing a middle line. What do you suggest ?

As such we dont have a problem with his aggression, infact the guy is just naughty and not aggressive with anyone, Aggression is about the other local guys unhappy with this fellow. He just lazes around in the bedroom, often occupying my slot to push me into a game with him. So, i dont want to tame him down too much with this spaying, which will mean i ll have a silent, lazy buddy who is just happy with himself :P . He is my stress buster and i want him to be like that forever, i guess you get my concerns bro. After you said spaying can be beneficial for his health, I am seriously thinking about it but again two minds !

[KarthikK]

Originally Posted by kri$hna

Now tiger is already close to 2yrs 8months old. So would it be fine to go through the neutering surgery at this age ? I was under an assumption that it helps when done at an early age and might slow the dogs' reflexes & thinking when done at a later age, is it true ?

no age is too late for this surgery. The health benefits are immense and its definitely worth doing, at least for that. Of course, the best period to do it is at 6-7 months of age, but later than that also is fine. Many male dogs who die prematurely at ages of 7-8 die due to cancer, and more often than not it is due to those 2 which I mentioned in my earlier post. Prevention is better than cure.

Slow the dog's reflexes and thinking? not a chance. Neuter surgery is just animal birth control - prevents breeding. It doesn't affect any other aspect of the dog . The dog will be exactly the same as before, just that he doesn't go berserk on seeing females anymore. In fact, the dog should be all the more alert, since now he won't worry about some female dog in heat outside the gate. He will have full attention focus at home.

Our vet doctor is a regd government practitioner as well and he has 4 clinics in hyd and is pretty good at his work. He was suggesting us to try breeding once and then later spay him if necessary. But we think its either spay or let him be as he is rather than toeing a middle line. What do you suggest ?

My opinion is do not do it for the sake of trying. Like I mentioned before, it adds 7-8 pups to the canine population just because someone wanted to 'try' breeding. I'm surprised that the vet himself recommends trying these things . Agreed that its not a female so you may not have the work of bringing up the pups, but it is still contributing to half of the problem.

As such we dont have a problem with his aggression, infact the guy is just naughty and not aggressive with anyone, Aggression is about the other local guys unhappy with this fellow. He just lazes around in the bedroom, often occupying my slot to push me into a game with him. So, i dont want to tame him down too much with this spaying, which will mean i ll have a silent, lazy buddy who is just happy with himself :P . He is my stress buster and i want him to be like that forever, i guess you get my concerns bro. After you said spaying can be beneficial for his health, I am seriously thinking about it but again two minds !

Oh no, he won't lose any of the playfulness from neutering. He will be just the same as before, minus the urge to mate and the urge to protect his female from other territory trespassers.

Neutered dog = original dog - mating instincts
that's all. He won't become obese, won't become lazy, won't become serious or lose his playful mood. All those are myths.

[shankar.balan]

My lovely ten year old Alsatian, Wolf aka Simba, passed on this morning after a couple of months of ailing. He had a liver problem which was being treated with medicines but he was eating well and walking about till this morning. His last walk with me was today morning. He was slow but still ok.

He also was diagnosed with a rare disease called Marie's Disease which causes the bones to swell. His feet were swelling but under control with certain medicines like Muvera etc. Dr. Ansar of My Pets Clinic HSR layout, who is also a Doctor of Medicine at Hebbal Vet Hospital has looked after all my dogs since I came to Bangalore. Also Dr. Pampapathi of JPNagar who performed various neutering operations on all my female dogs.

Wolf passed on naturally this morning at 1030 after I had gone to work. I had petted him just before I left to say goodbye as normal. Was expecting him to pass on but not quite so quick. I am glad he didn't suffer though, just slept away. He is survived by Daisy the 8 year old Lab and Cassie the 5 year old Alsatian.
I cancelled all appointments and ran back home as soon as they phoned me.
We have taken him to Kengeri Pet Cemetery run by the PFA and his last resting place is there. That is an excellent set up and for all pet aficionados, a perfect place for one's pet's last home.

RIP dear old Wolf, the most Dignified Old Gentleman I have known and the perfect acronym for DOG!
Ten years of companionship, friendship and affection is not easy to forget.
Its off to Happy Hunting Grounds for you then my man and I will see you when I get there!

[IronH4WK]

I know you're in a world of hurt Shankar, but take comfort in the knowledge that he's suffering no more. He's gonna wait for the day he can be by his master again

Hang in there!

Wolf, rest in peace.

[drmohitg]

Originally Posted by shankar.balan

RIP dear old Wolf, the most Dignified Old Gentleman I have known and the perfect acronym for DOG!
Ten years of companionship, friendship and affection is not easy to forget.
Its off to Happy Hunting Grounds for you then my man and I will see you when I get there!

Really sorry to hear about your loss. I cannot just face such a situation. My Lab is now 9 and a half year old and the Vet has started calling him as an elderly dog from last couple of years. And I cannot tell how much I hate to hear that. The poor guy has developed arthritis and lost a tooth while chewing a bone last week ( no oral infection though according to the vet). But to be sure she has to conduct an exam under anesthesia and at the same time told me that elderly dogs do not take anesthesia side effects very well. So seeing her reluctant, I ofcourse didn't let them to it. But now each minute I keep thinking of the dreaded day ( hopefully it will come as late as possible). Even though I have seen a lot of death in my field of work but still unable to even imagine a world without my lab.
Sorry for the long post but reading your's just sent a chill down my spine. I have absolutely no idea how I will cope with it.

[speedmiester]

A friend of mine is looking for a good kennel or any individual in Bangalore to look after her dog Snowy for couple of months. She is based in US and her mom will be joining her for couple of months.
She has bad experience with couple of kennels in the past.

So any suggestion on good kennels in Bangalore or any individual who is open to take care of her pet is welcome.
Snowy is a year old white pomeranian male, very playful and gets along very well.

I am unable to take care of her pet as I live alone and will be travelling quite often.

Originally Posted by shankar.balan

RIP dear old Wolf, the most Dignified Old Gentleman I have known and the perfect acronym for DOG!
Ten years of companionship, friendship and affection is not easy to forget.
Its off to Happy Hunting Grounds for you then my man and I will see you when I get there!

Sorry to hear about your loss. RIP Wolf. He is in a better place now.

[shankar.balan]

Originally Posted by speedmiester

A friend of mine is looking for a good kennel or any individual in Bangalore to look after her dog Snowy for couple of months. She is based in US and her mom will be joining her for couple of months.
She has bad experience with couple of kennels in the past.

So any suggestion on good kennels in Bangalore or any individual who is open to take care of her pet is welcome.
Snowy is a year old white pomeranian male, very playful and gets along very well.

I am unable to take care of her pet as I live alone and will be travelling quite often.

Sorry to hear about your loss. RIP Wolf. He is in a better place now.

Try the RustumBagh kennel called Pet Step In near Manipal Hosp.
Very high quality and Constantly in demand

Yes I am happy for Wolf. He had a great life. Now he has gone off and I will see him when I turn up there eventually. And I do have my other two to care for!

[ksakotai]

Originally Posted by kri$hna

Guys, i need help with a new problem that I have not faced till date.

There is an awkward situation with my pet, creating nuisance these days. We have quite a few stray dogs in our locality, few male & few female. Off late, there is a female i think on heat and after my pet which is a male GSD.

I am again thinking of getting tiger neutered, but is it going to complicate health or any hormone imbalance ? Is it a good option to neuter or is it better to find a partner (which is difficult) and comes with its own set of problems & compatibility issue?

I have raised 6 German Shepard dogs and all of them were spayed. They were all from European champion lineage. The responsible thing to do is to neuter your dog, unless you are interested in a career in breeding. Most breeders in India do not conduct adequate research into bloodlines and follow responsible breeding.

You dog will not experience any decrease in playfullness or energy. He will be the same Tiger minus the ability to procreate.

So go ahead, but make sure the vet knows what he is doing and the dog has adequate post surgery rest and care.

- Krishnan

[archat68]

Originally Posted by shankar.balan

My lovely ten year old Alsatian, Wolf aka Simba, passed on this morning after a couple of months of ailing. He had a liver problem which was being treated with medicines but he was eating well and walking about till this morning. His last walk with me was today morning. He was slow but still ok.

He also was diagnosed with a rare disease called Marie's Disease which causes the bones to swell. His feet were swelling but under control with certain medicines like Muvera etc. Dr. Ansar of My Pets Clinic HSR layout, who is also a Doctor of Medicine at Hebbal Vet Hospital has looked after all my dogs since I came to Bangalore. Also Dr. Pampapathi of JPNagar who performed various neutering operations on all my female dogs.

Wolf passed on naturally this morning at 1030 after I had gone to work. I had petted him just before I left to say goodbye as normal. Was expecting him to pass on but not quite so quick. I am glad he didn't suffer though, just slept away. He is survived by Daisy the 8 year old Lab and Cassie the 5 year old Alsatian.
I cancelled all appointments and ran back home as soon as they phoned me.
We have taken him to Kengeri Pet Cemetery run by the PFA and his last resting place is there. That is an excellent set up and for all pet aficionados, a perfect place for one's pet's last home.

RIP dear old Wolf, the most Dignified Old Gentleman I have known and the perfect acronym for DOG!
Ten years of companionship, friendship and affection is not easy to forget.
Its off to Happy Hunting Grounds for you then my man and I will see you when I get there!

It's a dreaded experience for any pet owner!! Hang on there shankar. RIP Simba.