Dog Question

[Weedguru Higher]

So I have a Shetland Sheepdog that is 2 years old. He's purebred with papers and is tattooed. Apparently is worht around $600. I got him for free from a lady who does breeding with the condition that I bring him when needed to get funky with her females. I've had him since he was 4 months old and now the lady has decided to stop breeding.

My dog can be pretty crazy when he sees other dogs, he goes nuts barking and tries to get free wanting to run after the other dogs. It can get a bit embarassing..

What I'm wondering is if I get him operated, will he stop or is he too hold for this? Will he still keep his annoying habits if I do?

[Certified-Nutter]

i dont think dogs are really ever too old to castrate
they do generaly change a bit after u chop their nuts off, loose they sex drive completely like
he might not loose all his annoying habits but i am sure hes more likely to stop on verbal command than u having to run after him :p

[Dr. Greenthumb]

My dog is neuters. I'm almost 100% that you can neuter a dog at any time. It should make him act less dominant and stop him from humping as much (if that's been a problem). It cost money though and if you want to breed him later on you won't be able to.

Before you do you might want to read up more on dog training. That breed has an instinctual tendency to chase things and herd them. If you train him you might have more control over him chasing things. You can also try socializing him with new dogs and teach him that he doesn't always have to chase.

Is he aggressive when he chases?

[Dr. Greenthumb]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shetland_Sheepdog

[Weedguru Higher]

Yes he can be

[Dr. Greenthumb]

Yes he can be

Yeah if that's the case you should try and get some control over the him and once that is established get him use to being around other dogs. He probably needs to be socialized a little bit. This takes patience but it's a healthy alternative to chopping his manhood. Plus if it actually works he'll be a happier dog. Dogs that have problems with other dogs are usually that way as a result of fear.

I could get into the basics of dog training with you some time on MSN but it'll have to wait till after my test on friday. There's a bunch of benefits to trying and curb his bad behaviors. You can find tons of stuff about it online.

It'll also strengthen the relationship with him and whoever he recognizes as a dominant person. I've never forgotten a dog i've trained and they've never forgotten me, even when they see me years later.

[(weedguru)scarf]

there is nothing wrong with neutering at 2 years...
it will help with same behavioral characteristics... but the majority as the doc said is training

[Weedguru Higher]

The other problem is that when I take him to someone else's house who has a dog, he'll urinate in the house to like mark his territory or whatever.

Someone told me that neutering him at 2 years will do nothing cause he'll just repeat the same bad habits cause he's used to it

[Dr. Greenthumb]

My dog is neutered and he still likes to mark territory when he's in a new house, especially if he can smell other dogs there. Over time and socialzation he's gotten better about it but I still keep an eye on him and usually will only take him to friends houses where i won't feel to bad if he pee's on the floor.

[Weedguru Higher]

How the hell am I supposed to train him to stop this???

When driving in the car ( goes with us 99% of the times we leave the house) he goes nuts when he sees someone walking a dog on the street. He used to leave him loose in the backseat, but we now tie him with his leash to the seatbelt to keep him from bouncing around everywhere. He has about 2ft of leash so he can still see outside. He's got a choker chain collar. He does the same thing when he sees small children

[Dr. Greenthumb]

First you work with him on his own. Get him use to calming down at your command. You can start with sit, down, stay, etc. Reward him sometimes but avoid getting him to use to treats to the point where he won't listen if they're not around. Then with patience you start introducing him into new environments where you follow the same routine of commands. With time you can start introducing him to kids and other dogs, make sure you keep his attention and try to work your way thru the same command routine.

Mind you this is a tedious process and to properly train him you need to make sure his energy levels are right. That means taking him for daily walks and getting him use to a specific routine. It's not going to happen overnight, the more you put into it the more results it will yield. You need to be patient and realize that there will be plenty of times where he will mess up and you'll have to deal with it but over time he will get better.

I'm not saying to rule out neutering as an option, this is something you can do even if you do have him neutered because it's not like that's going to be a quick fix to these problems. You should find a vet who's not trying to make a buck off of it and tell him why you want to get the dog neutered, see what he thinks....and let us know because i'm curious to know what a professional opinion is

[Weedguru Higher]

Jeez...are you like a dog whisperer or something?? You sound so professional

I just showed what you said to my gf and she's like...wow that sounds so right.

Very good advice sir Thanks

[Dr. Greenthumb]

Glad I could help and no I'm no dog guru. My dog has the similar problems but he's an older dog and he's a rescue so I've only had him a couple years now. He's 7 years old and he's been in some rough situations in his life.

I can usually get his attention and get him to wait. At one point he would try and attack any dog near him and now he actually makes friends with dogs and plays with them, but every now and then he'll lash out at one if he feels threatened. Although lately it seems like trying to hump them has been more of an issue for him but that's much better than going for their neck.

I've trained a few dogs. It's really cool when you see a dog getting enjoyment from doing what you ask of them. I think they like knowing what's being asked of them and you got to develop that communication with them. Some breeds more than others...

[(weedguru)scarf]

just get some citronella spray and squirt it at his nose whenever you are teaching him to calm the fuck down

[Weedguru Higher]

That's not a bad idea either...he really hates the citrus smell. I've had him smell orange peels before and he like made a funny face and coiled back