Woof! Bark! And also Whiiiiiiiiiine.

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Red Squirrel Feb 2017 10:01pm, 17 Feb 2017 19,836 posts	0 Red Squirrel Aw - I always say hello to Staffies. I stopped to chat to the owner of one this morning and she also had a Staffy x English Bull terrier. Not many dogs in the park this morning on the way to work as it's half-term.
halfpint Feb 2017 10:11pm, 17 Feb 2017 22,496 posts	0 halfpint We have a lovely staffie here who always greets me enthusiastically, and me him. He is always with a JRT and QP refers to them as the JR and the big, fat JR. Confession time. QP was left in charge and this happened:
FergusG Feb 2017 10:15pm, 17 Feb 2017 998 posts	0 FergusG If they were worn for TV and reading, rather than walking, then Ernie might be a criminal genius.
D2 Feb 2017 10:43pm, 17 Feb 2017 9,414 posts	0 D2 I must say when people stop to make a fuss of Indi.... less often these days.... he is a bit hyper afterwards!
Helegant Feb 2017 9:50am, 18 Feb 2017 4,289 posts	0 Helegant Thanks for the blog comments and suggestions.
D2 Feb 2017 5:46pm, 18 Feb 2017 9,415 posts	0 D2 Apols for very long post - bear with! We have a new veterinary practice which has set up near to me and one of my friends has been singing their praises. So I decided to go and check them out and get them to check Indi at the same time….. free consultation! One of the nurses breeds GSDs and was very complimentary about Indi saying for example that she could tell from his musculature around his hips that I had done a lot of work on teaching him not to pull and he has been walking properly with his bum beneath him. We had the discussion about how that has all just gone to pot in the last couple of weeks and how he seems to have forgotten everything he has learned. She said don’t worry it will have gone from short term memory (because of his age) into his long term memory and when he has a moment of calm he will remember and it will all come back….. just what I wanted to hear!  When the vet came out into the reception she stood very straight on and confrontationally and he barked, apparently she was testing him. In her room she came down to his level and after a moment or two he relaxed and allowed her to make a fuss. This was the first time I have ever seen him wary, it was interesting. She gave him the once over and he is fine then we had a long chat about castration. Her views were very different from my current vet who was all for castrating him at six months. She said, the health benefits of castration are minimal and are far outweighed by the dog’s need for testosterone for bone growth etc. If a dog is castrated young their behaviour tends to stay puppy like but if allowed to grow up then a decision can be made as to whether castration is necessary. She said it’s a benefit to a nervous dog not to be castrated as the testosterone makes them braver; a scared GSD is an unpredictable and possibly vicious dog. She said in her opinion a dog should be left entire unless they start “chasing the ladies” and refusing to recall, if this happens then castration asap as it becomes a learned behaviour that is not removed by castration. She suggest we review Indi’s behaviour over the next six months and if his maturity is not a problem then to leave well alone. I thought this was interesting and an opinion I had not heard before; what do you think? (Obviously this can not apply to rescue dogs as it’s a requirement to have them neutered.)
Chrisull Feb 2017 6:14pm, 18 Feb 2017 10,658 posts	0 Chrisull D2 - this is totally the same as I have heard from one of my friends - a very experienced dog owner and cani-cross racer (up to international level!). She urged me don't get Dougal castrated til 2 years if at all, and even if vet suggests at 6 months, she cited all the same reasons your vet has. She said bone growth can be impeded, and she said critically if there was undesirable behaviour it wouldn't necessarily change it. As we live with loads of livestock (and other dogs) around, we won't be letting Dougal off his lead, so that is not an issue, so I'm happy to follow her advice. Funnily enough the vet we saw was of a similar opinion - said only if we really wanted to. I said I prefer not to have medical intervention unless there is a clear need for it.
Red Squirrel Feb 2017 6:17pm, 18 Feb 2017 19,837 posts	0 Red Squirrel Yes! I completely agree. That would be my kind of practice.
Red Squirrel Feb 2017 6:17pm, 18 Feb 2017 19,838 posts	0 Red Squirrel Yes! I completely agree. That would be my kind of practice.
halfpint Feb 2017 6:24pm, 18 Feb 2017 22,502 posts	0 halfpint Thanks for sharing that D2. It's one of those questions that has been sitting at the back of my mind.