Thursday, January 5, 2012
Monday, January 2, 2012
Stormy
Stormy is doing well. He does a pretty good heal and sit. I am having trouble with the wait/stay, but we are working on it. I have not made puppy class very often this last month. We are working on the down when healing, and he is getting that also. I think that he is finally over the water spilling stage - thank goodness. He is a busy little boy. My nursing home people keep asking me to bring him back in to both of them. Will do it at Christmas for sure. When I
get my butt back up to St. Cloud we will do obedience 1. It doesn't
start until 7:15, and then it is 11 when I get home. I have not heard very good things about the obedience in Spicer. We use "that'll" do all the time. He loves attention and to be petted.
They had Bouvier's on Dogs 101 on Sat. night. They were the end of the show. Did a good job, and really stressed the fact that they are not for first time owners, and need obedience training.
get my butt back up to St. Cloud we will do obedience 1. It doesn't
start until 7:15, and then it is 11 when I get home. I have not heard very good things about the obedience in Spicer. We use "that'll" do all the time. He loves attention and to be petted.
They had Bouvier's on Dogs 101 on Sat. night. They were the end of the show. Did a good job, and really stressed the fact that they are not for first time owners, and need obedience training.
Spike update
Egads, Sunny...I've allowed a month to go by! Living at 7,000', it's a long trip, down to any """quality"""puppy classes...so must stick to what's available, up here. If you know a web-site, for a highly respected puppy class, in S.CAL....I'd like to review it. I'd be very interested to know what skills your classes taught.
Meanwhile, I enrolled Spike and me (3rd time for me), into our local class....which was cancelled, due to an early winter.
So....Spike does some things very well: sit, stay (he'll sit and allow me to stop car, open gate, drive through, then close gate), doesn't eat until I give the command, come (usually), and the biggie: Don't bite...my command for any licking, at all, or nipping.
He pees and poops on command. He's much larger, already, than our adult, Kate. Kate, at once, began teaching him how to defend himself against coyotes. That's what started Spike's habit of wanting to play with me, like he's nipping at coyotes. SO...that's why I'm pleased he now responds to no bite, which includes his love of licking my hands.
He's very, very bright.
Has tried to challenge Kate for Alpha....but she'll have none of it....and now he's reluctant to enter their shared kennel (a smallish room), unless he feels he has her permission.
His color I find most fascinating....looks like a black dog who has been lightly sprayed with rust paint. Or a man whose wife has given him a bad hair-dye job....that looks burgandy/rust in the sun. I'm so curious to see how his coat evolves. I quite like it. Didn't have his ears docked.....perhaps putting him at risk, with coyotes.
Just last week, we began allowing him to roam the entire 24 acres, with Kate. She's very protective, and won't allow him to get too far away from her. She's always scanning the horizon. He's a comical fellow. Very affectionate. And cocks his head, with one ear up, and one flopping down.
I'll get a weight on him, soon. A close friend has become our local, VCA vet/surgeon, and now, 34 yr. old head of the clinic. I asked him if Spike is over-weight. John laughed, and said, if you have to ask, the answer is probably yes. But, he came out to the car, and declared, "He's fine. He's just having a growth spurt."
We all feel he's one of our best dogs, ever. We love him, so!!!
Friday, December 30, 2011
End of the year report!
First, here is a picture of Birdie I discovered on my son Seth's computer! I think it is from sometime last summer based on the looks of things. Second, thanks to everyone for keeping me updated on your pup's progress ~ I very much appreciate the notes and pictures and hope they keep coming as this litter matures!
Third, you'll all be proud to know that Solo, your pup's Dad, went High in Trial at an obedience trial on December 26 with a score of 197.5 out of 200 points. Very nice!
*******
Here is a note which arrived a little bit ago from Mary Lou:
Here are some current pictures of Blade; he's becoming quite a big, handsome boy.
He is doing quite well in agility and if I can come up with video of him doing it I'll send one.
Thursday, December 15, 2011
Wednesday, November 16, 2011
Spaying and Neutering
Because I know many of you will be contemplating this in the near future, here is some information. I do have a lengthy article if you would like me to send it to you.
On the positive side, neutering male dogs
• eliminates the small risk (probably <1%) of dying from testicular cancer
• reduces the risk of non-cancerous prostate disorders
• reduces the risk of perianal fistulas
• may possibly reduce the risk of diabetes (data inconclusive)
On the negative side, neutering male dogs
• if done before 1 year of age, significantly increases the risk of osteosarcoma (bone cancer); this is a common cancer in medium/large and larger breeds with a poor prognosis.
• increases the risk of cardiac hemangiosarcoma by a factor of 1.6
• triples the risk of hypothyroidism
• increases the risk of progressive geriatric cognitive impairment
• triples the risk of obesity, a common health problem in dogs with many associated health problems
• quadruples the small risk (<0.6%) of prostate cancer
• doubles the small risk (<1%) of urinary tract cancers
• increases the risk of orthopedic disorders
• increases the risk of adverse reactions to vaccinations
For female dogs, the situation is more complex. The number of health benefits associated with spaying may exceed the associated health problems in some (not all) cases. On balance, whether spaying improves the odds of overall good health or degrades them probably depends on the age of the female dog and the relative risk of various diseases in the different breeds.
On the positive side, spaying female dogs
• if done before 2.5 years of age, greatly reduces the risk of mammary tumors, the most common
malignant tumors in female dogs
• nearly eliminates the risk of pyometra, which otherwise would affect about 23% of intact female dogs; pyometra kills about 1% of intact female dogs
• reduces the risk of perianal fistulas
• removes the very small risk ( 0.5%) from uterine, cervical, and ovarian tumors
On the negative side, spaying female dogs
• if done before 1 year of age, significantly increases the risk of osteosarcoma (bone cancer); this is a common cancer in larger breeds with a poor prognosis
• increases the risk of splenic hemangiosarcoma by a factor of 2.2 and cardiac hemangiosarcoma by a factor of 5; this is a common cancer and major cause of death in some breeds
• triples the risk of hypothyroidism
• increases the risk of obesity by a factor of 1.6-2, a common health problem in dogs with many
associated health problems
• causes urinary “spay incontinence” in 4-20% of female dogs
• increases the risk of persistent or recurring urinary tract infections by a factor of 3-4
• increases the risk of recessed vulva, vaginal dermatitis, and vaginitis, especially for female dogs
spayed before puberty
• doubles the small risk (<1%) of urinary tract tumors
• increases the risk of orthopedic disorders
• increases the risk of adverse reactions to vaccinations
One thing is clear – much of the spay/neuter information that is available to the public is unbalanced and contains claims that are exaggerated or unsupported by evidence.
On the positive side, neutering male dogs
• eliminates the small risk (probably <1%) of dying from testicular cancer
• reduces the risk of non-cancerous prostate disorders
• reduces the risk of perianal fistulas
• may possibly reduce the risk of diabetes (data inconclusive)
On the negative side, neutering male dogs
• if done before 1 year of age, significantly increases the risk of osteosarcoma (bone cancer); this is a common cancer in medium/large and larger breeds with a poor prognosis.
• increases the risk of cardiac hemangiosarcoma by a factor of 1.6
• triples the risk of hypothyroidism
• increases the risk of progressive geriatric cognitive impairment
• triples the risk of obesity, a common health problem in dogs with many associated health problems
• quadruples the small risk (<0.6%) of prostate cancer
• doubles the small risk (<1%) of urinary tract cancers
• increases the risk of orthopedic disorders
• increases the risk of adverse reactions to vaccinations
For female dogs, the situation is more complex. The number of health benefits associated with spaying may exceed the associated health problems in some (not all) cases. On balance, whether spaying improves the odds of overall good health or degrades them probably depends on the age of the female dog and the relative risk of various diseases in the different breeds.
On the positive side, spaying female dogs
• if done before 2.5 years of age, greatly reduces the risk of mammary tumors, the most common
malignant tumors in female dogs
• nearly eliminates the risk of pyometra, which otherwise would affect about 23% of intact female dogs; pyometra kills about 1% of intact female dogs
• reduces the risk of perianal fistulas
• removes the very small risk ( 0.5%) from uterine, cervical, and ovarian tumors
On the negative side, spaying female dogs
• if done before 1 year of age, significantly increases the risk of osteosarcoma (bone cancer); this is a common cancer in larger breeds with a poor prognosis
• increases the risk of splenic hemangiosarcoma by a factor of 2.2 and cardiac hemangiosarcoma by a factor of 5; this is a common cancer and major cause of death in some breeds
• triples the risk of hypothyroidism
• increases the risk of obesity by a factor of 1.6-2, a common health problem in dogs with many
associated health problems
• causes urinary “spay incontinence” in 4-20% of female dogs
• increases the risk of persistent or recurring urinary tract infections by a factor of 3-4
• increases the risk of recessed vulva, vaginal dermatitis, and vaginitis, especially for female dogs
spayed before puberty
• doubles the small risk (<1%) of urinary tract tumors
• increases the risk of orthopedic disorders
• increases the risk of adverse reactions to vaccinations
One thing is clear – much of the spay/neuter information that is available to the public is unbalanced and contains claims that are exaggerated or unsupported by evidence.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)