Big Paws Only Dog Forums

I think Jack was around $250 for his neuter and Greta was close to $500 for her spay with gastropexy (stomach tacking).

Just weighed Jack at the vets today and he's 102 - he'll be 1 the day after Christmas.  We thought he was closer to 110 or 115 because he's so much taller and wider than our female Swissy who weighs 105 but he still weighs less shockingly.  Must be all that fur!  Plus our Swissy is solid muscle and has  very big bones.

We just got Jack groomed professionally for the first time a few weeks ago.  He was having some diarrhea issues and so we wanted to get him a "sanitary cut" so we could stop using baby wipes!  YUCK!  Anyway, they trimmed up his butt hair and also shaved his tummy and trimmed the hair on his "private part" so he doesn't haved dried urine issues anymore.  We brush him at least twice a week, and daily when he's blowing coat.  We also use "the furminator" comb about once a month (more during coat blowing) to remove all his extra undercoat.  And we trim his dews every 3 weeks or so.  His main nails don't have to be trimmed because we do so much walking on pavement.

Don't worry, there is no toe stepping here, I am still an inexperianced Pyr owner.  However Naja is still good at the moment for coming when called *usually*.    She will be 7 months old on December the 1st, and is getting into what I would assume would be the "bratty teenager stage" right now.  Should I start keeping her on leash now, or do you think that I still have a bit of time left before she starts realizing that treats are not worth coming back to mum for.  I do so love to watch her running through the hay fields, it looks like so much fun.   

Well Jack was always a pretty good listener and so occasionally (late at night or very early in the morning) I would take him out to go potty off leash.  We live in a new development so at these times of day there is absolutely no traffic.  Jack (now 11 months old) also usually moves pretty slowly and is predictable so I wasn't concerned about him running off. However, last week I took him out at about 11pm and he was doing his business when he noticed the neighbor's little maltese/poodle across the street.  Usually he ignores him, but this time he decided he wanted to play I guess and he took off, way faster than I thought he could move, and ran right across the street to see the other dog.  He completely ignored my commands to "stop", "come" and even the old faithful "treat".  So even though it wasn't that big of a deal - the two dogs just said "hi", I went over and retrieved him and brought him back home - I learned my lesson and now he doesn't go out offleash - EVER.  That particular time there was no car, but next time there could be, and that particular dog & owner were nice, but next time he could encounter a not nice dog or a not very understanding owner.

As for letting them run around to play, we still do that in the backyard but they have 30 foot leashes attached to them and we each stay on one end of the yard so that if they try to make an escape you can grab the long leash.  You can still let them have some freedom in safe areas, but the leash is like a safety net that allows you a little more control. 

And who knows, as he grows and those instincts kick in we may not even feel comfortable having him loose with the long leash, we'll just have to see and make adjustments as time progresses.  Better safe than sorry is always my motto when it comes to my pups.

Please go to the following website and/or email Linda Arndt, "The Great Dane Lady" for assitance.  She is a canine nutritionist, specializing in large breed issues and she will be able to point you in the right direction regarding food and supplements to get him back on track.  Her site has lots of great information but I'd also suggest emailing her with the specifics about your dog so she can give you custom advice.

www.greatdanel ady.com
grdanelady@aol.com

She gets lots of emails so be sure to put something in the subject line like "malnourished rescue needs urgent help" so that she prioritizes your email.

You guys are amazing, keep up the good work.  Hmmm... how far is the drive to Texas from Ohio?     And how do I fit a third giant dog in our car?   

I also strongly second the pinch collar - if fitted and used properly it will solve your problem very quickly and will be a great tool to allow you to perfect loose leash walking.  It's not a permanent solution but is great during the training period and as a transition back to a regular choke or buckle collar once they learn some walking manners.  Harnesses are about the worst option for large breed dogs who are prone to pulling - they put all the strength and power in your dogs hands and give you none.

As for the neutering we did a lot of research and decided to neuter Jack at 5 months.  I wanted to lessen the chances, as much as possible, of him developing territorial male behaviors such as same sex aggression (Pyrs are prone to this) and urine marking (I don't want to stop every 10 feet on walks!).  We also liked the idea that surgeries are a lot less traumatic for puppies than for adult dogs and there is less bleeding and a quicker recovery time.  Jack's neuter went VERY smoothly and his growth rate is perfectly normal.  As a bonus, he doesn't lift his leg to pee so he just goes once before we start walking and we don't have to stop at every tree!  He gets along great with all other dogs, including males and doesn't bark excessively (yet!).  He's still growing and maturing so some of these behaviors could of course change but we hope that by neutering early we we increased our odds for getting the results we want.