New Son

[jeepster09]

Price in this area on spay and neuter have gone through the roof. Our local vet gets around a grand for the procedure. Just take that into consideration. You may do better getting dog from private party. I am mixed on it having it done. Breeder I got my dog from says wait till over 18 months, it helps prevent health issues to wait.

[berettabone]

Price in this area on spay and neuter have gone through the roof. Our local vet gets around a grand for the procedure. Just take that into consideration. You may do better getting dog from private party. I am mixed on it having it done. Breeder I got my dog from says wait till over 18 months, it helps prevent health issues to wait.

I'm on the fence about having it done at all, but she's over a year old. Another advantage of adopting is the fee is $250 dollars total for all vaccinations, deworming, microchip, spay surgery, 30lb. bag of food and anything else you may need. I don't know how they do it, but I know they receive lots of donations on a regular basis.

[berettabone]

Good luck with the new GSD mix!

I didn't see the image, what breed(s) was Micah?

I believe Micah needed more boundaries and limitations set at that early age, including restrictions on access on up to crate training if needed, but I'm guessing (you're correct in that Micah was looking to be Alpha)?

One typical issue with regards to fixing females at an early age is incontinence later in life, which can be controlled via Proen, though it's best to wait until after the first heat to fix them if possible, which of course hard to do for rescue organizations.

How about some GSD mix pics!

Micah was and still is listed as a collie mix but he is pretty much all heeler. Micah had nothing but rules, boundaries, and limitations. The wife and I are always in sync with that. He was pee trained, and crate trained. Heelers and mixes are nonstop 24/7. Tasmanian devils. The only time they're not moving is when they're sleeping. I've never seen such a high energy dog in my life. Got walked 4 miles a day unless it was below zero plus plenty of indoor playtime and chew toys, and it wasn't enough. The wife's legs were black and blue from him jumping and biting her. He does spend most of his time with women at the shelter so maybe that's understandable. He started biting me towards the end. He was asserting himself and wanting more exercise than we could possibly give him. We had a shepherd so it's not like we didn't understand energy and exercise. Unfortunately, many shelter dogs are ball/toy obsessed because that's the only exercise they get. He needs to be on a farm or with a single person who has similar energy habits.

[jeepster09]

My dog is 3 now and I have not had him fixed.

[berettabone]

My dog is 3 now and I have not had him fixed.

I don't blame you........Studies suggest that not neutering/spaying brings on a higher incidence of certain specific health issues/risks, vs doing it and having a different set of health issues/risks. That's why I'm on the fence about the whole thing.

[Armybrat]

My dog is 3 now and I have not had him fixed.

I got fixed in 1980.

[kenemoore]

Charleie_fix.jpg
Charley turned 3, on the 28th. Still not broken, so no need to fix.

[djd100]

Micah was and still is listed as a collie mix but he is pretty much all heeler. Micah had nothing but rules, boundaries, and limitations. The wife and I are always in sync with that. He was pee trained, and crate trained. Heelers and mixes are nonstop 24/7. Tasmanian devils. The only time they're not moving is when they're sleeping. I've never seen such a high energy dog in my life. Got walked 4 miles a day unless it was below zero plus plenty of indoor playtime and chew toys, and it wasn't enough. The wife's legs were black and blue from him jumping and biting her. He does spend most of his time with women at the shelter so maybe that's understandable. He started biting me towards the end. He was asserting himself and wanting more exercise than we could possibly give him. We had a shepherd so it's not like we didn't understand energy and exercise. Unfortunately, many shelter dogs are ball/toy obsessed because that's the only exercise they get. He needs to be on a farm or with a single person who has similar energy habits.

Interesting! I train GSD's and Belgians, don't know much about Heelers aside that they're in the herding group (had a girl friend with one once, great dog but stubborn!)?

I've found that mouthy dogs need a firm no and a quick redirect into obedience, say some sits, stays, downs, and heeling exercises with stops, circles, and turns etc, and chew toys are only given as a reward for performance. As to jumping, a quick knee to the chest when they jump, and/or a light step on the rear feet will discourage unwanted contact, being careful to not knee or step too hard of course.

To me he was asserting himself by herding you guys LOL, just as my current Belgian Tervuren/German Shepherd mix does to us (though without the mouthiness). It sounds to me that the dog really needed a lot of running to drain some energy, and you thoughts about ball/toy obsession is spot on as it's quite common in shelter dogs (as my Belgian/GSD mix is another prime example, and it's something we have to manage, especially around other dogs excepting her 100lb GSD boyfriend).

It sounds like a farm with some real herding work would be the ideal situation for Micah, hope it works out for him!

Happy New Year everyone!

Rapunzel the Belgian Tervuren/German Shepherd mix and her big German Shepherd boyfriend, Data...

[dao]

Hey, that sounds like the same farm my mom gave a couple of our dogs to when I was little. What are the odds?

Good looking dogs. Here's our current companion. We lost our beautiful black shepherd a couple of months back to a sudden illness. They sure grow on you.

[berettabone]

I guess I didn't realize how many Shep lovers/owners there are on the forum. Sheps and their variants are some of the best dogs. They surely have increased in popularity since 2020. Some good-looking faces on here.................