2 Questions!?

Jotter

I have a 16 week old pup. The vet gave me worming tablets to give him every 2 weeks until 16 weeks old which I did. He said he only needs to be wormed every 3 months after this. Do I now wait another 2 weeks and give him the next wormer that will last the 3 months or do I wait 3 months from his last dose to worm him again? Hope that makes sense!?

2nd question is re crate training. The pup has been crate trained easily, hes out during the day, his choice as back door is left open but he just wants to play out back all day, he sleeps in crate at nite and I lock him in. Hes been doing this since hes been 10 wks old and has had no accidents. He goes in at 11pm and is let out at 7am. I dont have to tell him to go in anymore, he does it himself even if im not there. This morning I came down late, at 8am, and he ignored me when crate was opened and went back to sleep - must be teenage phase! Anyway Im just wondering when is the normal age when pups can be trusted to hold it themselves all nite without being locked in. He was in kitchen yesterday for 2 hrs alone without door open and when I came into kitchen he went to back door so he could get out to wee so hes obviously aware that hes ment to hold it.
Do I just leave crate door open one nite to see if he wees or is that just setting him up for a fall?

Any advice with this appreciated as I have no prior experience with crates.

thanks

wexford12

Hi if he is 16 weeks now you can stop worming and do as the vet says every 3 months till 12 months then twice a year would do the trick.As for the cage at night i think they are a great idea for puppies,some will give out but the fact is the dog feels safe in there.I would leave him there if its still big enough for him to stand turn around etc,not only good to save and teach toilet training but at that age he will chew everything if let out and board.What type of dog is it ?Best of luck with him from what you have said he has a great home that cares about him pitty there arnt more like you.

Jotter

thanks wexford12, crate is plenty big, hes a boxer so we got the larger size. I dotn knwo about the good owner thing, I had him on a walk yesterday and was fit to kill him, hes very good in house but all manners go out the window once he gets on a walk!

wexford12

Good stuff keep him in it i would.I had a boxer before and they are much better suited living inside as they dont do well out in cold weather or hot sunshine.One bit of advice i would give if its a male as you said "he" get him the snip ASAP ask vet what age but younger the better before his sex drive kicks in.It will make him so much easier to handle,some men sorry im one of them dont want there dog done but you will be glad you did in the long run.If you leave it till he is older it may be too late if you find out hes too much of a lad if you know what i mean.Boxers are hard work need a lot of disapline and for the sake of two little bits on the back of him "oh boy get them off lol"

Jotter

oh dont worry i booked him in when he got his last injections much to my husbands dismay! hes getting em off at end of may, thats if I dont do it first lol!

peasant

Castration is not a means of training or education. All it does is minimise the sex drive and related behaviour (ie. running off after every bitch in heat) but a cheeky dog can not be "corrected" by castration.
That's a a question of training and ecducation only.

I suggest wating with the castration until he is fully grown and has reached sexual maturity, as the male hormones play a vital role during early development and early castration might lead to excessive bone growth once these hormones are missing ...with the end effect of bone and joint trouble in later life.

wexford12

peasant wrote:

Castration is not a means of training or education. All it does is minimise the sex drive and related behaviour (ie. running off after every bitch in heat) but a cheeky dog can not be "corrected" by castration.
That's a a question of training and ecducation only.

I suggest wating with the castration until he is fully grown and has reached sexual maturity, as the male hormones play a vital role during early development and early castration might lead to excessive bone growth once these hormones are missing ...with the end effect of bone and joint trouble in later life.

That is a excuse that a lot use but its up to you.I belive if you leave a dog till he is fully grown his hormones for been top dog etc are there and will not be removed by castration.As for training yes of coarse he will need training i tought that was a given.But been castrated will make training easier as he will be less boytress "sorry spelling".Like for a female dog been spayed before her first heat will reduce risk of breast cancer as hormones havent reached there yet.Its a wives tale to wait till after her first heat.But it as they say only my opion

Jotter

I am getting him neutered mainly bec the vet said it can reduce the risk of certain cancers. I asked him the best time to get him done and he said it was up to me, that it didnt make that much difference to the dog in general so i said asap. I want to get him done early bec I dont want to be begged on the street to stud him by every tom dick and harry which is what happened with our last boxer. the dog is still a pup and weve already been asked, its a lot easier to say hes neutered than I dont want to! But Ill ask vet about the hormones thing, I dont mind waiting if its neccessary, in fact the husband wants the dog to cock his leg which apparantly if you neuter early this mightnt happy and he doesnt want his dog to look like a girl - MEN!!!

peasant

But been castrated will make training easier as he will be less boytress "sorry spelling".

I would say that that one is an "old wifes tale".
Yes, castration will remove the side effects of the sex drive (like going walkabout or going "deaf" as soon as there a bitches around) but it will not influence the basic character.

A boisterous dog will not change one iota just because you castrate it.
A territorial dog will not give up on its territory just because it has no dangly bits anymore, neither will a "dominant" dog become all nicey-nice because of it.

These things can only be changed through training.

I'm all for castration, if only to keep the dog from reproducing, but it's not a character changing instrument, and if done too soon it can do more harm than good.

Have a read of this:
http://www.caninesports.com/EarlySpayConsiderations.pdf