questions

[debbiej]

I have some odd and ends questions that maybe someone can help me with. It used to be said that age you spay doesn't really matter. Lately I've heard a few saying it helps with attitude and maturity if you spay after first heat. Some of what I've read here seems to support waiting till more growth has taken place, or is that just for males? I mean they both got hormones! does it affect the female's growth and bulk to spay before 1st heat? What about mental maturity? Hilda is a bit lean and lanky and more than a bit goofy. Her feet and legs look like baseball bats and she is changing proportions as she grows.

Another thing I wonder about. My girl's previous owner told me he bought her from people who had both parents. I would like to see her parents-size, temperement, health-- I am just so curious about her breeding. Are they cranking out pups, was it a one time breeding....I didn't buy her, I got her from a man who couldn't keep her, (long story). He told me he would get their name and number but so far hasn't. If I had gotten her from the shelter I wouldn't know much, but more than I know about her now. I wonder just how pushy I should get.

When and why did the tail docking come about on rotties?

I love everyone's pictures!!

[JD102175]

Originally posted by debbiej
When and why did the tail docking come about on rotties?

Tail docking has been done since soon after the breed first originated. THe most popular theory is that since many Rottweiler were used to pull small carts the tails were docked to prevent them from getting cought up in the wheel spokes.

There are a couple other theories I remember reading about, but can not think of them off-hand right now.


Jaime

Just remembered another theory that I read somewhere. Many breeds tails were docked because tailed dogs were considered "luxury items" and the owners were then taxed on them. Dogs with docked tails were considered working dogs and therefore not pets so they were not taxed. I have no idea if this is true, but I do remember reading it somewhere.

[debbiej]

well, that makes sense, especially the cart pulling. does anyone's rottie ever chase their non existant tail? mine does!

[Brooke&Ryan]

ALL THE TIME!!!:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D

[Burnsway]

HA!HA! Not really but kind of for others reading.

does anyone's rottie ever chase their non existant tail? mine does!

ALL THE TIME!!!

Chasing ones own tail is (weather it is there or not....lol) kinda cute but if your dog is doing it often, I would say IMO several times a week is too often I would slap a collar on him/her and take them for a training session or work out.

This habit can become an obsession and is also IMO a sign of a bored dog that needs a job......:D

It is kind of cute though hu?.......:o

[debbiej]

our living room looks like a doggy toy battle field. I've been trying to teach her to clean up after herself, but she's scared of the vacuum. This morning she got the paper with 'dad' but when he dragged the trash dumpster back too, she thought he needed rescue/help from the big noisy thing more than he needed the paper. what did we do for entertainment before her?

[spidey]

It's been known for quite some time now that each heat increases a dog's chances of reproductive cancers - if you do not intend to show at conformation, then you should spay before the first heat to get maximum benefit from the procedure. Neutering is a whole different matter, since the health benefits from neutering are smaller and really only come into play later in life, and can still be obtained if the dog is neutered at an older age. Having owned a bitch who got mammary cancer (which has extremely high occurrence in unspayed bitches, and is almost unheard-of in bitches spayed before their first heat, and which is often malignant and/or fatal), I urge you to spay before the first heat. The stuff about waiting for more growth is more for males, any benefits obtained by delaying spaying are greatly outweighed by the risks (and the respective hormones have very different effects). If you do a search here, there's lots of info about this.

[debbiej]

could be any time now, so I'll make the appt. on monday, since she's finished with immunizations. I guess most of what I'd read did pertain to the boys. thanks!

[Brooke&Ryan]

Well Julius has quite a few jobs: agility, obedience, etc. We also tend to hike or walk with him for at LEAST two hours a day which does not include the training that he does with us. I don't think he's a bored guy at all. Maybe I over-estimated how much he does it but he does try to get his tail every so often.

:)
Brooke

[debbiej]

turning around and biting the air where her tail would have been is part of her after waking up in the morning crazies, along with gallomping around and acting generally silly. It just amuses me to see her acting like she still has one!

[Burnsway]

Like I said I wasn't really lecturing and if you feel your dog is getting enough exercise and isn't being obsessive, then I think it's probably fine. I have seen a lot of people who actually encourage it and laugh and almost reward a dog for it, then it can soon become an obsession.

I was only giving a heads up for anyone else that may be reading.....;)

[Rott-Wiley]

I would be wise to have her spayed before her first heat cycle. If she has one cycle her chances of cancer will increase by 30%.

Docking the rotties tails actually did begin to avoid paying the tax because the missing tail proved they were a working dog. There are a lot of other stories of why the dogs tails are docked including; so no one could grab the guard dogs tail, don't get in the way of a cart, etc.

[debbiej]

wow! 30% is a big chance to take. We had orignally thought to wait till after the holidays, but now for sure next week. thanks again.

[Burnsway]

Originally posted by Rott-Wiley
I would be wise to have her spayed before her first heat cycle. If she has one cycle her chances of cancer will increase by 30%.

.

Could you please point me to the data you got this from?

[Luvs]

Originally posted by debbiej
our living room looks like a doggy toy battle field. I've been trying to teach her to clean up after herself, but she's scared of the vacuum. This morning she got the paper with 'dad' but when he dragged the trash dumpster back too, she thought he needed rescue/help from the big noisy thing more than he needed the paper. what did we do for entertainment before her?

Life would be very boring without our four legged entertainment wouldn't it?:D I enjoy watching their antics so much more than watching anything on tv.

Akasha has several jobs she does. She helps me carry the hose out to the horses. Although, sometimes she decides it is time to put the hose away in the middle of filling the water trough She really enjoys picking up different items around the house and bringing them to me in exchange for a cookie.

I told her the other day that if she would start feeding the horses for me she could sleep on my bed, So far no luck, but I am still hoping;) :D