Blog Archives
The Cone
~ For Bart
o Bart had his surgery today to fix his umbilical hernia and be altered. He does not like the cone, in fact he hates the cone. Overall he is doing tremendous. He is whining because he is not getting his way, but does not seem to be in pain. Still peeing and pooping post surgery. It’s going to be a long 10 days with a cranky Weimaraner.
Breeder Comment
We are happy to hear Bart came through the surgery–we have since read he is coping better than expected. Hurrah! When possible, we like the bite-note type of situation instead of these cones. This cone looks to better than most.
Wondering
Pushkin
~Wavy Hair
I have included Pushkin’s neuter certificate. Please let me know if this will suffice or if you need me to mail you a hard copy.He obviously does not like the E collar; however, he caught on quickly to the fact that if he quit licking he didn’t have to wear it.We start intermediate obedience training on the 29th. Unfortunately, we have to put his “swimming lessons” on hold for at least 10 days. When we went to the lake the first of the week he would go into the water until it was chest high but no swimming yet.
Just out of curiosity, do either of his parents have wavy hair on their back? Push has a large patch of the most beautiful short wavy hair😊 Push has beautiful hair. Everyone that pets him comments on how soft his coat is.
Breeder Comment
Ah—he may well be a carrier of the Longhair DNA marker. It does improve the coat a lot. Some Weims have sparse hair that is very coarse.
Tough Decisions
Mixed Information
What do you mean I will eventually need to be altered? I thought I was perfect!
Cliff fields a lot of questions about spaying and neutering the Weimaraner. The information on the Internet is mixed and often confusing.
The OwyheeStar basic guideline for spaying a female is the same as altering the male–no earlier than six months, and possibly closer to eight months. It depends upon your pup’s development and environment.
Each situation is unique, but for the vast majority of our clients somewhere between 7-8 months is going to work well. Margaret V. Root Kustritz, DVM, Ph.D., is an expert on the topic of reproduction. Click here to read the in-depth article written by Dr. Kustritz, and to learn more about what she has to say! Margaret gave us permission to republish her articles (July 2007), but they are more readily available today.
It is no secret that the push to get pets altered is an effort to prevent unplanned litters; this is rightly so too! The pups (born to unplanned litters) often turn into beautiful pets. Sadly though, all too many of these dogs end up in a shelter or rescue situation. Responsible pet owners spay and neuter their pets. How and when they do this may vary, but until their pet is altered, the human caregiver is charged with keeping them safe–including from mating with other dogs of opportunity.
Note: This information is from a previous blog and we felt it was time to share it again. We are getting a lot of inquiries about spaying and neutering timeframes. People go from one extreme to another–some want to alter was too early (in our opinion), and others prefer not to alter their pet. Here are some additional bits of information on this topic.
Embarrassing
Leo after the Neuter
Leo did get altered. Last time I updated you on Leo, we talked about the timing, etc. As per the after procedure advice–keeping the Weim down is laughable. This big boy is way too excited and playful! Doesn’t even act like he had surgery!
And here’s a photo of him in the underwear we tried to put on him to protect his stitches. They didn’t last long overnight in his crate! But I thought the far off glance of embarrassment was worth the photo!:) goofy boy!
Leo
At Almost 7 Months
It has been a while:) Leo is doing well, he is almost 7 months old now and weighs about 70 pounds! I don’t remember seeing information about neutering in his packet ( I will reread) and am wondering what the age recommendation you give? I have read that waiting can be beneficial for overall health and development with the Weim. Can you please shed some light on the best timing to alter Leo?
Breeder Comment
When to alter your pet is controversial. The perfect time could vary according to your situation. First, you want to consider your Weim’s temperament. Hormones can lead to aggressive and unwanted behaviors. They may also lead to the Weimaraner leaving your property in search of an in-season female. They send out news along the airwaves to attract a male suitor. This is a danger. A lot of males get run over. Pups arrive that might be cute; however, are the shelters not full enough? Here are a couple of previous blog links on this topic. We hope that you might find them helpful.
Our contract says that you will alter him in a timely manner. That means you will guard against him raising a litter with the neighborhood dog. You will consider his personality and development. Once the growth plates are closed, there is no value in keeping him intact. Hormones are essential to growth and development; however, once this process is completed, it is in his best interest to be neutered. Whenever you do it—be sure to avoid Rimadyl and the generic form of it too. Get something else for the subscribed anti-inflammatory. We know first hand of three Weims who have had seizures (sudden onset) after having received Rimadyl. We try to avoid the use of this drug. There are other options.
Opus
Neutering Happens……
………….a change for the best!
Opus last Wednesday–Jun 16, 2014
Altering (Spaying/Neutering) your Weimaraner
Remember When????
Opus and Winchester last Christmas.
Advice on neutering the Weimaraner
At what age should I neuter Oscar?
There is a ton of info out there and many different opinions. I trust you (Cliff & Shela) the most so I would like to get your take on this topic.
Bringing you up-to-date
I’m sure you probably remember Oscar. (He is from the Mousse X Benton litter.) He is about 5.5 months old right now, and he weighs about 46 lbs. He is very well behaved for a puppy and I have no concerns with him at this point.
Aggression or Dominance is not an issue
He does not show any real signs of dominance when around other dogs. He likes to play but we haven’t seen any aggression or mounting yet. He also still pees like a girl 🙂
Let me know what you think-Jeff (Jan 2012)
Cliff’s thoughts on altering the male Weimaraner
Jeff—as you noticed every vet and dog person has a different idea as to the optimal time a dog should be neutered. Although there are many proponents that feel a dog may be altered prior to their six-month birthday, I personally would not recommend altering them before six months.
Somewhere between six months and a year they will start to notice the girls. Once the hormones kick in it is wise (for safety’s sake, and to prevent an unplanned mating) to have them fixed. Otherwise, they are more apt to take off when they catch a girl dog’s scent. Even when called off, they may run across the road in pursuit of whatever. This puts them at risk on so many levels, but often results in them getting hit by a car. Not every male dog is going to develop at the same rate. For this reason, there is not one right answer to your question. It should also be noted that an altered male can tie with a female. Therefore, neutering your dog does not totally guarantee to eliminate sex drive.
The Weimaraner will continue to grow (and develop) until they are at least 2 years old. Some experts (and a few vets) feel that they should be left intact, because they need the extra hormones to grow properly.
All that being said, my recommendation is to neuter sometime between six and eight months of age.
Cliff Nielsen, OwyheeStar Weimaraners
(cliff@owyheestar.com)
Note: Cliff is a Weimaraner trainer, and breed advocate. He is also a go-to resource for all the OwyheeStar clients. The blog is provided as a service to the OwyheeStar extended family, but open to anyone interested in the Weimaraner.
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