I've taken to telling people my dog isn't friendly, just to get them to control theirs. Truth is, I get annoyed when other dogs charge at us, with the owner yelling "don't worry he's friendly" and mine picks up on it and reacts less than welcoming.
Yes!! This is my issue too!! I have to muzzle my GSD while on trails because of the many off leash dog's that run up to my dog. She WILL bite them because she HATES strange dogs in her space as well as my space. I don't need a court case or her being taken away from me....so hence the muzzle.
@@Erin_29little late to comment but in most places if your on leash dog bites an off leash dog you aren’t at fault and can’t be tried i court for anything.
There is a huge misunderstanding about what socialization actually is. People think it is all about meeting other dogs , which it isn't. Great answers to these questions.
Great advice. My uncut male GSD will not be neutered unless medically necessary. My boy is 3 yrs now. When we are in the field working he is a different animal, but when we are just at home and I walk him, I just keep his attention on me. No insecurity as long as he is focused on me. He will get in front of me if another dog charges us, but other than that, he will ignore the other dog. Took a while to get him that way. One last thing, we practice Shutzhund except for bite work as we volunteer to help search for children, the handicapped, and older people who are lost. He tracks great. My only issue is if I am attacked as he will react. Only happed once, but I had to get control of him quickly. The deputy who is always with me helped, but he only responds to me. You do have great videos. I appreciate them as a handler.
The neutering part of this video is especially important and in my opinion right on. My male gsd is 8 years old and intact. He matured physically and also mentally until about 5 years old. He is a dominant and protective dog who is perfectly safe around ppl and other dogs. When he was a puppy he had behavioral issues and instead of cutting his nuts off as so many idiots suggest I trained him. We worked together every day, I hired a professional and learned what I needed to know to accomplish our goals. To this day I am closer with and have a stronger bond with him than any other dog I’ve ever know. And we work together every day and we both enjoy it more than the rest of the day
Thanks Robert…..your neutering thoughts are very helpful to me and my 15 month old Golden Retriever. It’s in line with two local trainers and a personal friend who has been breeding retrievers for many years. Also meeting other dogs, great advice too👍🏼🇬🇧
I have a beautiful GSD. She is an angel. I started with her at seven weeks. Her dad was a cop dog and her mum was a sweat heart. Spading my dog is one the biggest regret's I have - who am I to take that away from her. Everyone loves her, and if I had not done that, I regret the amount of love we could've shared with the world
Thank you for reiterating that our dogs can live very happily without having to be pressured to meet other dogs. My GSD mix 50 % shepherd 25% boxer 25 % Amstaff I got from a kill shelter is a lovely boy but has taught me how much I don’t know about training. This is my first high drive dog and though I’ve trained many dogs through obedience (to CDX) and agility, they were all easy dogs. I didn’t know what I didn’t know! We are still working on engagement but your videos have been very helpful. He’s reactive to other dogs so it’s nice to know I’m not depriving him because he lacks the social skills to play at the park
I am so glad you stress this. Our old vet keeps saying I have no idea what it looks like for a male dog to come in with prostate cancer, or testicular cancer therefor I need to get him fixed. He is a 2 1/2 yr old BGSD and he is inside most of the time. When he is outside with us, or playing with my daughter's dog (the only other dog she ever plays with), we have a 6 ft fence. I love all of your video's and podcasts!
Very good content Robert, I've had nothing but GSD's all my life, and never spayed or neutered any of them until this year with my 13 month old male. I only did due to one testicle was undescended. Both my vet and breeder recommended neutering because if left inside it would become abscessed and create more problems. I have never had any behavior or health problems with any of my uncut dogs
Dear colleague, I have praised you many times, and today I do it again. Your ideas and your line of work are very close to mine. Across the ocean, I send my greetings
Okay I think making that stuff illegal is little nuts. Some dogs need their ears cropped for actual work, livestock Guardian dogs actually doing livestock Guardian work. E-collars are a great way to communicate with your dog when use properly. Not the old school shock collars. Also e collars I believe are still very supported by those that own livestock and sheep and live near dogs
To maybe add my story to the last tip, I had my 3 year old malinios at the time I took ownership of a 3 year old gsd to have as a second dog for work( the mal is EDD and the gsd is NDD) we first introduced them at a buddies kennel (neutral area to both dogs to negate territorial response, we had my mal in one field and the gsd in the other field both separated by an 8’ fence.) but my mal still must’ve picked up the fact that this gsd was starting permanently because he lit off at first and threw a barking fit and he’s always been great with other dogs in the past so he must’ve thought he was getting replaced. So I took both dogs home him and made a really annoying situation for me, but necessary for the dogs. I had them separated at all times, kenneled separate, went bathroom, exercised, ate, etc. all separated by some barrier, but still aloud the get scents off each other and make them both realize that neither of them were in control but I was the one in control. After about a month of separation, I finally allowed them to introduce to each through a barrier again and saw they were fine, then removed the barrier but kept leased distance apart, still fine so continued to move on, went into close distance but added muzzles just as a precaution, no issue and once I pulled off the muzzle, they were fine right out the gate completely neutral to each other. Another month of after finally being together and now they’re playing with each other like lifelong brothers
That sounds like a giant PITA for you, but necessary for future household peace and very slow and thorough. I’m glad that worked so well for you. Outstanding result.
@@liammaxsmama it was a major pita but the payout was worth it. Now a year later with them and they get along like they were littermates and almost inseparable lol
??Our 20 month old neutered male GS was on the landing of our staircase yesterday morning. When I walked past him, he growled at me. He has been a resource guarder since he was a puppy. We got him at 8 weeks old. I usually ignore him or trade him for something else. I thought it had gotten better lately. When I walked over to the end of the stairs I said What have you got? in my normal voice. He barreled down the staircase growling with his teeth bared, lunged at me and grabbed my T shirt with his teeth. He actually left a scrape mark on my belly. I yelled Ranger stop and he sat down, looked at me as if nothing was wrong. He didn’t even have anything to guard on the stairs. We’ve been to obedience class and he did great. He’s a very smart dog, but he is the first GS I’ve had that I know I can’t trust. We live on a farm with a fenced in yard, I take him to the park, stores, etc. and he loves it. He’s not aggressive to strangers at all. I’m afraid it’s genetic. Is there something we are doing wrong? I’ve owned and trained my GS dogs for over 40 years. He’s 95 pounds, so he could do a lot of damage.
Everybody thinks they are "responsible." I've observed that most dog owners aren't, and most people I know have let their dogs "somehow get out." Especially the pit bull owners because they don't understand the strength and drive of their dog (since rescue lies so much) and shelters don't need more of those. I believe neutering should be mandatory for those fighting breeds.
@J Cal some things should be mandatory. We have had 15 years of pit bull propaganda calling them "safe family pets" and 13 years of Best Friends "Pit Bull Initiatives Campaign" along with lobbyists actively knocking down safety laws from state to state. What dog breed actually needs lobbyists? Here's what they accomplished: 1. Enablement of dogfighters to traffick not only between states but globally and they can do it pretending to be a rescue, which anyone can do, easily. 2. A nearly thousand percent increase in human fatalities caused by dogs. Naive women and first time owners being tricked into taking home "lab mix" puppies and becoming overprotective of a large, strong, unpredictable animals that furmommies cannot control and do not understand. Worse, they spoil the dogs which they view as substitute children. Aggressive dog behavior has become so normalized that people aren't even recognizing it, anymore. People aren't just being bit. They are literally getting their faces ripped off. Rescues no longer spay/abort so constantly are expanding their product line which allows them to stay in business which is, at the top, the business of taking in money and maybe laundering it, imo. I'm not saying people who work/volunteer in rescue, at the bottom, don't love animals, but the chainlike conglomeration that rescue has become is not "kind" and it hurts all dogs along with hurting people. What do you think should be done to solve this problem?
What about Malinois owners? What do they understand? Do they understand the drive and strength of their dogs? Just wondering since you seem to know all about owners of different breeds.
My shepherd mix was attacked by a pit just as you described. Strong and high drive. He busted the latch on the steel storm door. Sped across the yard , across the street to the opposite sidewalk. Latched on to my girls neck. Yes, she was on lead. He was neutered. My girl was in tact. My girl has since been spayed. The only difference I have noticed is she has "accidents " in the house. she's showing sings of incontinence. Never again will I neuter my dogs. I've never had an unplanned breeding.
@@miadogmama6229 I know a lot of pit bull owners. All totally irresponsible people (in regards to their dogs) no matter what tier of life they are on, from ghetto dweller to suburban empty nester mom. I don't know any Mal owners so I could not give my opinion on that. Mals haven't been killing 2-4 people a month for the last few years but they also are not being as lied about in shelters because they're viewed as more desirable and they are scarcer. The fact that rescue will lie their face off to get the pits in homes is a big part of the problem with the pit bulls.
Vets are responsible for this. They've been saying to anyone who would hear it that you should neuter your dog. I've seen people doing it when their dog were 5 month old etc. It's just a business. I own two malinois, one female and male, and it's really not complicated to handle that matter
Great comment. I have intact 18 month female Malinois and she is just a great dog! Why would I take a healthy dog and operate on her with neutering! My VET in Madrid, Spain says I prefer not to operate on healthy dogs! I'm responsible in heat cycle.
I would offer this advice learned from a reproductive vet specialist...Male dogs actually do not benefit from neutering like so many have been forced to believe. Health should be the main topic for this option, & there is not evidence supporting the widely used claims to such. In females, mostly the med to large breeds, pyometra (sp?) is very common & spaying removes that possibility. BUT it is important to understand that maturity should be reached before doing the spay. It is also good to research how spays are done in your area, by your vet. In Europe, some countries have adopted removing the ovaries vs removing entire uterus which might be better than what is commonly done in the states.
There is a great video seminar offered by Kokopelli Reproductive Assistance Services, Dr. Bruce Christensen. Believe it is $25 to access the series of seminars they have done over the last couple years. The Spay or Not Spay one was so full of info, I was thoroughly impressed by his knowledge and candid opinions regarding how to decide for one’s self what is best. Search for Kokopelli online & it should be easy to find. They are in Northern California.
Yes YES YES... If I wanted a goofy (no pun) happy go lucky Mr/s Friendliest dog on the planet, I wouldn't have gotten a big beautiful Pit Bull. Another thing is when people want to pet your dog... I find that those that ask you permission usually have a dog at home (I live in a tourist state; Hawaii) and they will be very careful of how they meet a dog. That is fun and welcomed by me. My girl is not neutered. After reading up on it there are pros AND cons... I just can't see why such an invasive surgery is necessary and we deal with her seasons at home.
Very interesting. My GSD was never fixed. I'm also not fixed. 😛 My vet who also worked with lot's of police dogs told me it was not good for the dog until they were older and that unless it was a problem, not to do so. Interesting..
Hi Robert. I had the same point of view about "fixing" my dog but i had some problems with him and had to do it. In the area that i live, there are a lot of female dogs and he would constantly pick up the sent. When that happens, he sometimes doesn`t eat for days, he was agitated, didn`t respond to my commands all the time, he was constant pulling me when walking because he smelled something somewhere (and my dog is 40 Kg), he even wouldn`t sleep sometimes and just wander around the house at night. I tried a hormone implant capsule, that was keeping him calm for around 5-6 months, but it was too expensive to maintain so i just did it. Is there anything else that could have been done and can you provide some pointers for my next dogs? Thanks!
I had a vasectomy, and my wife had a partial hysterectomy (uterus removed). We have all our hormones, so healthy, but nobody is going to get pregnant. Why don't we do this with dogs, to prevent unwanted pregnancies? Well, I (my vet) did it with my female GSD, and I am very happy with the results.
@@RobertCabralDogs Robert, I adopted my GSD from a rescue organization that required adopted dogs to be de-sexed to avoid unwanted pregnancies. I convinced them that a partial spay would meet their adoption requirement because a dog without a uterus cannot get pregnant. I asked my vet. He said that a partial spay is easier and safer for him to do, so he was happy to do it. Most vets refuse to do it because they are told in vet school that there are so many "benefits" to desexing dogs. Anyway, I will do it again with my next dog by choice, because my current dog doesn't bleed when in heat, and she doesn't give off a scent to attract male dogs when in heat. It is very convenient. And, I still have a female dog, who I believe will live a long and healthy life. Thanks for all you do!
I fixed my female GSD she was one and half years would not do it again she has a discharge and the vets can’t figger out why or what it really is it scares me because I don’t know if it gets worse she is for ever licking herself down there And my male Westy is sniffing and licking her don’t know what is really going on with her I saw different vets every body give me a different answer I’m so upset!!!
Where do we go to submit our Ask you anything questions? I have owned German Sheperds for over 40 years and have throughly enjoyed them. However, our current GS is 20 months old and I just have a gut feeling that he has a screw loose somewhere and I need to ask some questions. We did basic obedience training already. He's great in public, you wouldn't know he has any issues.
Hi Robert, i have a 2years old German Sheperd which i trained myself. She is really good at most things i thought her but i just cant teach her how to bring the ball back to me when we go fetching. She runs for the ball, picks it up but sometimes she just looks at me and drops it or starts runing back with it to me but drops it halfway and expects me to go pick it up and throw it, so we just look at each other. Another stuff i cant teach her is to not jump on guests (she is not agressiv just wants to lick the fave). I would really apreciate it if you could give me some tipps. Thank you :) (sorry for any spelling mistakes)
Did some poking around on-line: "Scientists from the University of Georgia analyzed more than 40,000 dog death records from 1984 to 2004 contained in a national veterinary database. The average age of death for dogs that had not been fixed was 7.9 years, they found, whereas those that had been spayed or neutered lived to 9.4 years." The problem with this study is that it is retrospective and there is an intrinsic selection bias between the two groups. Still, it is of interest.
I was very concerned about purchasing my GSD, I watched all your videos and every other piece of content I could find. We did good. The downside was the spade. She is so good and I really should not have done it. Your only weakness is not talking about this enough. It's not fair on her, people as a whole and I still have to look at myself in the mirror, knowing I canceled that breed line. Fucking brutal
Hello Robert me and my wife enjoy all your help, I have a three year old male he is not fixed . He is very vocal ant it scares most people. That kind of bothers me but it more act than show. My real question is I am gone every other week and I think it has a effect on my Zeus, he won’t listen to the wife and gets out of yard but when I am home he never leaves my side. He behaves well for me. But not her. Any help would greatly be appreciated. Thank you.
?hello sir! Appreciate you willing to share your knowledge for free. Do you have an input for a good family watch dog? Our boxer/pit mix is 10 and I want to start researching for when he passes. My wife stays home and homeschools, so I want something that has an inherent “protection” capability to ward off strangers…NOT aggressive, but I guess territorial to his pack. Any input?
I neutered my dog at 6 years old, he is and always have been a neurotic mess of a GSD (working class, I suspect he lineage was just ridiculously inbred) that I've done my best to ensure his safety and the safety of others. It was a good decision, as it made it so he wasn't as inclined to lunge at LITERALLY everything. However I do generally agree with the message of this video with one large caveat which is that many years ago I read a publication that showed that intact GSD males have higher rates of prostate cancer, so if you do want to reduce the chances of that do neuter after your GSD is 2 -3 years so that you don't mess with their development into adulthood.
Wolves greatest threat to their life expectancy is their lifestyle not being neutered. Remember, wolves have to fight large Predators for their meals and they also have to fight with other wolves. They usually die from disease from injuries. Wolves in captivity can live very long lives, much much longer than the average dog, almost 20 years old
I generally agree with everything you say, but you gave bad advice on the neutering subject. And really didn't address females. Anyway, as a pet professional, my opinion is that most pet owners need the help of behavior modification. So many send their dogs for 2 weeks of training and consider themselves stellar pet owners. Unneutered male dogs can become overly spontaneous, uninhibited and even obsessive. I have found with females, with each heat season, IF they don't die from pyometra, they often become more reactive with hormonal rushes coming and going repeatedly. If someone is doing focused work with their dogs, then neutering may not be desired or necessary. But a separation needs to be made of the casual family dog pet owner and an actual active dog sports enthusiast. I have always neutered all my dogs after their "job" is done, some earlier at 2 or 3, and some as late as 9. Males may be excepted, as by 12 or 13, I feel no need, but very few of my dogs have fallen into the casual pet with no goals whatsoever. All that said, I have never had dogs suffer because of neutering. A few lived to the 16-18 year marks. Even my GSD rescue, years ago, was spayed at 7 or so months with no I'll effects. I do recommend waiting til maturity, though. Small breeds, that is earlier, but not before 10 or so months. 18 months for larger dogs.
oh. i thought unfixed dogs wouldnt listen to training. my unfixed male dog has a big tumor in his ballsack always a reminder that i should of fixed him
Too many trainers giving medical advice on this platform. Leave that part of it to the medical professionals. Spaying and neutering both have pros and cons in terms of health. I would advise all to consult their vets, rather than trainers on social media.
If you ask a vet is if you should spay/neuter your dog there going to tell you to do it. A female can only get pregnant six days out of the year so it's very hard for a male to impregnate a female. And there are studies that show that dogs that haven't been spayed/neutered live longer and have less health. Professional trainers should have a say in this kind of stuff because they work with dogs all the time.
@@suzy7301 3 months!?! I would find a different vet. I'm not against or for spaying/neutering 100% either way. Everyone's situation is different. But to say the only reason people get their dogs neutered is because they are irresponsible owners is just false...you can't put everyone under one umbrella. And as far as health...that reason can be argued on both sides. It's also ultimately your responsibility as a pet owner to find a vet that does keep up with the new info and has the best interest in your animal.
Can someone please explain to me why people keep wanting there dog to keep meeting other dogs ??????? I just don’t get it, is it a lefty do-gooder thing or are people just idiots.
