I've got big plans to work with Scooby this weekend. Football started for the dudes this week so I've been at the field from 6:30 - 10:00 every night this week. Dude 1 has been in pads since Wednesday. Dude 2 gets in pads tonight.I hope to start hiding the dummy this weekend and getting Scooby to start using his nose. This will be a good test for him. I also want to go to my friends house a pop a few 410 shells to see Scooby's reaction, if any. Lightning and thunder does not seem to bother him at all. The "whoa" technique in Gun Dog is pretty interesting. Something like this....make the dog stay, walk far away, then start running away telling him OK. Stop and jump wildly in the air with the stay signal (stop hand sign) saying whoa at the same time to basically scare him into stopping. This should look interesting to my neighbors. I'll let you know how it works. Duke learned whoa just by the stop sign.
Anyone know the ramifications of a fixed male hunter vs non fixed male hunter? Just wondering if I should get him fixed to settle him down a bit. I have seen no data for or against it.
4 comments:
It's always been my belief that fixed males aren't as agressive and don't have the stamina of a "natural" male. Fixed males put on weight more easily and can get pretty fat as they age if not kept active. Maybe you should hunt Scooby this fall before you decide whether or not to neuter him.
The bottom line is whether or not you want to have Scooby mate with another Viszla. If hauling him to Nebraska for a stud fee is something you want to do, then, by all means, leave him alone. However, if you want his aggressiveness toward other male AND FEMALE dogs to calm down, then do the neuter thing. But, I agree with the old dog...let him hunt this fall before you decide to do something. After all, I have been 'fixed' for a few years and the only side effect is that I stopped hunting completely....
I remember a hunting trip to western Texas when a couple of male weimeraners got into a fight as soon as the trailer doors opened. After the fight, one dog was rendered useless for the hunt. Still, the aggressiveness happens a couple times a year. If that doesn't happen during the hunt, it won't be an issue. If it does, then we will be hunting dogs instead of birds....that is nature.
I have put the word out to a neighbor who is the president of the Jackson County Humane Society. She has told me that they get pure bred dogs (including Brittanys) that have five days to locate an owner before they are put down. She has me on her list for a match. I told her that I would prefer a younger dog. We will see.
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