I was going to start my pup, gsd, in agility this April, without jumping. He is 7 1/2 months now, do you think I should do a hip prelim before we start?
Sue

YES without a doubt!

I wish I had done this with my female who was doing SAR.

thanks, I kind of thought so. I didn't know if he was a little young yet and if I should wait or wait for a later class when he'd be older before we started. I had planned on getting him OFA'd when he was 2. I feel like I'm being paranoid.

There is an article on the OFA web site concerning the reliablity of prelims as a predictor of ratings at 2 years.

I took my pup in for his prelims today, and they looked really good. I was very happy, and I know they are very experienced. But,they had a problem with him getting aggressive. The vet said he didn't think it was dominance, but that he was afraid. They were trying to give him a shot in his leg when he turned on one and they had a hard time getting him muzzled. He said usually dogs are better when their owners aren't there, and I know my other ones have always been fine. He told me to make sure I stay the alpha pack leader, and to watch for dominance. Is this going to scar him in some way of people trying to control him? are there things I should do to get past this? He does really well at OB class and lets people approach us and will sit and allow a person to pat him on the head. He isn't real skittish or anything like that, but will be a little apprehensive in a new place for a few seconds til he absorbs where he is. He isn't tucking his tail between his legs and trying to run away, but you can see a little uncertainty. Any input or advice???

I was glad I spent some time on the OFA website, as we were about to do pre-lims on Lieke. She's seven months now. BUT, I read that they recommend not doing the rads within 4-5 weeks before or after estrus, so since she is going into her first, I guess we'll be waiting a month or so.

I did Diesel on day 5 of her cycle, ofa good elbows normal. I f you have a vet that knows how to read xrays, they'll be able to tell you if they're too loose already and to wait until later.

If it's just prelims and nothing with a hip warrenty or anything with time restraint I would wait. I had the same situtation with Pepper when she turned two. She was getting ready to go into heat and I did wait. Xrays stunk but at least I knew it didn't have anything to do with her heat cycle.

If prelims are in your contract with the breeder and you decide to wait I would make sure you get agreement with the breeder in writing. Less chance for a misunderstanding that way.

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I did Diesel on day 5 of her cycle, ofa good elbows normal. I f you have a vet that knows how to read xrays, they'll be able to tell you if they're too loose already and to wait until later.

Angela-out of curiosity would you still of had the xrays done if you weren't planning on breeding her that cycle or would you of waited?

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I took my pup in for his prelims today, and they looked really good. I was very happy, and I know they are very experienced. But,they had a problem with him getting aggressive. The vet said he didn't think it was dominance, but that he was afraid. They were trying to give him a shot in his leg when he turned on one and they had a hard time getting him muzzled. He said usually dogs are better when their owners aren't there, and I know my other ones have always been fine. He told me to make sure I stay the alpha pack leader, and to watch for dominance. Is this going to scar him in some way of people trying to control him? are there things I should do to get past this? He does really well at OB class and lets people approach us and will sit and allow a person to pat him on the head. He isn't real skittish or anything like that, but will be a little apprehensive in a new place for a few seconds til he absorbs where he is. He isn't tucking his tail between his legs and trying to run away, but you can see a little uncertainty. Any input or advice???

My vet wanted to sedate my female for the xrays!He said he would be able to get better positioning and a better picture. Is this standard procedure?