Hello All...

I have a year and a half old sheltie male who is somewhat hypo. He constantly paces the house and is always jumping up on the couch and in your face. He also has a tendency to chew some things if they are not picked up (he has plenty of toys). I do not have a fenced yard so I only take him out when he has to go to the bathroom. I used to walk him until he was attacked by a Husky(he was not hurt, thank God!). He has not been fixed. My husband thinks it would take away his spirit, but he wants to get rid of him becuase he is so hypo!! I love the dog dearly and am planning on attending obedience classes in January. Some friends of mine said neutering him would calm him down. Has it been your experience this is true? I don't want to break my dog's spirit, but I would like to have a calmer, more obedient dog. He doesn't listen well and rushes the TV whenever he sees an animal on it!! He actually tries to bite the TV!! Is this because he has not been fixed? I grew up with German Shepards & Akitas because my parents had a kennel. None of their dogs were ever fixed because we lived in the country and they were show dogs. Therefore I do not have any experience with fixed animals. Any advice would be greatly appreciated!!!

Thank you for your help....

Neutering a dog isn't going to take away his spirit. I have a one year old male GSD who is both hyper and fear aggressive. I had him neutered when he was 9 months old. He has calmed down a little, but it definitely didn't take away his spirit. He's still fiesty, he still constantly provokes us and our puppy, and he is just downright mischievous...in a fun way. His personality & temperment really haven't changed much at all. Before the dog was neutered, my husband was giving me the same argument, but even he admits now that he was worried for nothing. Not to mention, it's better for their health.

I'm not sure if neutering your dog at his age will have much effect. My vet had told me that if we were neutering my dog in the hopes that it would calm him down, we needed to do it as soon as possible. Whether or not that's true, I'm not sure.

So far as your dog being hyper, it sounds to me like he might benefit from some more exercise. The more exercise my dogs get, the calmer they are. It's really hard on a dog being cooped up in the house all day. And trust me, I know just how unappealing it can be at times to have to run the dogs around (I live in an apartment with 2 GSDs!), but they are much happier when they get out in the fresh air and get to stretch their legs. It could make all the difference in the world in your dog's behavior. It sounds like he has a lot of pent up energy.

Good luck!

Melissa

Neutering may help with this. Obedience will definity help. Exercise will also help. Shelties are a herding breed and tend to be a little on the hyper side anyway. The other thing I would do is have some blood drawn and have the dog evaluated for thyroid disease. This can also cause this type of problem. I think the most likey cause of this is the dog is bored and needs more interaction with you in the form of obedience work and play to wear down some of that energy. You may also want to check into doing something with him like agility or some other sport that allows him to run off a bunch of energy. There is a toy that I have seen in Petsmart for dogs that is similar to flyball. It is a device that throws a ball for the dog and the dog is taught to put the ball back into the top of the device so it will throw it again. This will also keep him moving and give him something to do. Since your yard isn't fenced I would only do this once you hacve some obedience control or with a light long line so you can catch the dog if required.

I agree this dog needs a "job". It doesn't have to be "real" work, any dog sport, or just a physical activity that you can do together that also stimulates his mind. Mental stimulation and physical exercise are BOTH very important in preventing boredom in high energy dogs.
I'm a big fan of spaying and neutering, as I work with the local animal control and see so many very nice dogs put down because they are unwanted. It only takes ONE time for your unneutered male to escape and impregnate an unspayed female to produce a litter of puppies. Please have him neutered!

3 words: Obedience, Obedience, Obedience! OK maybe 4 words. Add excersise! JParker is right...neuter this dog. Not only will it prevent unwanted puppies but in the long run it is healthier for him. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />