Neutering, and prong collars

[finn's mom]

It's for the dog's health that he should be neutered. There are no questions about it. And, as for the prong collar, it should be used as a training device, and, if used properly and in conjuction with persistent, consistent training, will help your dog be more obedient and possibly less dominant. It is a training device, though, and, I don't think it should be used for the entire life of the dog. A lot of people seem to use it because they haven't trained their dog, and, the dog is walked with a prong collar for life. I think that defeats the purpose of the collar to begin with. With such a large dog, I would look into one on one training with a professional as well as using a prong collar for training.

[Vette]

Ive heard many great things about prong collars. i think people steer away from prong collars and wont use them because they look like something out of a med evil torucher chamer.

if you want to do a test to see which collar is more conforable for your dog.. try putting each collar on your upper arms(use one arm for one collar,, and your other arm for the other collar) and give it a jerk. see which one you like better.

[Pam]

I vote yes for both the neutering and the prong collar. Our instructor at obedience school was in favor of them for very large dogs that were hard to control. Although they do look like torture devices they pinch rather than choke. I saw some wonderful transformations in dogs at class before and after the prong and it didn't take long at all.

My Ripley had all of his *equipment* when I adopted him. I have no idea how old he was/is so don't know how much he used *it* before I got him. Long story short, there was absolutely no change in his personality and his little body is as svelte as always - no added weight.

[pitc9]

As far as when you should have him neutered, at 6 months of age.. so... NOW! When I rescued my male GSD, he was a year old and living in the woods. I had him neutered PRAYING that it was going to change him by calming him down and it didn't.
As far as weight, I've had him for 3 years and he's still underweight a little!
WELCOME to PT! I hope we get to see more pictures of you fur ball!
I can't wait to see him!!
Another member on the board her has an Akita, her name is Katie (the dog's name is Katie )

[areias]

Welcome! I have two Akita mixes. Both mine are neutered...and they're just as great as they can be.
Here's a thread from a couple weeks ago on prong collars.
http://petoftheday.com/talk/showthread.php?t=92164

[.sarah]

Neutering is a very good idea if you aren't going to show him in conformation. It has many health benefits and it won't change your dog's temperment at all! I hear people saying the earlier the better but the more and more I research I see that large dogs should be altered around 18-24 months because this is when they finish growing. If you are going to wait that long make sure he is with you at all times, you don't need any children from him!

Prong collars are wonderful if they are used correctly. Not sure what you are doing when he bites but you should be doing a quick jerk on the leash and say "NO" in a firm voice.

[tz1]

Thanks for all of the helpful info. I think I will probably get him neutered now. He only bites when he gets extremely excited/ riled up, but he hasn't nibbled since I've put the prong collar on. It's really amazing the difference of control I have in him + it seems to hurt him less.