Bought dog from private seller, inaccurate info supplied now I have to pay to neuter.

Katiehound

Personally I would get him neutered- but not just yet. I would however be taking him to dog training classes asap.Three years old is not too late to start some training. Border collies are very bright and need to be 'worked' in some form or other- think flyball, obedience, agility, whatever. As working dogs they run miles in a day so they have untold energy which needs to be channelled constructively.
Me, I think you have been sold a pup! but then I have always got my dogs from rescue.
Some vets have a scheme whereby you pay upfront for a lifetime's vaccinations- Vets4Pets have such a scheme @ £99
https://www.vets4pets.com/healthy-pet-special-offers/vac4life/

Dogs are never "neutered at birth" or removed from their mothers until around 8 weeks old (unless unscrupulous puppy farming)

However you now have your boy, so I hope you have lots of fun with him. (And trying to get money back? no, I think that will be a complete waste of time.............)

sheramber

and is constantly trying to climb onto my lap to cuddle me.

The advert did say he loved cuddles.

As he has probably spent 3 years getting cuddles you will need to redirect his behaviour with positive training. That will take time. It will not disappear by neutering him.

Give him a month or so to settle in and get used to a new home, a new family and a new routine.

Be consistent with your rules so not to confuse him. he may be a little confused at first if things are different but patience and consistency will get there.

As your daughter was so keen for a dog encourage her to take him to training classes but make sure first that they only use positive reward training. She might like to get involved the KC Good Citizen Dog scheme or flyball or agility.

Try to relax and enjoy your dog for many years to come.

dgtazzman

Don't forget dogs are pack animals, he will see you as his pack and want to be with you, it's natural behavior, just a matter of training as others have mentioned to teach him what is acceptable and what isn't and it's never too late for that, as long as you are patient.

I've got an Alsatian/Husky cross that likes his cuddles, can just imagine him trying to get on my lap. He did used to try, now he just lays down next to me or in front of me, puts all 4 high in the air and kindly requests his tummy to be rubbed ^^

Always a struggle after he's spent some time at my father's, he gets to lay on the sofa there, while I don't let him at home, he gets to sleep on the bed instead with me

Wouldn't neuter a dog till they are at least 6 months old, do it too soon and it can effect their growth.

Rev

I can't believe people are berating the OP saying they'd have done this and that etc.

As long as you've never once made a hasty decision or mistake then you really have no room to berate the OP for not realising during a brief meeting that the dog hadn't had the snip.


Mistakes happen and the OP is now trying to do what's right by the dog which is IMHO the most important thing here.


The clingy ness will be because he's new. The only life he's ever known has literally just been ripped away and he's been plonked in a different place with different people he has no idea who you are or what he's done for this to happen. Despite how he may have been treated his previous owners were his pack. His family so he's clinging because he has no idea what's going on and why he isn't at home. He wants comfort and he's chosen you as the person to get that from. It should stop or lessen when he settles in and realises his home is with you now. Or maybe it won't. The advert said he loves cuddles. My dog is 6 and still sees me as a human chair. He is always laying on me. It's just his personality.


I'm personally for neutering but it made zero difference to any of my dogs behaviour. And I personally wouldn't be getting him snipped until he's absolutely settled in. If you do its just more upheaval for him in a short time.

Johnny_Dangerously

dgtazzman wrote: »

Wouldn't neuter a dog till they are at least 6 months old, do it too soon and it can effect their growth.

neutering can affect growth even after 6 months. Testosterone plays a key part in stopping growth also. A lot of evidence points towards neutering causing dogs to grow taller, potentially exaggerating joint problems.

dgtazzman

Don't think there's a general consensus as to when is the right time to have them snipped, my vet did tell me they generally recommend to wait till they are 6 months old. Didn't get mine till he was 9 months old, also a private adoption, so that's when he got snipped. Thought that was ok as research suggest Alsatians stop growing when they are between 9 months and 12 months old and only build muscle mass after that.

rising_from_the_ashes

nicki wrote: »

The previous owner got him from a rehoming centre (I have that paperwork) at 12 weeks old. She said she'd had him since 4 weeks, and that he was neutered at birth. I thought this was the truth, but after looking more closely into things, it appears that in the UK they don't neuter until 6 months old to prevent certain illnesses/problems.

It would be a good idea to thoroughly check this as every reputable rescue I know has a clause in that if you're unable to keep the dog it MUST be returned to them and cannot be rehomed by the adopter

It should also have a clause in about having him neutered when he reaches a certain age - usually about 6 months for a rescue

nicki wrote: »

I want him neutered as he's extremely possessive and clingy towards me, and is constantly trying to climb onto my lap to cuddle me. It can't carry on. I can't even go to the toilet without him trying to follow me. I've also heard that this behaviour in un-neutered dogs gets worse around the time of the a females "time of the month", with just me and my teenage DD in the house that means he's going to be like this almost constantly unless he gets the snip.

Sorry but neutering is unlikely to solve those issues - I would still do it - but it will not sort the above.

My dog follows me everywhere all the time - when I go to the loo I'm usually accompanied by the dog and whichever cat is around at the time!

Training is your answer - ask around at local training centres and see if you can get him enrolled in some classes or some 1-2-1 time to get a few tips

Good luck with him - he sounds lovely .... just needs a little direction and taught some manners!

krlyr

Rev wrote: »

I can't believe people are berating the OP saying they'd have done this and that etc.

As long as you've never once made a hasty decision or mistake then you really have no room to berate the OP for not realising during a brief meeting that the dog hadn't had the snip.

Perhaps many of these posts come from having made a similar mistake or seen it up close?

I (well, I was still living with my mum/stepdad, so it was a family decision) took on a dog through Freeads, we did the one visit at the park, took the owner's word for it with all the questions we asked, drove the couple of hours to meet her and came back with her and all her stuff that day.

Fortunately for us, the biggest issue was that she wasn't very happy being left alone indoors at first - but the 4 of us in the house worked varying shifts so we could work around it (yet we had asked and been told that she was fine being left alone at theirs for 4 hour stretches). However, having dealt with separation anxiety in a different situation (only 2 of us at home, both working), it has been very tough - it would be a deal breaker for many people I think (in fact, I half suspect it's partly the reason they were rehoming her)

A dog is a long commitment, and if there are some aspects you're not prepared to deal with, it's important to make sure you establish if those are issues before committing to the dog. As it is, OP is happy and able to give the vaccs, neutering, etc. but it's worth doing everything you can to establish that the facts are true. Would you buy a car from a private seller just because they said it was all OK, or would you give it a look over to check the exhaust isn't hanging off, that it starts, that there's no damage to the paintwork, and that all the paperwork is in order?

gettingtheresometime

Just after we had our mutt we thought it would be a good idea to get another one, of the same breed.

So we approached the breed's rescue centre about a possible adoption of one of the dogs they were seeking a home for.

A meeting was set up but for me what rang alarm bells was that we were told that the couple giving up the dog, were bring all its stuff with them and that we'd be taking the dog home with us from the one meeting.

We didn't go ahead with the meeting as neither of us felt comfortable with this arrangement (think being emotionally blackmailed)

happysaz133

nicki wrote: »

Thanks for all the feedback. I'm going to try and answer the questions you've all asked.

For those of you who said why not go to a rescue instead? I was looking at the 4 local rescues for the past few months. It seemed that every dog that was there was either a small Jack Russell, huge husky/Alsatian types or staffs/bull dogs. I know there's nothing wrong with these breeds but they just aren't for us, we have experience of looking after other family members collie crosses, and I wanted a dog which we new the full history of if possible. There were one or two other dog available, but they were either older, or were not suitable to be housed with a teenager.

I did ask her a whole load of questions (Has he been neutered? Does he have any allergies? How is he with strangers/men? How is he with other dogs? I'm hoping to take him out to work with me sometimes and I encounter a lot of small dogs then. Does he like to chew things he shouldn't? This isn't a problem, I just want to be forewarned so I can move important stuff like paperwork. Where does he sleep at night at the moment? Is he scared of anything? Is he allowed off his lead when out? How is he with cats? How much exercise does he need? I know he's energetic, I'm just thinking of how often he'd need to go for walks. Does he show any aggression towards anyone in particular? Does he 'ask' to go outside when he needs to? How long can he be left home alone? Does he need to be left outside when home alone?) so I did do my best to make sure I had the whole story.

The previous owner got him from a rehoming centre (I have that paperwork) at 12 weeks old. She said she'd had him since 4 weeks, and that he was neutered at birth. I thought this was the truth, but after looking more closely into things, it appears that in the UK they don't neuter until 6 months old to prevent certain illnesses/problems.



I have the chip paperwork here, and the vet checked it yesterday when we took him in. He's now in my address but still in her name as that has to be done via post apparently. I have also been on the website for the chip company & that information is correct.



We only met him at the park. She brought her other dog with her and it was chaotic with the two of them. Apparently the other dog was female and our dog kept sniffing her and trying to mount her. I put it down to his age (going on him being 1 year 8 months) as I'd read adolescent dogs (even those who have had the snip) can behave like this. I'm guessing this is why she wanted to get rid of him. It made trying to examine him properly a little difficult. She didn't seem to be able to control him properly, he was pulling her along, running everywhere and constantly coming back to sniff the other dogs bum which was also playing off lead.

I had a feel of his main body which seemed fine, he had bright clear eyes, good looking coat, highly excited positioning of his tail but his hair is quite long around his bum area and that's why we didn't see his bits, and I couldn't get close enough to him without him getting over excited and trying to knock me over. It doesn't help that they're covered in black hair!

I want him neutered as he's extremely possessive and clingy towards me, and is constantly trying to climb onto my lap to cuddle me. It can't carry on. I can't even go to the toilet without him trying to follow me. I've also heard that this behaviour in un-neutered dogs gets worse around the time of the a females "time of the month", with just me and my teenage DD in the house that means he's going to be like this almost constantly unless he gets the snip.

Having the full whack of needles is the only option around here. There have been cases of paro-virus etc so he needs to be fully up to date.

I can't bring myself to send him back to the previous owner even if she would take him, my daughter would be devastated (she's been asking for a dog for about 10 years!) and despite me discovering I appear to have a dog allergy, I don't think I could get rid of him.

Just a comment on the section in bold. My dog, adopted from a rescue at 12 weeks, behaved the same way. I had him done at 18 months when the rescue gave me a voucher for half price neutering.

I really wish I had not had him neutered. His behaviour since he was done is 10 times worse, he goes into absolute melt down when I am not near, and I've since discovered dogs with little confidence will often loose even more confidence after being neutered. I wish I had known before because I would have left him as he was. As long as a dog is owned by a responsible owner, there's no reason to neuter except for medical reasons.

Oh, and the time of the month bit is nonsense, I've been around male dogs all my life and never ever heard of or noticed such behaviour!

Just something to be away of re. neutering. Hope you can get something sorted.