kgerard

"Never argue with an idiot, lest the world will have difficulty discerning the difference."

No typical Siberian weighs 20-25lbs at only three months. It's more like 14-18lbs. This woman at the rescue is grossly misinformed in reference to Siberians. In terms of diet, Diamond is at the low end of the mass-market quality and protein scale. I'd recommend puppy formulas of Orijen (http://www.orijen.ca) or Evo over anything else out there.

Welsh is such a unique language (actively spoken today), and it's compelling that this forum has such a large constituency of U.K. Siberian ownership.

Hi, Jay - Given that you reside in Wales, you certainly retain empirical knowledge of the Welsh language. :-) Residing in America myself, I've understood "lloyd / llwyd" referring to both the colors of gray and brown. From Wikipedia at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lloyd_(name): "By the time the adjective llwyd became a fixed epithet and then a family name, llwyd had more or less lost its original meaning of ‘grey’.[1] J.T. Morgan notes “… in general it is likely the adjective llwyd referred to some sort of brown hair when associated with a personal name."

Lloyd = Welsh for "brown". ("llwyd" in Welsh). Which is rather fitting/ironic, because Lloyd is dilute reddish-brown. ;-) "penllwyd in Welsh means (brown-headed)"

At nearly a year-and-a half old, my little guy (Lloyd) is only 43lbs. The "Breed Standard" weight of a Siberian can vary considerably. My prior female was a lean 74lbs (well into her 13 years). 'Just wondering what others are out there. Cheers, - Keith

Heh... Very true. I've had several women in my life threaten to "cut my balls off" for considerably more critical infractions.

No issues with any Sibe females being spayed. Some say that it induces weight gain, but I haven't seen it over the course of two Siberians in my lifetime, but it has affected three Australian shepherds later in life. Regardless, spaying greatly diminishes the high risk of cervical cancer in females at an early age, and is subsequently well worth it.

I posted this topic about a year ago when Lloyd was a pup. He's now 14 months old, and it's likely time to consider the benefits of neutering. (I previously had two other Sibes whom were female, where spaying is a no-brainer). Lloyd hasn't been at all aggressive nor humping anything (animal or otherwise), yet his frequent urination has become an issue. He has a proclivity towards urinating on entertainment centers in particular. At first I presumed he just didn't appreciate the programming and was providing his critical input. Yet it's now migrated to the corner of a particular bedspread. Both are obviously unacceptable. Note that at over a year he is potty trained; his indoor urination occurs when he is left alone in the house - perhaps the result of separation anxiety. My question is: Has anyone ever encountered adverse consequences from neutering their Sibe? All the best, - Keith and Lloyd

Nope - not confusing the Boston Terrier breed. I stand corrected - the Boston is indeed considered a Sporting (versus Terrier) breed by the AKC. (Actually. it was originally bred for *fighting* in the mid-1800s -- then bred down as a domestic companion). Many Bostons, in our experience around Chicago, *DO* exceed a breed standard of 25 lbs in weight. And yes -- their jaws are considerable. And yes, they can be exceedingly agressive and obnoxious. "American Gentleman" (despite their tuxedo appearence) is frequently a misnomer. Blaming the owner and not the breed is entirely on point. However, many Bostons in our (and many others') experience have become exceedingly territorial of their space and behave quite agressively in the presence of other dogs. It's an unfortunate stereotype; perhaps the puppy mill popularity of the breed contributes to its increasingly neurotic behavior.

Well, adult Boston Terriers more closely resemble small bulldogs. Males commonly exceed 35lbs of obnoxiousness, and their bull-terrier-like jaws can certainly do damage to a standard Siberian. Not to dwell on Bostons, but they've exclusively presented the most troublesome public aggression issue in our experience lately.

Keith and "City Boy" Lloyd (at 8 weeks), and present (at 5 months)

Yeah - I neglected to state that weight gain was among my concerns. Lloyd's Siberian breeder has stated that their neutered males tend to get overly paunchy after a while. Incidentally, at 5 months, Lloyd doesn't lift his leg (yet). 'Not sure he's figured that part out. At what age does a male Sibe typically inspire his "leg-lifts"?

Many thanks for the shcgc.com referral! We'll definitely be involved. We live in Downtown Chicago. Lloyd is very much an "urban" Siberian. We live on the 48th floor of a corner high-rise unit in the center of the city. Lloyd is exceedingly cute - gazing out the window for 15 minutes (or more) at the industrial traffic and crowds of people below (photos attached). I'm fortunate enough to work from home these days, so we're constant companions. We walk and exercise daily. Raising a city-boy Siberian can indeed be done. ;-) He frequently surprisies our doorman (and my Visa check card) with spontaneous delivery orders from the pet store down the street. (Never grant a Siberian Husky a free feature phone and accessibility to Sprint's unlimited plan.)

Has anyone else experienced extreme manic aggression from encounters with Boston Terriers? Additionally,their owners are seemingly oblivious to the growling, gassy, tongue-flicking, and combative nature that seems to typify their temperament. (I've heard much of it is ultimately due to the excessive puppy mill inbreeding due to the breed's popularity). Sibes are a notoriously well-adjusted, social breed, and seldom (if ever) exhibit social apprehension or aggression .... Yet the most challenging issues Lloyd and I encounter always involve obnoxious Bostons (far worse than other breed of Terrier).