Neutering pros and cons

[Oscar'sMom]

So I know there is a lot of info out there and on this forum about neutering. I'm very much on the side of not neutering. We do not have plans of adding another dog in the near future and are not around other intact dogs often (or other dogs at all for that matter). My boyfriend has mentioned wanting to neuter as Oscar has had some behavior issues in recent months and he thinks thy would help address those. We have been working with a trainer and Oscar has responded incredibly well!


So my question is what are everyone's thoughts on neutering vs not? Oscar is a 2 year old EM. Per our puppy contract, we could not neuter until 2 and then it's up to us. We cannot breed (and that isn't something we ever would do). Our breeder just wants to make sure we have a happy healthy dog!

 

[Smokeycat]

I'm not against neutering and haven't ruled out ever neutering Kryten (4y) but at this point I see no reason why to put him through another surgery. The only sexual behavior he has is the desire to mark everything and that is now an ingrained behavior so loss of hormones likely would have no affect. Should I decide to get a female puppy while I still have him I likely will neuter him as I want there to be no chance of an accidental litter and him passing on his elbow dysplasia, but otherwise it would have to medically necessary now.

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[irina]

Ajax is 3, no plans to neuter any time soon. The most annoying thing about him being intact is discharge from his penis that drips on the floor. I thought it was some sort of infection, but the vet said it is common with intact males. I don't think there will be a drastic improvement in Oscar's behavior after neutering. For me it's not worth it.

 

[lexinrose]

I just neuterrd both of my dogs. My males a pit mix that had the same sperm problems he'd drip all over my hardwood floors was disgusting and would cause stain marks. Since he's been fixed I haven't had that problem. I have a cc I fixed her to after going bCk and forth with it. Letting her have her first heat was not an option in this household. She's 7 months 70 lbs and it is what it is. Before both dogs were fixed the boy would sniff my girls hoohoo and his head would start twitching like her snatch was the golden drug so Far I don't have any regrets and I'm glad it's over. It was a topic on my mind everyday do it don't do it. So to each his own.

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[BAMCB]

We had decided to wait and see if we wanted to neuter Sonny after he turned a year but he started in with his teenage hormone behaviors and marked twice in my house(we rent). We then decided to neuter at 8 months. Looking back I wish I had waited. I feel like we jumped the gun without giving him/us some time to work on his behavior and instead opting for an "easy" fix. It did not work, he still drives us nuts LOL

 

[Wilsy]

Our male DDB Wilson is now over 2 years old. He is intact and we intend to keep him intact. I'm not against neutering but Wilson doesn't have any health problems, behavior or aggression issues and we don't have or intend to have a female dog in the house so I just don't see the need to do it. If this situation changed in some way then it would be considered along with other options. The only thing I've observed and this may just be specific to our dog is that Wilson does get a lot of other male intact dogs having a go at him. I spoke to our dog trainer about it and she said she believed that intact males are more prone to being attacked by other intact males but it could also be a combination of other dogs feeling threatened by Wilson's size or maybe they just don't like his squishy face.

 

[glen]

All our 3 males will stay intact unless something medical crops up..our 3 which are ages 3 1/2, 21 months, and 14 months get along fine, no bad behaviours, no aggression to each other.. I'm not a believer that neutering helps with behaviours or aggression,budcuss as had intact and neutered dogs not liking him he's had to stand his ground twice but this was owner fault not being able to control there dogs, there's something about budcuss some dogs that don't like him don't want to attack the other 2 there all intact so its just him, wecontrol him and as the saying goes he never starts anything but if need be he would finish it..I'm proud of my gentle boys balls and all lol to sum it up I think its your choice, and you will do what's right for your boy and yourself..

 

[Oscar'sMom]

Thanks for all the responses! For those that have neutered do you all see a behavior change post neutering?

 

[marke]

Thanks for all the responses! For those that have neutered do you all see a behavior change post neutering?

i think the only behavior change you will see from neutering an older dog would be when they're around bitches in season ........... as far as oscar , he's still young , i think they all mellow out to some degree with age regardless of neutered or not .........

 

[Hiraeth]

I am not planning on neutering Titan. I see no reason to, as I don't have intact females nor do I leave him outside unsupervised, so he would never be able to produce unwanted puppies. I've worked quickly to redirect any mounting and marking behaviors and don't have any issues with him at 11 months old.

That being said, I have neutered other giant breeds in the past in an uneducated attempt to alter behavior. Needless to say, it did not work. Loki marked and mounted excessively both before and after his neuter at 7 months old. He also became more dog aggressive after he was neutered, but that could entirely just be a maturity thing and not be hormone-related. Atlas marked obsessively and was still a horrendous resource guarder after his neuter at 1.5 years old.

People like quick fixes. If a puppy nips, cause it discomfort to stop it from nipping. If a puppy barks, squirt it in the face with water to stop it from barking. And if a dog mounts once or twice, remove its testicles to stop it from mounting. All three of those training methods *can* work and have worked for some people. However, the risk of fallout in all three situations is much higher than simply putting an appropriate training plan in place that relies on redirection and reinforcement, in my opinion.

Also, keep in mind that neutering *at any age* increases cancer risks (outside of testicular cancer, of course). The most drastic increase in risk is when the neuter is done pre-12 months, but there is an increase in cancer occurrence in all altered dogs, regardless of age of alter (shown by the all breed, Rottweiler and Viszla surveys). Also, neutering increases the risk of obesity, as many people don't realize that they should cut back calories post-neuter because the removal of testosterone from the system decreases muscle building and metabolic activities. So if you do decide to neuter, make sure to take a cup or a cup and a half off of whatever he's currently consuming!

Overall, I'm actually pro-neuter (at the appropriate age) for a vast majority of dog owners. I think most people aren't vigilant enough or responsible enough to prevent unwanted litters. However, I think you're perfectly capable of doing that, so that's when the advice becomes much more nuanced and it comes down to a personal choice and preference on your part.

 

[Jakesmum]

I did have Jake neutered at 18 months old. It was a part of our contract with the breeder that we had to neuter him. I didn't notice any change in his personality or behavior with him being neutered. He was always a laid back puppy and had his moments where he would "forget" his training and we would have to remind him. That didn't change with neutering and even now at almost 5 years old he still "forgets" and needs to be reminded. The only thing that did change was his tendency to hump his toys, bed and the cat (even though he'll still do that once in a while to assert his dominance now). The dripping that has been mentioned before also stopped with him being neutered.

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[BAMCB]

The only difference we noticed was the marking behavior stopped. We ended up hiring a trainer to help figure him out. It turned out his obnoxious behaviors were from anxiety, not lack of training. Once I was able to learn and understand him, everything changed, it had nothing to do with his hormones. Hindsight, I would not make the same decision if given the same scenario. I just didn't have the understanding a trainer did. I think you are doing the right thing. If the trainer is truly not biased to neutering ALL pets, then I think they can help make the call whether your issues are due to behavior or hormones.

 

[Nik]

I have never seen a personality or behavior change post neuter for a dog. With Diesel we decided to neuter mostly because some of the training and activities we are interested in had rules against having unfixed dogs participate or attend. The other reason is because we plan on adding another dog to the family in the next year or so and the husband is strongly lobbying for a female dog. I tend to prefer male pets since they have (in my experience) always been more affectionate and less moody. That said I have had a couple of amazing female pets in my life. There are always exceptions. But, for some reason I have just always experienced a much higher level of affection, snuggliness and less moodiness and "bitchyness" in male dogs (and cats too actually). We could easily keep intact male and female dogs separated during her heat. But, I don't really want to put anyone in our house through that sort of stress. And regardless we do want the opportunity to participate in all the training and activities available to us in our area. Even so it wasn't an easy decision and we went back and forth on it quite a bit.

 

[Smokeycat]

Thanks for all the responses! For those that have neutered do you all see a behavior change post neutering?

Unfortunately not. I say that because I had Jiggers neutered at 5.5 months (I had bought into the hype that he would become aggressive if he wasn't neutered by 6 months old). Almost all of his innate behaviors are the same as when he was 5.5 months old. So despite being 5 years old he still acts like he is 5 months. Training has worked wonders to teach him things like self control and discipline but he does need reminders because it isn't natural for him.
So between the problems created by a early neuter and the lack of issues in an intact dog my opinion on the necessity of sterilization of males has gone a 180 and if I choose to castrate a dog it will be after puberty so that the puppy brain goes away.

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[Oscar'sMom]

Oscar is 24 months and I was definitely waiting until he was old enough before neutering. I don't really see the necessity unless it would positively effect his behaviors or something like that. We work with a trainer and for the most part he does really well! He marks the bushes in our backyard but does not mark on walks or outside of our backyard. Next question...is there any disadvantage to waiting...say in a few years if we would get another dog? Would having two intact males present issues? We've talked about adding another pup but it would probably be a few years before that was a possibility and it would likely be another male EM

 

[Hiraeth]

I think it depends on individual personalities, at that point. SSA isn't really a thing in EM lines, as far as I've ever heard. I don't think there are any repercussions to waiting.

 

[Hiraeth]

Oh, sounds weird, but you get used to it - just make sure you examine his testicles every once in a while for odd lumps. The risk of testicular cancer is obviously there when they retain their testicles, so it's good to know what their proper shape is and to check for irregularities. Testicular cancer is super treatable if caught early, so best to be on the lookout for it!

 

[7121548]

Overall, I'm actually pro-neuter (at the appropriate age) for a vast majority of dog owners. I think most people aren't vigilant enough or responsible enough to prevent unwanted litters. However, I think you're perfectly capable of doing that, so that's when the advice becomes much more nuanced and it comes down to a personal choice and preference on your part.

Agree 100%. In California, dogs are required to be neutered or spayed so we don't even have a choice. In Los Angeles, they are required to be neutered or spayed by 4 months of age, which is maybe too young for a lot of dogs, but that's how serious they are about trying to curb the homeless pet population.

 

[season]

No neutering for Solo. It's our job as owners to control and create behaviors we want and expect from our dogs. Neutering won't do that for us.


Carpe Diem

 

[Oscar'sMom]

No neutering for Solo. It's our job as owners to control and create behaviors we want and expect from our dogs. Neutering won't do that for us. Carpe Diem

Which is what I've been doing...just gathering information.