"less responsible owners have been shown to largely not neuter dogs" ?????????? who has shown this ???????? the "studies" from the health department are statistics not studies ........ testosterone is a cause of aggression , isn't it ?????? to not recognize testosterone as a cause of aggression would be naïve at best ........science would tell you that early neutering will alleviate hormone caused aggression , where as late neutering will allow the hormone related behavior to become a habit ............everyone is entitled to an opinion , just some of them are wrong .........Sorry marke but your facts in the matter studies show are bias due to the fact, the large majority of your attacks are with dogs owner by less than adequate owners. Less responsible owners have also been shown to largely not neuter there dogs.
So one would lead to the other in statistics, and give a false conclusion.
Studies have shown early neutered males show a higher percentage of aggression.
Early neutering also traps the brain in a juvenile state. The sex hormones are partially responsible for brain maturation during puberty. Also juveniles in general are more likely to use aggressive force, adults typically will think of pros and cons of using force. So while testosterone is responsible for some aggressive behavior, immaturity is responsible for more.
I've never had a fight here between anything other that sexually mature dogs , prior to that their just arguments ........so you believe spayed and neutered dogs cannot learn as well as intact dogs ????of the millions of dog bites in the United States every year ,i'm pretty sure most , for whatever reason you like , are by sexually mature intact dogs and a very very minute portion are by puppies ...... and i'd have to believe most bites by puppies are accidental as a result of play , not aggression .......... this is honestly the first time I've ever heard of neutering being the cause of behavioral problems ....... I think the majority of surrendered dogs are surrendered for behavioral problems around the onset of puberty ???? [video=youtube;7yYI0SzX-o8]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7yYI0SzX-o8[/video]Early neutering also traps the brain in a juvenile state. The sex hormones are partially responsible for brain maturation during puberty. Also juveniles in general are more likely to use aggressive force, adults typically will think of pros and cons of using force. So while testosterone is responsible for some aggressive behavior, immaturity is responsible for more.
I've never had a fight here between anything other that sexually mature dogs , prior to that their just arguments ........so you believe spayed and neutered dogs cannot learn as well as intact dogs ????of the millions of dog bites in the United States every year ,i'm pretty sure most , for whatever reason you like , are by sexually mature intact dogs and a very very minute portion are by puppies ...... and i'd have to believe most bites by puppies are accidental as a result of play , not aggression .......... this is honestly the first time I've ever heard of neutering being the cause of behavioral problems ....... I think the majority of surrendered dogs are surrendered for behavioral problems around the onset of puberty ???? [video=youtube;7yYI0SzX-o8]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7yYI0SzX-o8[/video]
I would wait until the dog was pretty much full grown , as it will affect how the dog looks , and their behavior , if you neuter them too young .........we'll just have to agree to disagree .........
early neutering leaves you with a less aggressive dog , the dog will be easier to train through puberty , it will have more self control as has been proven with castrated bulls and horses for centuries ...... if you have a vet who does not have the best interest of your dogs as a priority , you need a new one ........... i'm pretty sure I need my vets more than they need me ...... if a person were to go to a hospital with chest pains , and the doctor told them i'd like to do a stress test but it cost $5000 , the person would be appalled that the doctor was worried about the cost , even if the test came back normal ...... the same person takes his dog to the vet , the vet wants an x-ray and blood workup , about $400-500 , the person is appalled again thinking the vet is just after his money .......... I just had a pup diagnosed with a grade 3-4 heart murmur , I took him to a heart guy ,asked to do an echo to see what it was , vet told me it sounded like sas , save my money , bring him back at a year unless he shows symptoms ....those are the vets I have known my entire life , I've seen some make some stupid mistakes , who doesn't ?????With this statement you just agreed with what I was saying. I never said that a neutered dog was going to be more aggressive than an intact dog. I said an EARLY neutered dog was more likely to have impulse control problems likely leading them to be more aggressive. If they are neutered after the brain has matured then yes I could see testosterone fueled aggression being a bigger cause. The problem in North America is that pet owners are told that to be responsible owners they need to sterilize their dogs before they are 6 months old (many are done even younger). Since most people believe that vet's always want what's best for their dog they don't question it, so a large portion of the canine pet population still have an immature brain.
personally I can't believe a study is needed to see sexually mature intact male dogs are the most aggressive type of dog ......and removing sex hormones lessens aggression , and sex related behavior problems ....... kinda like needing a psychologist to determine if Jeffery damer was nuts or not .........some things are just obvious.........I haven't seen anything that makes torn cruciates and higher cancer rates obvious to me ..........Doubt brain maturity has anything to do with hormones.
Let's just all stop pretending we know who's right and who's wrong.
Every study has a biased beginning and neither is 100% accurate.
Fix your dog if you want to and don't if you don't want to!
The general conclusion is to wait longer if it's a large breed!
There is alot of great info on here. Maybe search here for another thread. I have read some of the other threads on neutering from amazing knoledgable long time mastiff owners.Hi, I just thought I would comment on some of the threads above. I don't understand why we are talking about horses. It's like comparing apples to oranges. Horses are prey animals and dogs are predators. They must be trained and handled much differently. Also if you don't think that testosterone has any effect on the male brain, you haven't been around enough intact dogs. I have never had to alter any of my males (newfys) but I have never had a mastiff before. Although I hadn't planned on altering him, I thought I would ask for the reasons that some of the people on this forum had for neutering. I wanted to learn. And I have, lots of things to think about. Thankyou.
Comparatively, the study out of the University of Georgia, also published in PLOS ONE, looked at a sample of more than 40,000 canine death records to determine the effect sterilization may have on both lifespan and cause of death, while controlling for the effects of age. The results showed that while sterilization increased the lifespan of dogs, it also increased the risk of death from cancer or autoimmune diseases. However, researchers recognized that a direct link between sterilization and the study outcomes could not be made, as a number of unknown factors, including the age at which the animal was sterilized, potentially added bias to the results.
Neuter or not?
Given the results of these studies, some veterinarians are wondering if they should alter their message promoting spaying and neutering of dogs and cats. Karen Overall, VMD, PhD, DACVB, a well-known author and speaker on behavioral medicine, was immediately concerned upon seeing the results of the UC Davis study. "Now everybody is going to stop neutering their dogs," she thought.
But after reviewing the study results and consulting with colleagues about it, Overall isn't wavering in recommending spaying and neutering to pet owners. She will, however, continue to emphasize the importance of treating each pet as an individual case.
"If an animal is going to go out and get into fights because it's intact, that case requires intervention. That animal is going to roam and fight and get hit by a car. We've done that animal no favors by not neutering it," she says. "On the other hand, if that animal doesn't display any of those behaviors, then we should go through the relative risks and medical concerns of not neutering with the owner."