Finally getting neutered. Opinions please!

Mignarda said:
Bottom line is that neutering is a convenience for people, not a boon to dogs.
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This is so true!! I don't want to be driving around the neighborhood at midnight, looking for my intact male that dug under a fence, or went over it.
Only to find him lying on the side of the road.

I don't want to argue with my neighbor because my male is barking constantly because they have an intact female.

I don't want to rush my bitch to the vet, for life saving measures, because some dog got into my yard and tagged her. She died, and I have thousands of dollars in vet bills to pay.

Yes, it is a convenience issue.
 
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Sorry everyone. It took me a while to read through all of those comments. I do agree that I won't simply make a decision like this without thinking about Asher on the individual level. When it comes to my dog, I take everything in account and don't favor one side until I'm sure it's best for him. I believe that's why I've waited so long.

My main concerns pertain to the point that 3Stars made. Asher does have a tendency to lick female dogs' private areas which is not acceptable. I know that it is a dog behavior, but I don't think it's tolerable at a dog park. The other is his fear of dogs. Asher likes a few small dogs now (which I'm ecstatic about) but is still very fearful of large dogs. He lashes out whenever he feels uncomfortable. I feel like the testosterone is playing a part in this since he tends to bark at other dogs with his tail up. I know that neutering wouldn't solve this. That's a training problem. But, perhaps it'll take hormones out of the equation and make it easier for him to let go of that tension(please tell me if I'm wrong).

What do you guys think about that? And thank you so much for all the comments. I know that this is a sensitive topic and I do not want to start something nasty. Everyone has their own opinions and experiences
 
Puppymills don't want neutered/spayed animals. That's enough of an incentive to me to make sure that the dogs I have sent out into the world were done at 6 months. We get a lot of dogs into rescue that were not done. If the previous owners had advertised these dogs "intact" they are more likely to be picked up by unscrupulous back yard breeders and mills.
Intact animals are more likely to look for a breeding partner. Dog parks are less safe when there are multiple intact animals in there. Not every owner is able to detect a "silent" heat in their bitches - truth told a lot of pet owners don't even realize what's going on when it's a normal heat. Take those bitches to the dog park, in season, and watch the fights that start.
I kept dogs intact for showing and breeding. Once they were retired they were neutered. No health issues here or from my clients were ever reported. The dogs stayed within size limits too.
Only wish it was easier and less expensive to do horses.
 
I was so pleased with the laser operation both of mine had. Never a problem, no cone, no licking, certainly was great.

I am not a breeder, would not want to be. I look at this as a liability also, not just for not wanting to breed. Lucky, if he went after a bitch in heat, I would have been financially liable for the female and pups. Sure was a peace of mind all the way around. Lil' Lady? Here are my pups, you feed them and clean them up.

Best wishes to you.
 
Here's another interesting resource which combines the results of a variety of studies and provides references if you wish to do further research. It focuses on mainly health issues, but it does make mention of behavioural issues as well.

http://www.caninesports.com/uploads/1/5/3/1/15319800/spay_neuter_considerations_2013.pdf

One of the posters commented that evidence can be skewed either way - that's true to some extent, but if you are a good researcher you can weed through the studies and get rid of the ones that are biased/don't have enough subjects/didn't follow through for a long enough period of time etc. There's simply no denying that neutering impacts dogs.

When I first got Starr I was certain I would neuter him at 18 months, because I care very much about overpopulation/backyard breeders etc. But I tend to have a scientist's nature, and I wanted to make sure I was doing what was best for my dog. After researching on a regular basis for over two months, I made the decision to leave him intact (with the breeder's permission).

I am very happy with my decision to not neuter him, but I also recognize I am far more responsible than the average dog owner. I am aware at all times he is intact, and I accommodate for that as necessary. It's also worth noting that I'm a dog trainer, and so when he shows behaviours I don't like, I work on them, whereas most pet owners tend to go straight to neutering. It should also be noted that Starr is a performance dog, because that had a significant bearing on my decision as well (for orthopedic reasons). I would, in the future, consider a vasectomy if I knew of a vet who offered it as an option.

Neutering has consequences, just as not neutering has consequences - it's a matter of choosing the path that is appropriate for you. Having an unneutered males means you will have to always be responsible for ensuring he doesn't breed, which means you can't allow him bolt out the door or run away from you. I've been lucky - I don't find having an unneutered male is that big of a deal (he doesn't escape from the yard, he doesn't roam, he can work and train with females with no problems, and he doesn't bark at females in heat), but it will differ from male to male, and a lot depends on you, how you train him, and how responsible you are (and be honest with yourself when it comes to that).

Neutering is a valid option - I just don't want you to go into it with unrealistic expectations of it solving your dogs' fear issues. I think you've gotten a good taste of a variety of points of view on this thread, and I think all posters have valid points - we've made our individual decisions based on different criteria, but we're all looking out for what we feel is best for our dogs.
 
I was a bit surprised to see increased aggression in male dogs as one consequence of neutering; I would have guessed it would be just the opposite. But on second thought, enunchs in ancient times were known for their aggressiveness and temper; you can even see (almost) firsthand accounts of this in Petronius's Satyricon (it's fiction, but one must assume that the author knew what he was depicting).

At any rate, it appears that research now is suggesting that neutering (like over-vaccination) comes with a lot of health risks, and I mean to try leaving my new pup intact and seeing how that works out.
 
Neutering should never be used for a "quickfix". I agree 100% with that statement. Because, when it comes down to it, that really doesn't happen. I've tried to work with Asher on his fearfulness towards other dogs throughout his development. And I'll continue to put my all into that. I'm proud of him for starting to losen up and trust me, but we aren't there yet. Neutering won't help this by any means. What alarms me though is that the article states, "Early age gonadectomy was associated with an increased incidence of noise phobias and undesirable sexual behaviors, such as mounting". Asher isn't all that young though, is he?
 
AusnAsh said:
Oh okay. That makes better sense then. I also found this article and found that the author argued against neutering for dogs who aren't exhibiting behavioral problems due to hormones but rather out of fearfulness. Asher seems like he lashes out when he's afraid because it's older dogs. But, I'll do more research.

http://www.dogstardaily.com/blogs/neutering-what’s-behaviour-got-do-it
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I was reading this article, and it looks like to me this is a guy in college doing a paper on his thoughts, his research. I might be all wet. I just know plenty of college students that have written papers for their class, and their work is on the internet.

One thing for sure, I certainly will say, I trust my vet and his years of experience, and our discussions, vs some of these articles. Not that the articles are bad, its just who are these people, how much training have they had, and are they college students writing an article for a grade with their thoughts?

There might be some great articles from students and their professors on the Purdue University site. They have one of the best vet colleges around. I donated my one setter there for research on cancer and the immune system to help dogs of all breeds.
 
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