To neuter or not to neuter?

[labgirl]

I was advised to neuter Cadbury at a year to improve his behaviour, but it didn't

Merlin is entire and will remain that way unless he has a health problem. I did have him chemically castrated while Sparrow was in season, but I found he suffered a lot of negative effects.

Personally, I now feel that I would keep any male dog I had entire unless there was a problem either in their health or roaming after bitches.

Bitches are another matter. Keeping a bitch away from male dogs when she is in season is very difficult in the urban environment I live in. So I have decided to have my cocker spaniel bitch spayed. She will be 14 months and has had a season.

At the end of the day this is a personal choice for you to make. But don't expect huge behavioural changes. Cadbury is now 7 and still marks every tree in the park and occasionally my grandad's sofa

 

[BarbV]

I neutered Callan at about 12 months. Best thing I ever did. He is now 14 months old, and no longer marking, humping, etc. But is agile as ever. As playful, as ever. Do it!!!!

 

[Simba13]

Thank you all for the reply's! I feel better in my decision to get him neutered now. I was afraid getting him done might change his behavior and he has such a beautiful temperament that I wouldn't want that to change. There isn't a bad bone in his body. I do hope that it might cut down on him from wondering off after other dogs in the park or on the beach. He always follows them and then tries to hump them. I hope he might stop peeing on my leg at agility class too haha

 

[Mignarda]

At the end of the day this is a personal choice for you to make. But don't expect huge behavioural changes. Cadbury is now 7 and still marks every tree in the park and occasionally my grandad's sofa

I get the impression that many people look upon neutering as a substitute for training and discipline.

 

[Simba13]

I get the impression that many people look upon neutering as a substitute for training and discipline.

I certainly don't think of it as that. My concern was his behavior/attitude and all of our hard work over the past 11 months might change. I take pride in the training that both myself and Simba have put in to get him to where he is now, competing in obedience, training for agility and currently in the process of getting his CGC

Do you think that he might feel less of an urge to hump anything that moves after he is neutered? When he wanders of after dogs about 80% of the time its because he wants to hump them. The other 20% is usually because he has been playing with them and wants to keep playing

 

[Mom2Melli]

I researched this issue totally to death. I did not want to neuter Cubs based on the "mantra" of "thou shalt spay & neuter".

In my research, spaying females is way more healthy than leaving them whole. The incidence of mammary tumors and pyometria are both around 25% plus all the inconvenience. Apparently, the best overall option is to allow one heat and then spay a couple months after. Allows for all the best mental and physical development and keeping risk low.

In my research, yes, keeping males whole is quite healthy for them. The risk of testicular cancer is low and usually if you inspect you will find a tumor and neuter before malignancy. It is not a dramatic effect on prostatitis. It may or may not change things like humping, lifting, marking, aggression, etc. etc. Doing it between 1-2 years is the very best. In fact, the ultimate best is 16 months to 2 years based on benefit versus risk.

However, in my personal experience, Cubs was absolutely a doll baby til 10 months. Then he started humping Melli & the cat constantly. OK, well, we can call him off and eventually his hormone surge would even out and it probably would stop. No marking or lifting at home. However, I watched my boy become progressively more frenzied. I live on a ridge top with breeze coming and going from both directions (bellows effect) in an area where no one spays/neuters PLUS coyotes are in season. He had this restlessness and was starting to distance himself from me. We went to scent class and he was more interested in the carpet than class. Apparently, in the class held before us, there was a bitch in heat (the owner of the dog school no less!). Cubs was utterly brain dead, unfocused, feisty, wouldn't stay still between searches, and couldn't find the scent even when I pointed it out to him. Then, he smelled something on the carpet and peed on it. OMG. After 20 weeks in that building, since he was 5 months and mere days, he peed on their rug! That was it, neuter. We had a couple weeks off school. Now he is back and focused again. His personality is much more cuddly and loving. He stopped humping Melli & the cat. And, everyone who sees him says his energy (not activity, but aura, energy, vibe) seems so much more calm and settled. He lost that frenzy. It is then that I realized how unfair I was to trap this dog in my house where he could smell different girls and coyotes on the morning and evening breeze and DO NOTHING.

I neutered him and I am glad. I didn't do it because it is PC. I didn't do it for fear of the remote chance of a health concern. I didn't even do it because Melli & the cat submitted a petition due to the humping. I did it because I didn't trust working or even actually like the dog he had become. Now, he is my cuddle-bug and bestest heart dog and we are going back to obedience and I am taking him on social shopping trips in pet friendly stores again. NOW I have the dog I wanted and will enjoy for his life.

I really really really really tried the whole thing and it was not right for us.

 

[labgirl]

Depending on why he humps other dogs neutering may have no effect. For instance, if it is purely a sexual desire, that may be reduced by neutering. However, if it is to do with play or trying to dominant other dogs (perhaps better described as bullying), neutering will probably not change that.

My friend's dog was neutered at six months and is now 7, yet he always tries to hump Cadbury and other male dogs he sees. Yet that is clearly not based on hormones.