Not to want to castrate my new dog?

[Nataleejah]

He's 7yo, very well behaved, never agressive, very obedient. Previous owner did not neuter him, so why should i? Even though people in the park tell me off...

tbf my neutured dog came with no balls as he was a rescue i think they do it as part of rehoming

They certainly do at the Dogs' Trust, mrsjay.

All my dogs have been spayed/neutered not because of any of the pros and cons health wise but because I did not want to be responsible for any pups. The only way I could guarantee that neither sex could reproduce was to take away their ability to breed.

yes he is a dogs trust dog , he also had testicles problems as a puppy apparently

If you / previous owner didn't feel the need to have it done there's no reason to subject your dog to a procedure and GA that isn't necessary because of some people in a park.

Depends whether the people in the park are commenting on a dog they notice is intact who is completely under his owner's control or an intact dog whose behaviour is not being managed.

I sympathise actually OP.

My dog was neutered later in life, and only because he was fairly aggressive to other intact dogs. Tbh, it's touch and go whether is its made any difference to his behaviour or not. Maybe a bit.

He was absolutely not interested in bitches when he was intact. He absolute was not interested in shagging legs, small children, furniture or anything else. He had absolutely no interest in wandering at all. He was incredibly gentle with all humans big and small.

If we got another male puppy, we would probably neuter him as a matter of course. If we got an other older intact male dog, unless his intactness was an issue, we wouldn't necessarily castrate.

My parents had neither of their dogs neutered , neither displayed any unwanted behaviours , one of the dogs was responsible for one planned litter of pups .They both lived to be 16 , which i think was entirely down to the amount of exercise they both got , as they were a breed that is renowned for getting fat !

when we first got our dog he used to shag legs I think it is a behaviour rather than sexual he doesnt do it now though

SDTG

You can't generalise everyone who doesn't neuter like that. As I mentioned there are various reasons for not doing it and there are also false reasons given as 'pros' for neutering, esp at an early age e.g

There are labradoodle breeders neutering puppies at 6 weeks old to maintain a monopoly on the 'breed' (I use that loosely as they're expensive mongrels). They'll say it's to reduce prostate cancer risks but that's not actually testosterone dependant so it's not a benefit.

I had my two pet bitches spayed before they ever went into season as it virtually eliminates the risk of mammary cancer for them.

My dog is intact because he is shown and may possibly be bred from at a later date that doesn't mean he's off mounting every bitch on the street.

There will always be people who are irresponsible and let their dogs roam the streets, backyard breeders, people who don't neuter because they don't care either way but I think it's unfair to go on a guilt angle at people who have made informed choices and don't want to subject their pet to a surgery that's of no benefit to their pet.

Depends whether the people in the park are commenting on a dog they notice is intact who is completely under his owner's control or an intact dog whose behaviour is not being managed

My first thought too. I doubt anyone would have commented if the dog was behaving itself.

My dog is neutered , as a rescue that is how he arrived , but i would have had him neutered anyway , because my dog training skills nowhere near match those of my parents . You could have walked a bitch in heat past them and my parents dog's would have still sat patiently next to my father .

My vet said that for male dogs, the risks and benefits of neutering were pretty much evenly balanced with no clear cut "Right". Unlike with females where it is highly recommended. Or cats of either gender where it is a no brainer.

A lab-collie cross is not a 'natural' indoor dog, what's wrong with him?

I have 2 male dogs, 1 neutered, 1 entire, unless you examined their undercarriages you wouldn't be unable to tell by behaviour alone which was which.

OP if you are getting comments in the park there has to be a reason why, and that's what you need to address.

Have to say that all the puppies on Facebook selling sites /gumtree etc seem to have been planned , which makes me want to go and egg the houses of every single person who breeds from their SBT .

My experience of looking for a rescue pup last year was that the vast majority of rescue places are full of teenage dogs that owners have failed to train and/or socialise properly and elderly dogs that have been cast off when families can't be bothered with them any more.

As LtEveDallas said upthread, there was only one litter of pups in their rescue out of 27 dogs in total.

Back yard breeders and puppy farm are responsible for the majority of dogs that end up in rescue. Dogs are overbred and sold to anyone who wants one, regardless of whether they are suitable for the breed - or even to own a dog in the first place. Yes, unplanned litters do happen, of course they do, but they are by no means the largest part of the UK's massive shortage of rescue spaces.

Fwiw, if my unneutered male ever did manage to get to bitch in season, I would support the bitch's owner in whatever they wanted to do, be that terminate or go ahead with the litter and find the pups good homes - and of course I would share the cost whatever their decision.

Unplanned litters, for the most part tend to be from dogs and bitches kept in the same household or dogs that are allowed to roam free. They are generally the result of irresponsible pet ownership. People who have done a great deal of research, spoken to their vet and made an informed decision not to neuter do not fall into that category. They are far more likely to spend time training their dogs to a high standard and ensure that they are kept under control at all times than people who simply can't be bothered or won't neuter because it's depriving a dog of it's maleness or similar nonsense.

That isn't to say that it couldn't happen, obviously there are people on here who have had experiences of males going to great length to get to bitches, but I have had and been involved with dogs for 25 years and it has never happened to anyone I know personally, so, at least in my area, it can't be all that common.

Testicles are not beautiful. I'm confused.

But moosemana, where do all the teenage dogs in rescue come from? They're those unplanned puppies, rehomed free on Gumtree to clueless fuckwits, and grown up a bit.

You want him to "be a dog, a natural dog"... who is also an indoor dog?

My dog is neutered and is a healthy weight with a healthy coat because he is well cared for, exercised sufficiently and not overfed. I don't feel losing his balls detracts from how beauty I can also be secure in the knowledge that no unwanted dogs which will end up in shelters will result.

I think you are on the wrong thread. I asked in the dog thread about this and had two replies saying if it aint broke, don't fix it. My dog is 5 and very well behaved in all the relevant areas, despite being a retired stud dog. The cancer thing is not statistically a good enough reason to take balls off, according to latest research, they said.

We inherited a 7yo lab, not castrated. Vet advised us not to castrate...risk of anaesthetic, and unlikely to change his behaviour...he was a leg-shagger. Lived a very happy and uneventful life until he passed on at 13 (eventually his hips went so the leg-shagging stopped).
We then got a 13mo weim, hadn't been done. He was done at 18 months. Ordinarily, I think dogs should be castrated, but I think at 7 the risks might outweigh the benefits.

We have never castrated male dogs and neither has anyone I know I real life.

IMO the onus is on the owners of female animals. My female cat is speyed and if I had a tom he would be too, but dogs are different.

If you train and socialise a male dog property and if you're responsible in the way you treat him, owning an entire dog is no issue at all.

Immoral my arse

Mumsnet dog posts do make me laugh.

This is a simple issue. If the dog has no health issues, presents no problems to others and the OP is ABSOLUTELY confident that her intact male has no uncontrolled access to females, then it is her choice. But interestingly the OP still has not reassured all posters on the subject of adverse comments from the park dog-walkers, so we are all left speculating. In the meantime, the OP has remained resolute in her opinion. Her right if she is a responsible dog owner with full control of her dog.

Neutering late in life often does cause coat problems.

I had my rottie castrated later in life it ruined his coat. I never had any issues with him fathering pups, wanted or otherwise. He was never aggressive, fine with other dogs.

rottie #2 rescue from battersea - neutered at approx 18m. No coat problems. No weight issues - food aggressive problem dog but obv not down to castrate.

JRT1 not castrated, had from pup, lovely affectionate dog but absolutely no recall and evil with other dogs.

JRT2 rescue -castrated at 6m. Sweetest dog I have ever owned. Although can curl a lip if we move on yhe sofa and disturb him.

Never really consider pups issue as our dogs never stray. Would I recommend castration baded on my own experience and professionslly - ex vet nurse. Yes I would but a sevrn year old dog? Not unless there were medical reasons.