To ask if I get my dog neutered?

[northeastwest]

I have a lovely cocker spaniel puppy.
He’s fitted in perfectly into our family, he has his mental moments.. but generally is amazing especially with the kids ( 4 and 1), he’s sociable, great off the lead.
He’s now 6 months and I was under the impression it was the norm to get non breeding dogs done, obviously we have absolutely no intention of breeding him.
But from meeting other dog owners on our adventures I’ve seen probably more dogs who are in tact, when asking the owners they explained that they had no issues with their dog etc so didn’t choose to get them done.

I spoke to the breeder when we got him and she said to get him done
So now I’m confused
Obviously I want the best for my dog, people I spoke to tended to relate getting their dog done to dominance and aggression issues so said because they hadn’t encountered these they havnt had them done?
Just looking for some advice really !

Ps it doesn't stop scent marking or roaming, mine still thinks garden fences are for climbing over to go exploring (luckily neighbours don't mind!)

Its worth saying that around the park theres a couple of un neutered males and their owners claim lots of the neutered dogs have an issue with them. However the dont seem to realise how dominating their dogs are with others eg staring out dogs etc

Absolutely get him done. My next door neighbours didn't velieve in neutering dogs... their hisky jumped our 5ft fence and impregnated my great pyr who was only just having her 1st heat... she was still under recommended age for her spay op. She ended up having 11 puppies and it cost a fortune and I didn't sleep for about 3 weeks with all the rotsting feeds and endless poop and bath duty. Then having to get vaccines and worming and find safe homes for them all. As soon as she was a healthy weight she was spayed and the puppy we kept got neutered. Even though he was neutered at 6 months he still tries to dominance hump her.

I once read that most guys want to keep their dog intact because they think it is cruel for an animal to never get laid. But much worse to let them do it just once... imagine only havong sex once in your life? It helped male owners when they were told it that way and they would fix their dogs.

Don’t neuter unless you have to. Humping=training issue. If he’s not a problem, why do it? My two were intact, perfectly well-behaved, never chased bitches, no humping. Early neutering can lead to cruciate issues later in life.

Please do research before doing this: the pros and cons of neutering/not neutering are fairly equivalent. Ultimately, your dog and your situation are unique, but I see no reason to neuter a well behaved non humping dog.

She ended up having 11 puppies and it cost a fortune and I didn't sleep for about 3 weeks with all the rotsting feeds and endless poop and bath duty. Then having to get vaccines and worming and find safe homes for them all. As soon as she was a healthy weight she was spayed and the puppy we kept got neutered. Even though he was neutered at 6 months he still tries to dominance hump her.

You know there’s a morning after injection for dogs? I would have had her straight down to the vet given the unexpected mating/age of dog.

You can also chemically castrate a dog, although one type can lead to a higher risk of testicular cancer later in life. Your vet can advise you there.

At 18 months to 2 years for most breeds (bit earlier for smalls, add another year for giants)...

Those hormones are required for proper growth plate closure and bone density, and removing them pre-pubertally does increase the risks of certain cancers.

Most adolescent male dogs are total nobheads, because their testosterone levels rise dramatically to FAR higher than that of the eventual adult dog... they go down again on their own though.

Neuter to prevent reproduction, and injury/disease to the parts removed.

Don't neuter for any other reason though, as there are absolutely no guarantees it will help, and some evidence it can make matters worse.

Just in case you didn’t know (and were considering neutering your male dog) there is an implant. It’s temporary but could give you an idea of if/how it may affect your dog.
@flyingspaghettimonster you had a female in season. It’s up to you to keep her safe.

My lab is four and is still entire and has never been a problem. He’s been a dream to train, is well behaved and has never gone after a bitch. He doesn’t hump or pee everywhere or behave aggressively to other dogs. He has a beautiful temperament. I don’t want to mess with that and risk spoiling him.

My old working cocker on the other hand was a different story. Was left entire and was beautifully behaved until I fell pregnant for the first time. His personality completely changed. He would disobey me and growl at me. The first thing my trainer said was ‘is he neutered?’ He was apparently reacting to my hormones. We had him done and thankfully he went back to his lovely old self, although we always struggled with his weight after that, and he’d been such a lean little thing. Don’t really know exactly what happened with him but the neutering worked in his favour.

I’m not really much help am I? I have an anecdote from both sides!

I have a neutered female who still scent marks like crazy (not in the house) and actually humps other dogs. I do wonder if she’s not all there sometimes.

The drippy dick thing made me gaggy

I have an eight months old puppy. I found the decision to have the op hard. I spoke to a lot of people who all gave me different views.
I took him to the vet and had a chat about it. The vet checked him over to see if he was ready for such an op. We also discussed my family circumstances. I have an older female dog, she was a rescue so didn't have her op until aged five. She humps everything, she cocks her leg and pees on every blade of grass over an inch high. She is a placid little thing but I know if any dog goes toward her back end she would take major offence. In my circumstances it was better to have him done. I still felt so guilty about it. Because he was so young he hasn't noticed a difference. He was back to his usual self the day after the op.

Early neutering increases risks of cancers, joint issues and in some dogs behavioural issues. It is advisable to wait until growth plates are closed and the dog is mature. The only cancer risk that is reduced by neutering a male dog is, obviously, testicular cancer, and that is treatable if caught early. Intact males tend to live longer too.

I have a 40kg intact male. He has never attempted to hump anyone. Not has he ever presented as a risk to bitches on heat as I am a responsible owner. It is true that other male dogs, neutered and intact, often have a go at him. Other dogs are absolutely fascinated by him, cross fields to prostrate themselves at his paws. He does cock his leg a lot when out on a walk. He has NEVER marked inside.

My view is - why cut something off if not necessary? If there’s no reason to do so, then why do it? But if you decide to, it is best to wait until he is mature.

I have an 8 month old female mixed breed puppy she’s not been spayed yet and she’s not had a season yet thank god anyone know when she should be spayed? I want her doing but not sure how old she needs to be for it.

Regarding scent marking- my dog started doing this after he had been neutered. Never done it inside or on our property but does it out on walks.

We didn't have our first spaniel neutered, because we lived in the country; but when he was 7 he developed prostate trouble and we had him done. We've always had our subsequent dogs done.

Please speak to your vet, they will give you advice specific to you and your pet. Current recommendations regarding neutering vary depending on age, breed and temperament/behaviour, one size doesn't fit all! Professional up to date advice is much more useful than well meaning internet anecdote!

Intact males tend to live longer too.

All the studies I've read disagree with this. The trend as I've read it seems to be:

• Neutered dogs live longer but are more likely to die of cancer.

• Intact makes don't live as long and tend to die of trauma (eg road traffic accidents or fights) or infectious diseases.

Presumably it's the cause of death that is driving life span averages. Trauma is more likely when you're young and hormonal and cancer is more likely when you're older.

The case for neutering is complex. Some studies have linked linked early neutering to fear aggression. However they have only shown correlation, not causation. For eg a fear aggressive dog might be more likely to get neutered in an attempt to curb the behaviour. Or neutering might cause it encourage fear aggression. It's not yet clear.

Some cancers are reduced by neutering. Testicular obviously but also prostrate. In fact I recall reading somewhere that 50% of intact males develop some form of prostate cancer after the age of five. But cannot now recall where I read it

However some cancers are increased by neutering. Mainly bone cancers and this risk is furthered by having the dog done early.

There is loads of anecdotal evidence that neutering calms dogs down but not science to back that up. It's possible that age would have calmed the dog anyway and neutering just tends to be done around the same age as natural testosterone level reduction. All the science appears to show is that marking and roaming can sometimes be reduced by neutering.

All in all it's a bit of a minefield. For my own part battendog is two years old and intact. I think he will be left for another year or two but then I may think about having him done, before he is five.