Not sure weather to get 8 month old pup neutered

[elmofan]

Would like to get opinions on Neutering please , pup is starting to get urges & hopping on up dd (4yrs) . Would getting him neutered stop this ?
TIA

Thanks midori, i think i will wait until he is a bit older & then decide, he's only just 8 months old so not going to rush into anything without knowing the full facts.

I am amazed by those saying it will make him more aggressive. Again, the received opinion where I come from is that neutering makes them much less aggressive. On top of that there is a class (in the English sense of that word) issue about this in the USA. It's considered uncultured, uncouth, uneducated and irresponsible to not neuter your dog. Here is a typical American article about dog neutering. Note that population control and decreased aggression are the top two points. There are other benefits nobody has mentioned, like lower risk of hernias, perianal tumours and prostrate problems (among other things).

It took me years of living in the UK to get used to so many intact male dogs.

You don't think that article is a little one sided then? It doesn't mention the negatives of neutering AT ALL.

Here are some other links you may want to read:

www.doglistener.co.uk/medical/neuter.shtml

www.apbc.org.uk/articles/neuteringmaledogs

www.homeopathicvet.co.uk/pdf%20files/Dog%20neutering%20with%20links.pdf

www.caninesports.com/SpayNeuter.html

www.naiaonline.org/pdfs/LongTermHealthEffectsOfSpayNeuterInDogs.pdf

Well title of the article was "Benefits of Neutering" I don't think it was pretending to be an unbiased discussion.
Good that you provided some other links, let OP make up her own mind.

Yes, and all too often we hear about the benefits but not the drawbacks or potential drawbacks. Most people just do what their vet suggests without looking into it further, which is sad. One poster on this board horrifically lost a dog she cared for greatly during a neutering op, and even worse, if anything could be any worse, was completely shocked by it as their vet hadn't suggested there was any risk to the surgery.

I don't think anyone is suggesting the OP do anything other than make up her own mind, purely answering her questions.

Neutering is always such a difficult decision.

My rule of thumb (which needs to be very flexible)for what it is worth.

If there are no issues do not neuter let things be.

If there are sexual issues eg scent marking indoors or on people consider behavioural methods first and maybe neuter but possible after chemical castration methods have been tried. Even if the behaviours are sexual behaviour modification will usually have to be used alongside castration anyway.

If the issues are behavioural, aggression, humping, excited, etc do not neuter but seek the advice of a qualified trainer or behaviourist.

If there are health concers eg undescended testicles chop them off!

I am 100% against neutering, well for my own dog anyway.

It was me that lost my dear little puppy during his so called routine operation when he was just 7 months old. The vet never mentioned there being any risk, not once. I will never forgive what he did to my puppy or for the pain he caused me and my DC. I really do believe that he messed up big time. The fact that the vet told me one version of events straight after my pup's death and then a different version a week later just makes me more suspicious. I'll never know for sure as they disposed of the body and a postmortem was never carried out. Either way, I will never even go near that vets again.

My 5 1/2 month old puppy will NEVER, EVER be getting neutered. I couldn't cope with the worry of the operation or the risk of putting myself and my family through such a terrible loss ever again.

elmofan I really am sorry for dragging up Moby's story again. It will no doubt cause you to worry but I would hate for someone else to go through what we went through. It truely was the worst experience of my life

I don't have an opinion of what other people should and shouldn't do regarding neutering their dog. Its got to be your choice but do weigh up the pros and cons.
What happened to Moby was very rare, I was told it happens to 1 out of 1000 dogs. Apparently, we were just unlucky but its unlikely to happen to us again. I'm sorry, but thats just not going to convince me to take the risk!

Oh Kid, every time i read your story i well up. :(

I do also tell your story to other owners just to make them a bit more aware.

kid
I think the more you post about what happened to poor moby the better tbh as it gives people knowledge of the risks involved in what some vets pass off as a "minor operation". I too have forewarned friends in the past as to what happened to poor moby . Dh & i have decided not to have Oscar neutered & to try be a little more firm with him when he tries to hop on dd .
How is teddy doing ?
Thanks to all who gave me advice .

Teddy is my darling but sadly, he will never replace moby. It's really hard on him as moby was perfect when he died (or maybe I have forgotten all the bad bits?)
anyway, teddy is still a pup and still has some training to do but so far, he is amazing. 100% house trained, very good recall (only with me though) very cuddly and totally adorable. He is a pain in the backside when he nicks the washing, bites our toes, ignores me when I want him to come in from the garden but the good points far outweigh the bad points.

Moby has been dead for longer than what we had him and he would have been a year old now. I still cry sometimes even though it's been almost 6 months since that awful day which is engraved in my mind forever. Getting teddy was definitely the right thing to do, it's been a very tough year and i am expecting a rocky few months ahead (family and work) but I'm so happy to have teddy to cuddle.
We are taking him on holiday with us soon, to Dorset for the weekend.

I'm secretly glad oscar won't be getting the snip. I don't want you to risk going through our experience.

Thankyou alouiseleg
by sharing the story, moby's death could save another dog from the same terrible fate. I just hope owners are responsible enough to not their dogs breed too much!