Unneutered golden retriever

[Puffwiththegreeneyes]

Would you have any concerns, and what would they be if you were to take on a 6yo unneutered dog? Specifically a golden retriever.

We have the opportunity to give a new home to a 6yo unneutered golden retriever. He's been a stud dog, which is why he isn't neutered. Current owner is a friend of a friend and we know the reason for rehoming is genuine and not behavioural. Would him being unneutered concern you? Would you recommend getting him neutered at his age? What questions would you ask?

I've owned labradors and collies before but always neutered.

I’d love to have him but I’d get him neutered.

Being entire would not worry me at all.

Lots of people have unneutered dogs .

Absolutely no issues at all. My 3y old German shepherd is un neutered and will stay that way. The guidance around neutering male dogs has changed a lot over the past few years and my vet advises against it unless medically necessary

Do you know the dog?

Only asking because if you get him neutered his personality will change- I am speaking from experience!

My observations would be to check whether any local dog walkers / sitters will take an entire dog. In my area they won't. Also would need to be mindful of people walking bitches that are in heat. It can make an entire male forget all training, and they can smell a bitch in heat from a mile away. Literally.

You may find that neutered dogs will growl / show aggression towards an entire male too.

They can't get testicular problems if they don't have testicles.

You could try chemical castration to see if there is any temperament change, but it will be unlikely at his age.

It wouldn't worry me (except I have an intact bitch so wouldn't be taking on an intact male), and iirc it's better health-wise for golden retrievers to be left intact until they are mature. The intact dogs I've known have all been fine.

As PP said check re walkers and sitters if you need them. Most kennels will take intact dogs (including in-season bitches) so that shouldn't be a problem.

I have a 4yo golden retriever who isn't and won't ever be neutered. This is because he isn't interested in female dogs whatever so ever and he is already quite anxious and very gentle tempered so we don't want to risk his personality changing and him becoming more nervous.

Ok, thanks. That's really helpful.

I’d be asking about his health test results - if he’s been used as a stud then he should have hip and elbow scores and eye tests, 6 is the sort of age where if there are joint issues then they could become an expensive problem for you fairly soon.

I’d also be assuming he’s coming from a backyard breeder, because it’s fairly unlikely that someone is offering a well bred proven dog to someone they don’t know well no matter what the “genuine” reasons for rehoming are.

The fact he's been castrated or not wouldn't bother me, I always get my dogs neutered anyway, so put by a few 100 £ to get the procedure carried out.

What I would want to know is how the dog has been kept, are we talking about a crate or kennel outside, or is he kept as a family pet but used as a stud dog? Is he house trained, any medical issues you need to know about etc etc. some stud dogs are treated appallingly and may not have ever set foot in a house and will have behavioural issues, some are kept as a normal family pet. This info is far more important than if he's been done or not.

I wouldn't worry about a dog being unneutered . But I'd ask the same questions as tabularasa and wildwestpioneer above, and I'd also ask a vet or behaviourist what the effects of having been used as a stud dog might be on this particular dog. I've heard (though hperhas this is just one of the many half-truths that circle around well-intentionedly) that an entire dog who has had his jollies in the past might be quite different from an entire dog that hasn't, and that in some cases this might lead to problems. Worth looking into.

Personally I wouldn't rush to neuter him as it can change their temperaments and not always for the better.

If he's happy and healthy as an entire dog I would be inclined to leave him as he is at least until he's settled in with you properly.

My worry would be that stud dogs can be aggressive to other males.
I would be asking them to neuter him before offloading him, and i would ask to see him out for a walk meeting other dogs.

Also for his own health brand he's been used as a stud he needs to be neutered at this point.

Current research shows that unneutered dogs are less aggressive than neutered ones.

My own dog is 3 and not neutered, I have no plans to get this done. The only thing I would say is that a dog that has been used for breeding knows exactly what he's missing when he smells a bitch in season, so you may have to be careful if you let him off lead. I would give it a few months anyway to let him settle, and even then I would only consider chemical castration so it is not permanent.