Can I have some advise or experiences on neutering your dog please

[drivinmecrazy]

We have a two year old Weimaraner who is obviously in tact at the moment.
Over the past year we've consulted two different vets about this and both have said not to neuter if there's no need.

Our dog doesn't hump or show much excitement in that department.
But we've noticed for the past three months that other dogs are taking a dislike to him. Some are becoming quite aggressive to him.

He luckily rarely reacts to this but I feel so sad for him.
But occasionally he'll respond with snarling and aggressive or defensive body language.

I've read that even neutered dogs can react badly to an entire male.
So it's made me think.

As a family we're divided.

Husband and DD1 think we should consult a behaviourist before we make a decision which I guess is fair enough.

We wouldn't be looking to have the snip for at least another six months so have lots of time to think about it.

Just wondered your experiences with a larger dog and if it had a negative affect on them

Unless he suffers from fear aggression or is particularly anxious there is no reason not to neuter him .
Entire males make up the majority of road traffic accidents as they will run off if they scent a female on heat.

Neutering also eliminates the risk of testicular cancer and reduces the risk of prostate cancer. Joint problems associated with early neutering are not a known issue in a fully grown dog. You can always try the temporary sterilisation injection first to see how he would be without his hormones. Last about 9 months.

Castrated dogs in particular don't like entire males, your dog is showing extremely healthy and normal behaviour in response to rude dogs, him not responding would be like staring at the ground while somebody chest bumps you.

It would be a shame to neuter your dog when he sounds fine as he is, all because owners of other poorly trained/managed dogs approach him rudely, he hasn't really done anything wrong. Neutering can sometimes make dogs timid and in turn aggressive, if your dog is good in most regards I would keep him entire, in comparison to a bitch where there is more argument for altering them.

What was the reason you want to see a behaviourist? Is it the snapping? Even if you neutered him, he might turn into the castrated dogs you run into where he gets nasty with entire dogs.

The suggestion to see a behaviourist was to make sure there's nothing else going on with him really.
He's such a good natured dog but recently other dogs just don't seem to like him!

Because of his size compared to others we're very mindful that if he did react to another dogs behaviour he would be to blame.

He has honestly never shown any aggression to another dog unless he feels the need to defend himself.
And to add, we have him back on the lead and in close control as soon as we see the situation arising.

I just wish other dogs would leave him alone to go about his business.
He doesn't approach other dogs so why they feel the need to approach him I have no idea!!

He used to be the dog in the field that other dogs sought out to play with, but as he's got older and bigger, it feels he's seen as a threat.

We had our Goldie Neutered at 18 months, I had always planned to having had a non neutered male when younger who was a bit of an escape artist if there was a female in heat within literally miles.
I did check with our vet first who said he recommended it, especially since a close neighbour who had a bitch of the same breed told me she was going to breed from her so I knew there would be a dog very close in season regularly .
DDog was fine and he actually was a bit calmer and better behaved, the daycare we occasionally used said he was like a different dog! He no longer was a pest to DD's friends either - we certainly knew who was having their period!
Its personal choice and depends on the dog and your circumstances but it was the right decision for us as a family.

I would try chemical castration first and see if that makes any difference before committing to the full operation.

I’ve always had male dogs including a breed very similar to yours and I’ve never neutered them and they’ve never ran off after a female or been involved in a road accident. In fact the only two dogs I know who were involved in road accidents we both female one chasing a bird the other a cat. All mine have lived into their teens and none died of diseases relating to not being neutered.
None of mine have shown any interest in female dogs or humped anyone of anything. My current intact male like yours generally avoids other dogs his best friend is neutered and he’s shown no aggression to him and although a couple of times he’s met a usually larger neutered dog that have come over and then started growling my dog hastily goes out of his way to avoid them only growling if really provoked.
My vet advised against neutering saying that as he’s very well behaved there was little evidence of any benefit and as others have said it can be detrimental if they are anxious.
There will always be owners who can’t or won’t stop there dog coming over to yours especially if yours is off his lead. Most dogs are sociable and like interacting with other dogs. It’s all part of dog ownership.
I have a friend with a similar breed to yours it’s large a boisterous my usually placid dog will growl if he bounces over because he finds his size intimidating. I’m appreciate yours isnt bouncy but I wonder if other dogs are growling at yours not because he’s not been neutered but because of his size and they are getting their 10 pence in first.

My dogs are entire, both male & 2 females (nope I am not breeding, and have enough space to keep them separately at certain times of the year!)
Personally, if you have no issues with him beeing entire, just let him be.
MN is a bit wired when ut comes to entire dogs, but in all my years of dog ownership, I haven't encountered any health issues with mine. Half of the cancer or pyometra danger is scaremongering!

I work at a boarding kennels, it really is evident amongst the male.dogs who is still in tact and whose not. If he does alot ot socialising I wouldn't hesitate in getting him done.

Has the message changed then for male dogs? When we had male dogs vets always recommended neutering once fully grown

I think that the whole "all dogs should be neutered" thing was about preventing unwanted litters and puppies ended up in rescue rather than being based on the welfare of the actual dogs, if that makes sense.

There's an increasing amount of research which shows that neutering can have a negative impact on behaviour as testosterone helps with confidence, and so taking that away can lead to an increase in nervousness, anxiety and aggression.

Generally, the belief nowadays is that males shouldn't be neutered unless necessary. For females it's a bit different as there's a risk of Pyometra if they're not spayed.

Until recently, never had a male dog neutered and never had a problem with any of them. My 9 year old was recently neutered but only because he had a health problem - not related to being entire, something he was born with but which only shows in later life, and for which neutering is recommended to ensure the issue cannot return. To be honest it hasn't made very much difference in him, and as I said, having entire dogs hasn't caused any problems. None of their vets have ever recommended it as a routine procedure.

I always have my dogs neutered. Pros outweigh cons to me. Yes, my neutered males don’t tend to like entire males, but that might well be the case if they were entire themselves too.

I’m a vet and I am keeping my boy entire. I see no reason to neuter him at the moment. If he was a female he would be being spayed. He goes to daycare and mixed with dogs all day every day. Never had an issue

Same here. I swithered about the most recent dog but he was done at nearly three, earlier this year. He had started being very barky around other intact male dogs and that behaviour has just about stopped.