Should people neuter/spay their dogs?

[Emoore]

For most of the population I think spay/neuter before sexual maturity is a good thing. They should probably alter their pets too.



But seriously, if the question is about the general population at large, yes I think they should. Most people don't keep their dog in the house and only let him outside under supervision. [I]Most people[I] don't know when their bitch is in heat or bother to appropriately contain their male.

If the question is about most of the members on this forum, who do keep their dogs in the house or in secure kennels and who are adept at preventing canine pregnancy, I think it's completely up to the owner.

I will be neutering my dog, but it will be after maturity, probably between 18 months and two years.

[chelle]

Maybe I read it wrong, but the leerburg link said you need to neuter between 6 - 9 months to possibly head off dominance and aggression issues.? Why only that time frame? I'm confused.

[Emoore]

Originally Posted by chelle

Maybe I read it wrong, but the leerburg link said you need to neuter between 6 - 9 months to possibly head off dominance and aggression issues.? Why only that time frame? I'm confused.

I don't think he meant you need to neuter during that time frame, I think he meant that neutering during that time frame is the only time that will have an effect on dominance issues. However, most that are raised and trained correctly will not have dominance aggression issues anyway, neutered or not. Personally I've never owned a dog that had dominance issues and only had 2 fosters (out of nearly 30) that did.

At a guess, I think he's saying that because 6-9 months is the time when the dog is developing his social "personality"? It's kind of the first transition to adulthood, so neutering then will keep them in more of a juvenile state? But I don't know why he thinks neutering at, say, 3 or 4 months wouldn't have the same effect.

[chelle]

Originally Posted by Emoore

I don't think he meant you need to neuter during that time frame, I think he meant that neutering during that time frame is the only time that will have an effect on dominance issues. However, most that are raised and trained correctly will not have dominance aggression issues anyway, neutered or not. Personally I've never owned a dog that had dominance issues and only had 2 fosters (out of nearly 30) that did.

At a guess, I think he's saying that because 6-9 months is the time when the dog is developing his social "personality"? It's kind of the first transition to adulthood, so neutering then will keep them in more of a juvenile state? But I don't know why he thinks neutering at, say, 3 or 4 months wouldn't have the same effect.

So if we don't have dominance/aggression issues at nearly seven months, it's not likely to develop later? Or more specifically, it isn't *more* likely to develop by leaving him intact? I enjoy his personality now, he's playful and hasn't shown any dominance/aggression/DA. Some fear issues, but that's another story... I just want to make sure I understand what you're saying! I have decided to wait on the neuter til 18 months - 2 yrs, but still want to know every pro and con I possibly can.

[Emoore]

Originally Posted by chelle

So if we don't have dominance/aggression issues at nearly seven months, it's not likely to develop later? Or more specifically, it isn't *more* likely to develop by leaving him intact?

*I* don't think so. I mean, you're going to see that general adolescent crapheadedness that comes up in months around the 1-year birthday, and I think a lot of people mistake that for dominance and aggression and neuter to get rid of it. . . coincidentally shortly after being neutered the dog grows out of the phase, so people think neutering solved it.

IMHO, if you've got a sweet-tempered dog that's not dominant or aggressive at 7 months, you'll have a sweet tempered dog who's not dominant or aggressive at 18 months and beyond, whether you neuter or not. It's just that time in between where you have a bit of a brat. Even that's not true dominance, it's just adolescent boundary-testing.

[selzer]

Dominance issues probably won't rear their heads until beyond the 6-9 month stage. Beyond that point, neutering will probably not prevent issues or remedy issues. So if you have a real dominant issue rearing his ugly head at say 15 months old, nicking his nads will not cool his jets. I think though that true dominance, aggressive behavior is not that prevalent, and practicing good leadership, training, and mental and physical exercise should prevent much of that from ever being any kind of issue.

[nitemares]

I only ever have one dog at a time, I live in an apartment, my dog is never off leash outside. never needed to neuter. Cats on the other hand i would and will neuter my male. I hate the marking and i will not breed. Never owned a female cat so I don't know about that.

Put here the general mentality is no speutering pure breeds only mixed and mutts.

[msvette2u]

Originally Posted by selzer

Dominance issues probably won't rear their heads until beyond the 6-9 month stage. Beyond that point, neutering will probably not prevent issues or remedy issues. So if you have a real dominant issue rearing his ugly head at say 15 months old, nicking his nads will not cool his jets. I think though that true dominance, aggressive behavior is not that prevalent, and practicing good leadership, training, and mental and physical exercise should prevent much of that from ever being any kind of issue.

That said, it probably wouldn't hurt and take hormones out of the equation as well.
I think all pet (not showing or working) animals ought to be altered.

They castrate horses and cattle (non breeding "bulls") and almost all other farm animals to make them less aggressive and more biddable and safer to work with.

Our intact male goat turns into an ass (well not literally but you get the point) in the fall, when he goes into "rut". It's just disgusting. But he produces very pretty babies so we keep him intact...all the other boys are neutered so they aren't a problem.

[Freestep]

Originally Posted by ladyfreckles

I've had perfectly healthy neutered pets and I've had neutered animals with neuter-related health problems that cost me thousands of dollars.

What "neuter-related health problems" did you experience, and how did you determine that they were "neuter-related"?

I spoke to another vet at my facility, and they had a more in-between approach. He said that he did not believe in neutering purebreds unless there was a medical reason, but that rescue animals should be.

That seems really odd... why is it that you should neuter rescue animals but not purebreds? There are only a small percentage of purebreds that should be bred, so why should the remainder stay intact just because they are purebred? Is there some neuter-related health concern that strikes only purebreds and not rescues?

All my dogs have been spayed/neutered. I just don't care to deal with females going through heat cycles and the worry of accidental pregnancy. Intact males can be total booger-heads at times, and if they're not going to be bred, I don't personally see a benefit for them to remain intact after physical maturity (or even before). I have grit my teeth and waited to spay my females until around 18 months to 2 years of age, which usually means I have to endure a heat cycle or two, and it's not something I recommend to the average pet owner.

I've worked professionally with animals for over 20 years, and in my experience, I have noticed that intact males tend to be more aggressive, stubborn and uncooperative, and more concerned with establishing social dominance, than neutered males. Females left intact by the average pet owner are almost always accidentally bred at some point in their lives. None of those things are a benefit for the average dog owner in the general public.

The average pet owner that I see aren't expert trainers, in fact, few even have basic knowledge of dog psychology and behavior. And few are responsible and diligent enough to prevent an intact female from getting pregnant.

For that reason, and in light of the fact that shelters and rescues are full of unwanted dogs, I think spay/neuter ought to be the default for most pet owners. It's just easier and safer for everyone involved.

Now, if the owner has a bit more experience, knowledge, and understanding of dogs, and can be responsible enough to prevent unwanted pregnancies and deal with hormone-related issues, the decision to spay/neuter is a personal one.

My main issue with spay/neuter is about population control, because having worked with shelters and rescues, I have an up-close perspective on the unwanted pet situation in this country. But I must say, as a groomer, I definitely prefer to work with spayed/neutered animals. They are generally a bit more tractable and easygoing than their intact counterparts, and I HATE grooming females in season. Yuck. So in that sense I have a selfish preference for spay/neuter.

[Emoore]

I really think this entire article should be required reading.
http://www.naiaonline.org/pdfs/longt...uterindogs.pdf