Neuter Question
Since bringing the puppy home we have been trying to decide when to neuter (he is only 3 months now so we have time to decide). Our vet recommended 5 months, but we read all the old posts here and we think that want to try and wait as long as possible to allow him to develop. We are thinking at least a year and our breeder recommended 2. I've noticed that it has been debated quite a bit on the boards so I don't know that I want to re-kindle that, but I had a separate question: Has anyone had a male that started to act dominant or mark that they corrected with training or neutering? Basically, I'm wondering how often that not neutering really becomes and issue with the breed and if it does become a problem, can it be reversed if caught soon enough? We want to have a balanced, well behaved dog... Which he is right now even as a young puppy (He does puppy things but is really quite good so far). Our real concern is just striking that balance between maintaining good behavior and maintaining health. Thanks for any opinions anyone has =p |
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| I think it depends on your dog. I've seen some dogs that once sexual maturity happens become different dogs. My Wendel has always been mellow and since his neuter, even more so. |
| It's great that you're thinking about this and looking to educate yourself. If I knew with my first two boys what I know now, I would've waited a lot longer, too. A lot of people should chime in here with unneutered guys. My unneutered boy is almost two and he's probably more mild mannered than my neutered boys. My vet actually always comments that he's the most laidback intact dog she sees regularly. We have no humping and no marking in the house. He WILL sometimes mark in other peoples' homes if they have dogs and he'll pee on stuff in pet stores, too if I don't catch him and stop it before it happens-- but it's stoppable. If I distract him, he'll not do it. I mostly blame myself for not watching. All in all, though, no issues. |
Chewie is 4 years old, and has absolutely no issues that would make me want to neuter him.  He is calm, well behaved, never marks in the house (will pee where other dogs have peed outside - but that's pretty normal for any dog). He has been around in heat females his whole life going to dog shows. And the fact that he was still needing to behave and do off lead obedience, so no real issues there. He knows what "leave it" means, for sure! And Chewie is about the most laid back dog I ever have seen. Our 1st OES Ollie was neautered at age 6, but it was not done d/t any behaviors. He was a much more active, hyper dog, but still had no "male" obnoxious behaviors. We just neutered our lab male Biscuit - at a bit over 13 months. He had no bad behaviors - I did it to compete in sports with him. He doesn't have any registration papers, so to register him with AKC and UKC, he had to be neutered. He is a stocky dog, all done growing and a solid 85 pounds. Again, no bad behaviors, just did it for my purposes to compete with him. I am currently working on my daughter's BF Alex to hold off on neutering his female lab pup Lucy.... And one that was the opposite - my son's min pin Dino was neutered at 6 months. He was so obnoxious that's all the longer we could wait....but at least he is a toy breed dog, so not like neutering a large dog at 6 months. And Dino is from a show breeder, who is well respected, does all her testing, also puts obedience titles on all her dogs (is the lead obedience trainer at the local kennel club too). He did grow up to be a stable, well adjusted dog (well, as much as a min pin can be  ). |
| I have 2 intact males (father & son) 12 years & 5 years respectively. Neither has ever marked in my house or anyone else's house. Both are quite laid back & gentle guys. If it is in your contract with your breeder that you are to neuter your guy at some point, I would go with their opinion. Most vets want to get it done "the sooner the better". With a larger breed like OES it takes a good 2 years for them to mature & have the growth plates settle in. There is also information out there on how early spay/neutering adversely affects cancer in dogs later on. Leaving a dog intact a bit longer can help in this area. A lot of the way a male "acts" has to do with his pedigree (what kind of temperaments did his relatives have) & how consistent you are in training your boy from the start. Leave no margin for error as far as marking in the house goes. They learn very quickly that the house is YOUR place & to be kept under YOUR terms. The boys especially seem to learn to do what pleases you. Most of them "melt down" when they know they have displeased you At least mine would. Most reputable breeders will give you very good advice in this area as well as have researched their pedigrees when breeding in order to be breeding for a good, laid back temperament. Quite frankly, I've had to break up a few bitch fights over the years but no dog fights. Training is the key issue here. Mine know it is OK to have the natural instinct to want to protect me when we are out & about & another dogs comes into close proximity but they know that it is NOT all right to go any further. Most OES will not start a fight. They'll stand their ground tho'. |
| Good question! I am wanting opinions too. My puppy just turned 12 weeks old and my vet was pressuring me to get him neutered right away. My breeder prefers me to wait until he is a year old. I will take my puppy to the Breeder's vet when the time comes for surgery. He is more experienced with OES dogs. My pup has one testicle that has descended, the other is hidden inside. Does this make a difference in timing of surgery? I really appreciate the varied and informative answers, peg & puppy howie I have yet to post a picture...need to learn how! |
pegspup wrote: My pup has one testicle that has descended, the other is hidden inside. Does this make a difference in timing of surgery? Crypt orchid is what that is called. One of the testicles is in the stomach cavity. My cat had that. When we had him neutered, they removed it. Depending on how hidden it is, it probably won't take much time to remove. |
| Hi pegspup. Our first sheepdog, Quincy, was a chryptorchid, as neither testicle descended. (A monorchid has one descended testicle.) His neuter was actually closer to a spay, as they had to go into the abdomen, locate the testes and remove them. (My vet used a spay hook to find them.) His surgery was obviously more invasive than a traditional neuter, so it took him a bit longer to heal. You want to make sure that they locate and remove the internal testicle, because if it remains, you in essence have an intact male. As far as the age to neuter, I had both Quincy and Oscar neutered just shy of 6 months old, with no issues. Quincy was 115 lbs, and Oscar is 113 lbs. At six years of age, my vet is happy with Oscar's x-rays of hips, and spine, saying he has the bones of a much younger pup.  No signs of any arthritic changes, no trouble whatsoever. I know alot of folks neuter later, but we had no ill effects from an early neuter.Laurie and Oscar |
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