<p>I was hoping some experinced dog owners might chime in with thoughts on this. Some background, my husband owned many dogs (husky’s.collie,lab) and never neutered and they were fine. We got a lab after we were married, neutered it later in life (we thought he had prostate issues but later we realized it was something else) Now we have a 1 year old lab and I decided to look into it, but our vet doesn’t like to do it, said I should go somewhere else for that. Since our Lab is not aggressive (not an alpha at all) is walked on a leash 3 times a day, has a fenced in yard to play in, he didn’t feel it was needed but it was up to us. </p>
<p>I asked a few doctors I work with with male dogs(5 have labs and other breeds) and I was surprised that only one had him neutered and one rescued a dog that already was. They said stats show any diseases are minimal and neutering doesn’t make them not happen, it lessens it just a little. </p>
<p>I think if it curtails some cancer later on, it’s a viable choice, anyone not neuter or have any comments?</p>
<p>That information is surprising to me. I am under the impression that most vets, trainers, breeders etc are in favor of neutering male dogs for potential cancer as well as behavior reasons.</p>
<p>In addition, rescue organizations are highly in favor of neutering.</p>
<p>My dogs’ breeder likes the boys to be 12-18 months – she is not a proponent of early neutering.</p>
<p>We were required to neuter our Wheaten when we got him from the breeder. Honestly had no idea neutering may have any (preventive) relationship to cancer/other diseases down the road.</p>
<p>The only reason we would not spay/neuter is if we were going to breed high quality animals. We are not in that business, so all our animals have always been spayed/neutered. I am very surprised also that a vet “doesn’t like to do it”. Very odd statement.</p>
<p>I was surprised too but many don’t push it, make it sound like a money-making issue in certain situations. The medical doctor’s I spoke too know more than I about percentages, etc. and they assured me that many dogs that are neutered get cancer (as we sadly know) it’s only testicular cancer and that is much more rare and can be cured by neutering later (but then he’s older)
I would like too, to avoid prostate issues, but our last vet and this one did think waiting until 1-2 years was best with growth issues stated as most important. Certain dogs are aggressive, the people I’ve spoken with have all had retrievers, ridgebacks, mutts, goldens, roaming wasn’t an issue, they weren’t aggressive. It was interesting to see in a hospital environment, how different thoughts were vs the others I spoke too that just asked their vet. Just a little more to ponder.
I will look into it his next checkup this summer.</p>
<p>With regards to most pets, not just dogs, I am a proponent of spay/neuter. </p>
<p>Generally speaking, the surgery, which reduces/eliminates the sex hormones produces a better <em>pet</em> which is more interested in his people than in reproducing. I’m thinking specifically of pet rabbits – but it applies to dogs, cats, and other neuterable pets. I doubt we can manage to neuter the hamsters!</p>
<p>For many years, the standard advice has been to neuter everybody, male or female, who isn’t a show dog/breeding animal. And clearly, if your dog is going to be running around loose and might impregnate somebody, that’s absolutely crucial. However, it’s not so clear an issue if the dog is carefully supervised, as yours is. The health consequences are mixed: neutered dogs get fewer reproductive-system cancers but are more prone to dementia in old age, and also to some non-reproductive cancers. Many people who do agility, hunt with their dogs, etc. wait until they are fully mature to neuter them because dogs neutered as young puppies, before puberty (as they often are, say, at the humane society) grow up taller, reedier, and less sturdy than they would otherwise. Some people who breed puppies for agility and other performance events now require owners to wait until the dog is full grown. Here’s a good article that deals with the pros and cons of the issue: [Canine</a> Sports Productions: Early Spay-Neuter Considerations for the Canine Athlete](<a href=“http://www.caninesports.com/SpayNeuter.html]Canine”>http://www.caninesports.com/SpayNeuter.html)</p>
<p>In my experience, the effect of neutering on an adult dog’s temperament is nil. It might lessen aggression in a seriously feisty male dog, but it doesn’t change the more laid-back ones. It’s a good idea to watch their weight as many dogs post-neuter don’t need as much food and are inclined to get overweight. Sometimes their coat texture changes too.</p>
<p>The surgery is not completely negligible. I just had my 13-month-old male agility prospect dog neutered because I had bought him on a spay-neuter contract and wanted to be conscientious. He developed a huge hematoma in the scrotal tissue that’s left after the operation, and needed to go back in for a “total scrotal ablation,” a more extensive operation that left a long incision. Between the two surgeries the poor guy had to spend a total of about 3 weeks in a crate, wearing an Elizabethan collar. He’s fine now, but if I had to do it again, I wouldn’t have. I would still spay any female dog I owned because I don’t want to worry about the heats, or about common health problems in unspayed females such as pyometra. But for a boy dog in your dog’s situation, I think your vet is right.</p>
<p>I have worked in rescue for many years. We would not place a dog that has not been spayed/neutered. I have had all female dogs in my past, all spayed, and now I have 2 males, both neutered. They are much calmer than my spayed females. Guess b*–ches will always be that way!!</p>
<p>I have never heard a vet that would not spay/neuter.</p>
<p>I work with dogs and see dogs up for adoption week after week. I also hear many annecdotes about how accidental litters of puppies came to be.
There are so many unwanted pets in desperate need of homes. I don’t think it’s worthwhile to take the chance of creating one more unwanted litter of puppies. Even though you are responsible and you have a good dog, all it takes is one incident–a gate accidentally left open, etc.
I have also never heard of a vet recommending against neutering. Animal rights and rescue organizations advocate spaying and neutering. I believe it is the responsible thing to do.</p>
<p>Jingle said pretty much what I would have said. Newer research indicates that it may be healthier for the dog, long-term, if the (male) dog is not neutered until after sexual maturity, if at all. If you are concerned about reproduction but still want to keep the dog’s hormones intact, there are vets that do dog vasectomies. (Really.)</p>
<p>For female dogs, the evidence is less clear. Spaying does reduce the risk of some things to zero, but also increases the incidence of other problems. </p>
<p>I have just contracted to buy a male puppy from the breeder. My agreement is that I will wait until 15 months and we will jointly decide if we need to neuter the dog.</p>
<p>I will note that there is not a significant unwanted dog problem in Europe, where routine spay/neuter is NOT practiced.</p>
<p>Many people feel that a rigorous neutering policy is one of the reasons that shelters see so many dogs with bad temperaments and poor health come in, because only the “bad” dogs are reproducing and producing shelter dogs… no more friendly neighborhood mutts. Already, about half the dogs in shelters are pit bull mixes. This is not a recipe for successful adoption.</p>
<p>This surprised me as well. I would switch vets as I consider that to be basic dog care.</p>
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<p>This is our thought as well. I just cannot take the chance that my dog would contribute to ever more unwanted puppies. </p>
<p>As for hunting, we are unusual in that we neuter our hunting dogs at six months and most of our friends with hunting dogs either do not neuter/spay or do it later in the dogs life. I’m going to brag a bit in that our dogs have all been poster-dogs for neutering. They are beautiful hunters, so well-trained, while most of our friends dogs are something of a mess in the field and require a lot of handling.</p>
<p>We have a 9 month old male lab puppy. He is our 4th lab. All have been pets. Usually we neuter right away, but our breeder told me that it is best to wait at least a year, if not two years so that the bones get the full effect of the testosterone. She said that the reproductive vets recommend that, but the regular vets recommend 4-6 months. Our vet recommends 4-6 months. I have researched it and I think we will have it done when he is a year old or whenever he starts driving me crazy, whichever happens first.</p>
<p>I agree with that last paragraph in post 10 by dmd77. I’ve been a shelter volunteer since I was a teenager and this is exactly what has happened. Sadly, this lack of friendly puppies from neighbors is driving the internet/puppy mill wheel of designer dogs.</p>
<p>Let’s see: how many unwanted pets are starving on the streets/put down in shelters/neglected? In the millions every year.</p>
<p>We have (currently) two goldens. The female, a rescue, came to us at age 5. She was neutered by the rescue group. Our vet told us that due to the late spay, we had to watch her for breast cancer. Too many hormones for too long.</p>
<p>But so far so good.</p>
<p>Our male, a rescue at 8 months, was neutered within a month of acquiring him. Yes, I know that lots of men are uncomfortable with neutering. Structurally, at age 12, he is amazing. No arthritis…nothing. </p>
<p>Real men and compassionate women neuter their pets.</p>
<p>I am with jingle and dmd77. In an IDEAL world, where owners (and OTHER dogs’ owners LOL) were all responsible!) not neutering a male or female dog until at least 2 years of age is now known to be best for the structural health of the animals.</p>
<p>That said, having an intact female or male can create lots of other issues. Obviously, accidental breeding is a problem most want to avoid.</p>
<p>I live in an urban area. It is very pro–neutering. It is not possible to take an intact mature dog to training classes in my area. All rescue placements require neutering. Vets do not want to assist in any aspect of breeding or whelping or neo-natal care except for emergencies, if that. The burden is on the owner of an intact dog in case of any fights, etc.
This differs considerably from the mentality in rural areas where animal husbandry is quite normal.</p>
<p>My experience with temperament in my intact male was that he was not ever aggressive or passive-aggressive (where another dog would not like him) during the 6 years he was intact. I even bred him a few times (I have champions, work with my breeder, show my dogs, and want to support the breed with good temperament and health). After a series of one-off situations with females who were brought to him to tie only once and then taken away, he did not change. He easily tolerated having a female in heat in the house three times a year (they were rotated in and out of their crates). He DID become more obsessed and about any and all female dogs (not aggressive but had a one track mind) only after he was allowed to free-mate with the girl we live with. Because he then was acting like a stud AND I wanted to take him to Rally classes (rules against intact adult dogs!), I did neuter him. he calmed down over a year and went back to his laid-back temperament and had a blast with Rally!</p>
<p>The research is important to consider in your athletic breed which is prone to arthritis, skeletal and joint irregularities. (Do not feed him too many calories as a youngster- too much early growth overloads the joints and makes for weak frames, too.)</p>
<p>Get to know the rules and laws in your area, including the training classes, about intact dogs. Keep a very careful eye on him. It will depend on his temperament, too. Then you can decide!</p>
<p>performersmom, I am curious about your training classes- what about conformation class? Those dogs have to be intact to show. And what if you do conformation and obedience? There are many people who show in multiple venues. Are there no training classes where you live for these people?</p>
<p>I am not talking about the classes for dog shows- I never did those, anyway. When I was showing my dogs, I worked with the breeder.</p>
<p>I AM talking about all-round training that every owner should do!!! (Sit Stay Heel Come, etc.)
These can be offered privately or by a Humane Society. In my area, these do not allow intact dogs.
Rally is locally offered only at the Humane Society, so the rules prohibit intact dogs.</p>
<p>The breed ring forgives a lot of intact dog behavior. But females in heat are normally banned from agility classes and trials, and in some cases obedience classes and other performance venues. </p>
<p>Likewise an intact male can be banned from doggy day care, boarding situations, etc.</p>
<p>I currently have an intact female being grown out for possible show. I have breeding rights and may decide to raise a litter of pups depending on what her breeder and the breed ring says about her potential. Personally, I want a pet and an agility/performance dog so she may be spayed this fall or next spring.</p>
<p>Wow, I never realized there was controversy over neutering dogs. Other than a breeder, I don’t know where I’d go to get an non-neutered dog. We did get one full-bred from a breeder … and the breeder required that the dog be neutered at seven months. Hmmm.</p>
<p>Around here … which admittedly isn’t a good proxy for the rest of the country … non-neutered dogs have the reputation of being, um, higher maintenance. Our neighbor has a female boxer about a year old that they hope to breed. It doesn’t get along with neighbor dogs, and they have to keep a doggie diaper on it in the house. YMMV of course.</p>