NEUTERING - Page 1

What are the Pro/Cons on neutering ?

rhino, There is really no cons on neutering. There are many pros. Such as, lessening the chances of Testicular Cancer..dogs don't get protate cancer and if so, VERY rare. It will keep him from lifting his leg in the house or marking at stores, etc. It will also keep him from wanting to wonder to find a bitch in heat as males can smell a bitch in season over a mile away. It will keep get rid of any unwanted hormonal behavioral problems...ex: my male Police Dog would always ejaculate, he also had an enlarged protstate which caused him much pain...I neutered him...ALL better. If he's young and is not having any problems assoc. w/ being intact, I'd wait till he matures, but it's up to you. Hope this helped. Brandi

Brandi, I must disagree on the lifting part. I had personally seen dogs ( yes males without their testicles) lifting their legs and marking their territory, especially in parks. Lets not forget that dogs aren't humans. When they smell something that they like, neutered or not that they will mark it. This is just another scheme to put dogs under the knife and making a profit out of it, sorry. In my own opinion is that don't neuter/spy unless if you have to. Neutering doesn't fix up disruptive behavior like dog aggressive, if it's a behavior problem, get off of yer ass and do some training! chopping off the family jewels won't do a damn thing, I just hate reading from some people that is the only thing to do to solve problems. Just in my own opinion neuter your dog if theirs a concern of health issues. The rest is what you need to fix by doing DOG TRAINING, yes training! Training can cure almost all of the bad behavior, even lifting it up inside the house.

I think any dog, male or female, not being used for responsible breeding should be spayed and neutered.

I have to agree with Brandi on just about everything except neutering doesn't really help with behavior probs... They shouldn't have control over you in the first place though. (in my opinoin)

Read this. :) Might be insightful. http://www.showdogsupersite.com/kenlclub/breedvet/neutr.html Definitely would not suggest neutering a GSD until he is full grown, or past the age of 2 years. They are still growing, and therefore, they NEED their hormones to do so correctly.

I must agree that all dogs and bitches that are not to be bred from should be spayed/neutered or vasectomized. That's the only way to prevent backyard breeding and it then be advertized as from "pedigreed parents".

pzdc, I guess we can say the same thing with humans too? people who aren't going to be having kids should be neutered? Or how about the rapists who rapes children? I believe theirs more humans then their is in dogs. Believe me if you lived in a popular city like I'm from you'll have the same opinion as I. Although you guys can call me anti neutering, I'm not really an anti neuter, more like anti surgery that isn't necessary to have, although some have excuses and don't show any responsibility over their dogs.

I agree that any dog not used for responsible breeding should be neutered. But I also believe you should wait until the dog is full grown (mentally and physically) until about the age of 2. KreighauserGSD is right they need their hormones to mature properly, however by waiting that long you will aquire some of the negative behaviors like marking territory etc. that people commonly use neutering to prevent. I have also heard that neutering dogs young they won't "fill out" as much as they would have (head and chest).

To Brittany: You sure are touchy about the subject! But if you really want to get personal - I think a woman who doesn't want to have children should in fact be sterilized as should a man. Scientific research has proven that ovarian cancer is far more prevalent in women that have been taking birth control pills for long periods. GSDfan: Total castration is not necessary. You can still get the same results with a vasectomy without losing the essential hormones. The point is to stop irresponsible breeding.