WHY are "working dogs" SchH, PP, K-9, hardly ever NEUTERED? - Page 1

Aside from the reason that the dog may be bred (many of these dogs aren't being bred) and aside from proper growth as a puppy, why are so many dogs never neutered because they are "working dogs" doing protection, SchH, PSA, patrol, or almost noetc?  Is this just an excuse to not neuter, or does it have a valid scientific basis?

Is this a beneficial practice to leave our dogs in-tact lifelong?  Some say neutering lowers drive or aggression, if so, then provide some evidence of that, research, studies, etc.

I am not saying one way or the other-- some of my dogs are in-tact, I just find it worth exploring.

Today I read a vet's blog about "Axel" a Police K-9, http://speakingforspot.com/blog/?p=1109  who IS neutered-- this vet noted he was the only neutered dog, yet he had the best performance.  PS- Her blog is excellent and I've done a guest blog for her in the past, her veterinary advocacy book "Speaking for Spot" is highly recommended.

Why would anyone need an excuse to not neuter? From my readings there are more health concerns for neutered animals than intact....so my question is, why alter?

 Why mess with what we or our animals were created with. Only for bad health or a medical need of serious condition is neutering ever done by me.

I believe every dog owner should be a responsible owner and no need to just Neuter because you do not want pups..I have seen more problems with neurtered dogs weight  to be dealth with and I have never neutered any dog.

Do you want to be neutered ? Male dogs still have a drive for hunting a female lots of times after they are neutered even making ties that have been witnessed by many. So the adage it stops the Female urge is not always true.

Some humans use it as a birth control , your choice. I do not think it is necessary..GENERATIONS  of dogs have been worked and bred and kept intact long before Vets and GYNECOLOGISTS decided that hysterectomies and nuetering and spaying were the thing to do., unless a serious disease or life or death health problem exists.

jmo
YR

The scientific evidence is that testosterone = aggression. Ever heard the expression "roid rage"? I think that testosterone enhances a lot of drives... Agression, sex, prey, etc... I believe that this is one reason that people are always taken back by females that really "bring it" in the bite work... Females have very little testosterone. Look at animals in nature such as lions... Females do most, if not all, of the hunting and killing, so they certainly have prey drive. But it is the males that defend the territory, defend the pride, etc...

Have you ever heard the expression "painfully enlarged prostate", "mammary cancer", or "pus-filled pyometria"?

Oh I luv being the devil's advocate.

Doberdoodle, you face those same risks. Do you want to be neutered now or even when you are eligible for an AARP card? Probably not even then...

But I may have misunderstood your question... I thought you meant why they are not neutered for "working" purposes. I have never neutered any of my dogs, and none of them have had any of the issues you mentioned... They passed because of old age or other health problems.

 "Painfully enlarged prostates" (technically, BPH) are NOT correlated with sex hormones and are unaffected by castration.

 Prostate CANCER, however, is preventable by castration.  

You are confusing the two.

Mammary cancer is also nearly prevented by hysterectomy.  Unfortunately, all the benefits come from spaying the female BEFORE HER FIRST HEAT, which is an act of cruelty in my opinion.  (Every dog deserves the right to at least mature with his or her sex hormones and develop the secondary sex characteristics and mental state of his/her gender.)

Pediatric castration has too many costs (e.g., weak bone plate development, distorted body/leg/head proportion, etc.) to recount.  

Middle age castration may however be a blessing for a dog with too much sex drive or one who is penned alone for anti-sociality which my be cured by lowering T.  Middle age spaying may mean a female gets to live in the house 24/7, which may be another blessing.  So middle aged neutering may have some real pluses.

Finally, testosterone and aggression are actually NOT correlated so obviously as is commonly believed.  Sex hormones and drives, however, ARE correlated.  Aggression in a species appears to be in proportion to the difference between male and female levels of T.  In Bonobos, which have very high T, they have very high sex drives but very low aggression -- the females have testosterone levels comparable to the males.

Roid rage is not testosterone.  It is due to overuse of anabolic steroids -- a different chemical family.

MVF,

   I don't even know what a bonobo is! Anyway, they seem to be the exception and not the rule. Even if they have high levels of testosterone, aren't effects of hormones such as testosterone dependent upon not only hormone levels but receptors for said hormones? Don't males have not only higher testosterone levels, but also many more testosterone receptors? I am jst not so sure that I agree with your statement that there is no correlation between aggression and testosterone. The aggression is well documented among athletes that "juice". Also, androgens such as testosterone are responsible for male fighting aggression seen "in season" such as "the rut", are they not?


"Roid rage is not testosterone. It is due to overuse of anabolic steroids -- a different chemical family."

Uh, I beg to differ... And testosterone is not an anabolic steroid??? Most, if not all, anabolic steroids are testosterone, or derivatives of it.

I've been thinking about this recently - it's a long story, but essentially my son's pituitary gland does not work and we have to medically supply all of the hormones his body would normally make.  I was talking with the endocrinologist about puberty and growth.  What I've learned is that hormones affect nearly every body system, either directly or indirectly.  For him, the lack of testosterone can cause general malaise, hair loss, lack of muscle mass, improperly developed bones (especially in arms and legs) and osteoporosis. 

It's hard to say exactly what the impact of the lack of hormones is on neutered animals.  From a development standpoint, it would be better to refrain from altering an animal until after they reach sexual maturity, although the risk of osteoporosis remains.  There are risks and benefits either way, and responsible pet owners have a lot to consider.  Of course, those responsible people also aren't causing the unwanted, poorly bred litters that fill shelters with dogs, so I understand the need to encourage spay/neuter for those people who want just a pet.

Opal