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Neutering Mastiffs

LLJohnson10

Well-Known Member
I'm getting my Bullmastiff puppy next week, and i'm going back and forth about if I should neuter, and if so, at what age? I have no intention of breeding, and i've never taken any of my dogs to a dog park before (mainly because I distrust the other dogs). Here's been my thinking so far.

Why I want to neuter:
Less mounting/humping
supposedly cuts down on sex related aggression and dominance (don't know if this can be proven)
cuts down on marking
allows my dog into more places, dog parks, pet hotels

The risk of testicular cancer is not a consideration to me. Its like saying if you remove your breasts you cut out your risk of breast cancer. (I apologize in advance if this reference offends anyone, that is not my intent)

Why I'm hesitant:
Can cause endocrine and hormone issues
Higher chance of orthopedic problems and higher CCL rupture rate
Males don't look as masculine (Taller, skinnier, less muscle)

If you've had your mastiff neutered, what were your reasons? Would you make the same decision if you had the opportunity to do it again?

If you've allowed your mastiff to remain intact with no intent to breed, why did you decide to do so?

Do you believe neutering really helps to stop dog aggression? I will save a lot of money if I have the neuter done before the age of 14 months by purchasing the wellness plan at my vet.
 

OnAirWithTom

Well-Known Member
I'm on the fence with neutering my boy as well. A lot of the same thoughts, so i'm also curious to hear some opinions.

Also I'm assuming Bullmastiffs are the same as Corsos when it comes to growth and development and all the reading and research I've done so far says to wait until at least 18 months to neuter so they can get their full growth in.
 

voidecho

Well-Known Member
Left my guy intact. Glad I did. I don't see any reason to at this point. Why have an uneccessary surgery is my thinking.

No agression. No wandering. No humping. Not much marking except on bushes on walks, but neutered dogs do that.
 

Smokeycat

Well-Known Member
My EM is still intact at 22 months months. The only 'problem' is his need to mark everything when on a walk. The primary reason I chose to wait was I want him to look like the big male he is supposed to become.
 

musicdeb

Well-Known Member
I would recommend neutering later than sooner due to the health issues early neutering can cause. Titan was neutered at 6 months and he's smaller than most DDB's which I believe it due to the neutering. Females tend to have more UTI's after early spaying.

Titan is neutered and he has to mark trees, lamp posts and everything else when we walk at the park.
 

LLJohnson10

Well-Known Member
Titan is neutered and he has to mark trees, lamp posts and everything else when we walk at the park.

So despite his neutering he's still a heavy marker?

I've only ever neutered one dog. The dog I neutered was not much of a marker to begin with, & would do it only occasionally on walks. After his neuter, the occasional marking stopped completely, and he would just release one long stream at the beginning of a walk and that was it.

The other 2 males that i've owned would mark like crazy, never in the house, but I couldn't move more than 50 yards without them wanting to stop and mark when on a walk.
 

Mario

Well-Known Member
We had our BM neutered young... For the reasons you stated was our thought process. And he is not as masculine for a BM looking which I admit does bother me sometimes (vain I know) however with lots of youngsters & limited mastiff experience we thought it would be a good choice for us. Our breeder had said by fixing early he would be smaller than typical BM ... But what we temperament wise from him makes it totally worth it- though he probably would've been this good if we'd left him intact? We'll never know. It does bug the sh!t out of me the number of people that think he's a boxer though. He is leaner & taller than most. But we really didn't want to chance aggression issues with the kids. I never knew about the studies saying it's healthier for them to fully develop before fixing. We will wait longer with our next BM for sure. Probably 12-18 months. Not sure. Our next will be a female.
I do wish I'd found out about this before fixing him young. Oh well. Nothing can change it now though. ;)
 

Jadotha

Well-Known Member
We have always kept males -- usually at least two at the same time -- and have never neutered. Reasons:
> It is perfectly possible to be a 'responsible' pet owner without neutering. Our dogs have never participated in an 'oops'.
> Even if you neuter late (a/o 2 years) there is increased risk for some cancers and orthopedic disorders. Studies are showing neutered dogs more subject to cognitive dysfunction in later life.
> It is unnecessary surgery.
> Personally we believe it is unethical and detracts from the mature adult 'persona' of the dog.

None of our dogs (IWHs, GDs, Mastiff) have ever developed osteosarcoma or any other form of cancer. None have suffered from arthritis, aside from some spinal issues.
We have never had problems often associated with intact dogs: No humping, marking, 'aggressiveness', wandering etc etc.

On the other hand, almost three years ago we rescued a neutered IWH. He is extremely tall (38") but spindly, and looks quite feminine. Even when we first adopted him (at the age of five) He had severe arthritis in essentially all of his joints.
 

LLJohnson10

Well-Known Member
The responsible pet owner part is not even a consideration when deciding to neuter or not. I've also had intact males, and have never had any oops.

The main things I'd like to eliminate is making sure my boy won't be aggressive towards other dogs out on walks. (I'd imagine it would be pretty scary for the average person having a 130 plus pound dog lunging and barking at another person/dog)

I also would like to prevent marking, this isn't a necessity, more of a mild inconvenience.

Most importantly, I would like to have a healthy dog, with good manners.
 

Kujo

Well-Known Member
We kept our boy intact with no intention of breeding. He's now about 17 months old, no aggressive issues at all, no health issues, never humped anything (except his bunny when he was 4 months old, never did it again), he does mark anything and everything that is outside (no marking issues inside).

We kept him intact for health reasons, we wanted to let his hormones help him grow naturally. He is on the small side for the breed, but that is due to him being the runt of the litter, his body condition is excellent for his size.

I believe the wellness plan you are talking about is the same one we had our boy on, they really push for the neuter in the time frame of the plan, which typically ends before the ideal age to neuter a mastiff. Luckily, they stopped pushing after I explained numerous times why we wanted to wait (it took some convincing, and in the end we agreed to disagree). If you can, get him on the wellness plan that doesn't include the neuter, it's cheaper and still covers all shots and office visits and a comprehensive exam. If neutering is something you still want to do after your pup reaches the ideal age, the same company offers a dental plan that covers the anesthetics, with that I belive you can get a neuter surgery at a discounted price.

This has been my experience, hope it helps.
 

Kujo

Well-Known Member
Forgot to say, while on walks he does want to mark everything he can, but I keep him focused on our walks and don't allow marking and sniffing, generally he listens...sometimes he tries to do a "walk by pee" before I can pull him off. :rolleyes:
 

cinnamon roll

Super Moderator
Super Moderator
I have never neutered any of males. Maybe I was lucky they didn't hump anything or anyone. Yes they marked stuff but never in my home so it didn't bother me. And I always kept two males and never had an issue.
 

Hector

Well-Known Member
The responsible pet owner part is not even a consideration when deciding to neuter or not. I've also had intact males, and have never had any oops.

The main things I'd like to eliminate is making sure my boy won't be aggressive towards other dogs out on walks. (I'd imagine it would be pretty scary for the average person having a 130 plus pound dog lunging and barking at another person/dog)

I also would like to prevent marking, this isn't a necessity, more of a mild inconvenience.

Most importantly, I would like to have a healthy dog, with good manners.

From my experience, neutering doesn't eliminate marking. I adopted a 3 yr old Belgian from the shelter and he's one hell of a marker. That's what drives him on our walks. He's a total pain in the ass because he wants to mark every bush and post. My un-neutered 17month male doesn't mark nearly as much as the Belgian or as intense. If a dog is going to be DA, he's going to be DA. You might be able to desensitize him through training, but a dog with DA can never be trusted with stranger dogs. If you are concerned that your dog may lunge at other dogs or people, then you really need to invest a lot of time in training loose leash manners.
 

musicdeb

Well-Known Member
So despite his neutering he's still a heavy marker?

I've only ever neutered one dog. The dog I neutered was not much of a marker to begin with, & would do it only occasionally on walks. After his neuter, the occasional marking stopped completely, and he would just release one long stream at the beginning of a walk and that was it.

The other 2 males that i've owned would mark like crazy, never in the house, but I couldn't move more than 50 yards without them wanting to stop and mark when on a walk.
Yes, Titan marks on our walks. He doesn't mark in the house. Thank goodness.
 

musicdeb

Well-Known Member
From my experience, neutering doesn't eliminate marking. I adopted a 3 yr old Belgian from the shelter and he's one hell of a marker. That's what drives him on our walks. He's a total pain in the ass because he wants to mark every bush and post. My un-neutered 17month male doesn't mark nearly as much as the Belgian or as intense. If a dog is going to be DA, he's going to be DA. You might be able to desensitize him through training, but a dog with DA can never be trusted with stranger dogs. If you are concerned that your dog may lunge at other dogs or people, then you really need to invest a lot of time in training loose leash manners.
Titan is a lunger due to the face that he was not socialized or trained until I rescued him. He's gotten better with the lunging but it's still a work in progress. IMO, neutering does not correct behavior issues. Consistency in training corrects behavior issues.