reasons for altering

[Th0r]

It was out doors for us too. Correcting him was near impossible. I had to walk down the middle of the road for him to not mark. But that still was not the reason. But altering did change his want to mark. Now he just doesn't care

I can see how that can be frustrating. Thor knows he can't sniff or mark until I stop and he has to sit first until I give the release command so he can sniff and mark.
He used to be super friendly to the neighbours beaner dog before she got fixed but now he'll actually come away when you call him and sometimes won't even go to see her at the fence anymore.
My annoying walk issue is that the bigger dogs don't want anything to do with him and stand down but the smaller ones always lung and want to pick a fight.

 

[marke]

personally i believe the propaganda leans towards the detrimental health affects of neutering , some of it strikes me as a stretch ....... there are legitimate reasons for neutering animals , thoroughbreds are neutered all the time for health and temperament benefits ........ funny cide , a gelding , almost won a trip[le crown ..... mine that bird , another gelding , came from near 30 lenghts back in the kentucky derby to win by 6 lengths , came in 2nd in the preakness and 3rd in the belmont ...... funny cide was gelded for health reasons and mine that bird for temperament reasons .......

 

[babyjoemurphy]

When you have someone that believes it's the only thing to do. I guess it's the "old" school thought your kinda beat.
Everyone is saying "oh look at the calmness in him since he was fixed"
I'm all like "Ya its got nothing to do with him loosing his balls, it's all about the 4 acres and house that's 4 times bigger that's tiring him out"

Some people

 

[Th0r]

Around here, it's got nothing to do with health reasons. More so population control and protection from irresponsible owners mostly. The shelters are overcrowded and not everyone wants a rescue.
Plus if my guy ever retaliates towards a smaller dog, the big dog will always be the one blamed.
And too many stupid people are asking me to breed him.

 

[Jakesmum]

I neutered Jake at 18 months mostly because I had a contract with the breeder that he would be neutered. We did have the problems with him trying to hump everything, his lipstick was out all the time and the puddles he left all over the house. He also would mark inside the vet's office, the pet store, other people's homes and he also was peeing on people.

 

[babyjoemurphy]

I had a guy ask me to breed Linc. I was so pissed. I went back with he was the reason BYB existed. He was the reason I keep adopting mastiffs that need new homes. Never heard from him again. Funny!

 

[Rugers-Kris]

I have a 3 year old Male intact English Mastiff and a 2 year old intact Male Great Dane and have no intention on every neutering them. Neither of them have ever marked inside (Ruger tried to mark the Christmas tree on his first Christmas but I yelled no and he has never tried to mark indoors again) or humped anything or have their lipstick out all of the time. Research shows that it is advantageous medically to keep them intact and neutering really only decreases the chances of testicular cancer (for obvious reasons) and on the off chance that they are diagnosed with it, normally a neuter will resolve it. There is much research out there and you should look into it and the greater health risks that come to a neutered male.

Don't buy into the hype. I understand why everyone wants to be pro neuter because they want less dogs ending up in shelters but if you are a responsible owner that can make sure that your dog does not "accidentally" impregnate another dog, then you should just look at the facts and decide from there.

All other things are behavioral and behavioral problems should be resolved using training versus surgery.

As far as aggression goes, personality decides that for us. Ruger (3 year old English Mastiff) does not like strangers AT ALL and is very protective...it is just who he is and I am certain that wouldn't change is he was neutered and before someone says that is what is causing it, Magnum (2 year old Great Dane) is friendly and loves most everyone. Neither one are neutered so......

In the end, there is no right or wrong answer. It is a personal choice that only you can make but I suggest really looking at the research first.

I constantly have people asking me if/when I am going to breed both of mine which irritates me to no end but I can shut them down pretty quick. For those that don't already know me...I will not be breeding either one of them ever.

 

[voidecho]

there really is no doubt that male dogs are responsible for most dog bites , that would be a direct result of hormones , males are both more territorial and possessive ........ I think it would be no problem to see for yourself that intact male dogs account for a majority of dog bites , from many sources , and intact dogs responsible for a vast majority of those ..... universities , health department , avma , legal studies ................. here's one from the texas dept. of health , this is just severe bites , you should have no problem finding some info on just reported bites from any state ........personally I've found this info to fit what I've seen http://dogbitelaw.com/images/pdf/TX-study-1999.pdf

I'm not going to argue that altered males or females bite more than unaltered males, because I don't know, however I would like to point out that the stats in the attachment make things look worse than they really are. When someone looks at those stats they see 89% of the males that bit were unaltered to only 11% altered. However, based on the population information down below, you would expect unaltered to bite more because there are so many more of them. Per their stats, there are 77 unaltered males for every 23 altered males and this data is mostly driven from licensing and impounds. There are tons of dogs out there unlicensed and I'm guessing the people that don't license aren't going to nueter either. So the unaltered to altered % of males is probably even closer to the 89%/11% bite ratio which could mean they bite in the same %.

 

[marke]

I'm not going to argue that altered males or females bite more than unaltered males, because I don't know, however I would like to point out that the stats in the attachment make things look worse than they really are. When someone looks at those stats they see 89% of the males that bit were unaltered to only 11% altered. However, based on the population information down below, you would expect unaltered to bite more because there are so many more of them. Per their stats, there are 77 unaltered males for every 23 altered males and this data is mostly driven from licensing and impounds. There are tons of dogs out there unlicensed and I'm guessing the people that don't license aren't going to nueter either. So the unaltered to altered % of males is probably even closer to the 89%/11% bite ratio which could mean they bite in the same %.

you are correct and they did account for that ...... I've seen plenty of "studies" that forget that part , this wasn't one of them ......I believe proportional would be about 3 intact bites to 1 neutered , this is like 8 to 1 ....the link is in the post if you care to read the rest , I just googled "dog bites intact" there plenty of others , university studies , health dept.'s , the avma .............

The study revealed that 2,788 (23%) of male dogs and 3,756 (31%) of female dogs in the sample had

been surgically sterilized. When comparing the sex and reproductive status of dogs involved in severe bites with

the study population, the following conclusions may be made. Spayed and intact females appear to bite in the

same proportion as their prevalence in the overall population. Neutering males appears to reduce the risk of

serious attacks or bites by more than 2 times.

mine that bird , the thoroughbred that won the Kentucky derby , 2nd in the Preakness and 3rd in the Belmont , was unhandleable by professional trainers and jockeys without being gelded ...... I'm not an advocate of neutering male dogs , but that doesn't change the facts that it mentally alters their behavior . I keep intact bitches and males , the males are a pain in the butt , they pee on anything I bring in the yard , the lawn mower , chairs , lumber , the puppies ........... when there is a bitch in season around , you need a good kennel to keep them in , more along the lines of a cage ....they don't eat , sleep or drink , they whine , howl and bark constantly .... to make matters worse bitches tend to bring the others around them into heat , so it may last months ...I personally have only seen intact dogs with torn acl's , it's pretty much all I've been around , never had a reason to neuter a male other than prostate problems ...... i'm raising two male pups together right now , one is aggressive to the point I had to separate him from the rest at 7 weeks , to make an impact on a dog like this he'd need neutered at a very young age , rather than see that happen i'll just keep him ............ nothing wrong with "old" school it's stood the test of time ........ I've seen lot's of "new" school not pan out .............

 

[twood71]

Never altered any animal, don't believe it is for benefit reasons, I'd say to someone if you want a benefit then study the bread before you buy.

If you don't want a aggressive animal or a hyper active animal, then study the breeds. Don't think in our God like powers we will correct an animals outcome by altering it because we made a mistake on what we bought.

 

[NYDDB]

I have no intention on neutering my DDB (he's 4 years old now)-- I simply see no reason.

~ no behavioral issues
~ no indoors marking. Yes, he marks on trees and such outside, but he's a male- that's what they do.
~ no humping or mounting, at all.
~ no excessive aggression. He CAN be aggressive, but it takes a LOT for him to retaliate against dog aggression that's literally in his face. But, that's a training issue, (which we have under control), and not because he has testicles.
~ he does not seem sexually "frustrated" at all. I would say 2 or 3 times a year he has a "wet dream" - it happens when he is asleep. Otherwise, he is not desperate for some bitch to mate with. He even met up with a Giant Schnauzer that he's friendly with recently--- the owner casually mentioned that she is coming into heat...Mateo was a bit more interested in smelling her, but not obsessively so. We just walked away.


By the way, having been around so many dogs in many years of dog ownership, I would say that the most unbalanced (and yes, aggressive) dogs I have known have been altered.

As an aside, I was speaking with a French woman the other day who was so shocked to see so many dogs walking around NYC without their balls...in Europe (some countires more than others), altering your animal is not considered the norm; it is done usually when there is a medical need to do so.

 

[marke]

absolutely , there should be no reason to subject your dog to a surgery if there is no need for it ............ if castrating was responsible for causing orthopedic issues i'd have to think the horse folks would have noticed it by now , they have been gelding colts for thousands of years , and they geld them very young ... a thoroughbred or quarter horse with less than perfectly sound orthopedics will without question break down ........ gelding is supposed to extend a horses working life ...the hormones that make a stallion a stallion are the exact same hormones that make a dog a dog , and a man a man ...... as for france , i'm reasonably sure a lot of the dogs owned by folks on this board cannot be owned in some European countries like france , dogo , fila , canary dogs ......... and the ones that can are required to be neutered or spayed ? ............... if all the dogs in nyc were intact and of the types on this board , I think it'd be quite a sight , based on what I've owned ... the sex drive in dogs does vary , I've come home to a dog that shredded his nose , muzzle and mouth , trying to chew through the chainlink because there was a bitch in season nearby ....... and the guy in the kennel next to him not bothered at all......

 

[Th0r]

absolutely , there should be no reason to subject your dog to a surgery if there is no need for it ............ if castrating was responsible for causing orthopedic issues i'd have to think the horse folks would have noticed it by now , they have been gelding colts for thousands of years , and they geld them very young ... a thoroughbred or quarter horse with less than perfectly sound orthopedics will without question break down ........ gelding is supposed to extend a horses working life ...the hormones that make a stallion a stallion are the exact same hormones that make a dog a dog , and a man a man ...... as for france , i'm reasonably sure a lot of the dogs owned by folks on this board cannot be owned in some European countries like france , dogo , fila , canary dogs ......... and the ones that can are required to be neutered or spayed ? ............... if all the dogs in nyc were intact and of the types on this board , I think it'd be quite a sight , based on what I've owned ... the sex drive in dogs does vary , I've come home to a dog that shredded his nose , muzzle and mouth , trying to chew through the chainlink because there was a bitch in season nearby ....... and the guy in the kennel next to him not bothered at all......

I've seen dogs climbing fences to get to a female on heat and one almost ripping his face off trying get get trough a drain with a metal mesh filter.
Their sole purpose in life is to procreate!

 

[NYDDB]

Back to the original question/subject: "reasons for altering":

I will admit that having a giant breed with his testicles intact does invite some negative behavior from a handful of dogs (and owners). I've had a guy (with a neutered black lab that went ballistic upon seeing- and smelling, I assume- Mateo), literally have to pick his lunging dog up and slam him into a construction site fencing as we passed by, cursing and screaming at me that, "this wouldn't happen if you got your dog neutered!!!".

Well. Okay then-- I will run right over and schedule a surgery just to make your dog more comfortable...

And there is another person who has 2 dogs, one of which wants to kill mine...just because (she says) "he's not neutered." Well, she wasn't kidding. A few months ago, she lost control of the leash as he was lunging towards Mateo and attacked. It took 2 men to subdue this dog, with one pressing his knee on his head. Meanwhile, Mateo stood calmly by my side, even after having to engage in a fight he never asked for. The only thing she had to say to me was, "If you got him neutered my dog would leave him alone!"

Again, it's not up to me to fix your dog's training issues, lady....

I'm just illustrating why the above examples might be a reason to neuter...it may well help dogs interact on a more even playing field, I don't know. I do have a friend here in the city who recently got her dog neutered for just this reason. Personally, it's not enough to persuade me to alter my dog. If, in addition, he had some major behavioral or medical issues on top of everything else, than of course it's a whole diferent story...

 

[marke]

too bad they can't neuter stupid people .......... nyc is no place for aggressive dogs ..... you should have told them the problem isn't your dog being intact , the problem is they didn't neuter their dogs young enough ........... I have a very aggressive bitch , I would never put her or people in a position like your describing ....... I only take her places I know there will be not many if any dogs , at times and in weather conditions most people don't take their dogs out ...... only problem is sometimes it seems there is a decent number of folks with the same problem and idea ......

 

[cj-sharpy]

My boy was intact when he came to me and I had him done as soon as he had settled in and was comfortable in the house.
It might have helped his aggression but we were going pretty hardcore with training and discipline so I'll never know which had more effect. (At 8 or 9 yr old I'd guess the training was more effective)
The snip did stop the constant need to hump and also the "jizz puddles".
Truthfully I'd aim for a female next time but if I were to get a male I still think I'd get him done.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[NYDDB]

too bad they can't neuter stupid people .......... nyc is no place for aggressive dogs ..... you should have told them the problem isn't your dog being intact , the problem is they didn't neuter their dogs young enough ........... I have a very aggressive bitch , I would never put her or people in a position like your describing ....... I only take her places I know there will be not many if any dogs , at times and in weather conditions most people don't take their dogs out ...... only problem is sometimes it seems there is a decent number of folks with the same problem and idea ......

Because you are responsible, and understand the risks and consequences. I also avoid the off-leash hours in Central Park; I really don't need so many loose dogs running up to Mateo, friendly or not---and if they're not, then hell will break loose. And Mateo doesn't need that, either. So, we go later in the day, and have a great time, with very little stress.

But it's true, LOL--- most other owners of large/giant breed dogs that are not into the doggy crowds also show up later. But, usually they are also responsible and respectful...thankfully.

 

[Th0r]

I still don't get why fixed dogs lung and want to pick a fight with unfixed dogs?
Shouldn't it be the other way around? Shouldn't they be afraid of a dog with a sex drive?

 

[Smokeycat]

I still don't get why fixed dogs lung and want to pick a fight with unfixed dogs?
Shouldn't it be the other way around? Shouldn't they be afraid of a dog with a sex drive?

The way it was explained to me is that since most dogs are fixed early very few dogs actually have experience around an intact dog. Since their sense of smell is so great they can smell the hormones in the dogs system and that makes the dog smell different. Since they smell strange and unlike other dogs there must be something wrong with them and therefor the attacking dog is trying to protect what is theirs. I don't know how accurate this explanation was but it makes sense to me so it's at least plausible.

 

[marke]

they smell testosterone .