Do I really have to neuter our dog?!
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Anonymous
| No, you don’t have to. And plenty of people here will tell you what you want to hear. But you know you should. All you have to do is google it. Ask the Humane Society. |
Anonymous
You clearly have no clue what's best for your dog. Yes OP, neuter your dog. For your dog's health and wellbeing, and for the wellbeing of everybody else. It brings YOU some discomfort, but that's where you're royally selfish. |
Anonymous
Honestly, I came into this thread ready to pounce on OP too. But when I really think about it, I'm not sure it is so critically important to neuter a dog under the conditions OP described. I've always taken it as a given that it is just something you have to do. I believe show dogs are not spayed or neutered. Are we saying that they are across the board "less happy" dogs? |
Anonymous
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PP here. I was curious and started looking. I thought this was interesting:
"It still is: Surveys indicate a large majority of pet dogs are fixed, and 31 states and the District require that pets adopted from shelters or rescues be sterilized. The surgeries simplify pet ownership by preventing females from going into heat and, some believe, by improving dog behavior, though experts say that is not clearly supported by research. But the common wisdom has been complicated in recent years amid widening evidence connecting spaying and neutering to health problems in dogs. The findings are stronger for certain breeds and large dogs, and age of neutering plays a role. But the research is causing some owners and veterinarians to question the long-held tenet that fixing puppies — or fixing, period — is a necessary part of responsible pet ownership. “We owe it to our dogs to have a much larger conversation about spay and neuter,” said Missy Simpson, a veterinary epidemiologist with the Morris Animal Foundation, a charity that funds animal health research. “It’s nuanced, and there isn’t a great one-size-fits-all recommendation for every dog.”" https://www.washingtonpost.com/science/2019/10/11/growing-debate-over-spaying-neutering-dogs/ |
Anonymous
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Hey OP, I totally get it. Here’s a thread I started a few months ago about our dog: https://www.dcurbanmom.com/jforum/posts/list/1000716.page. I get exactly how you feel and was super worried about neutering him because he was the sweetest thing ever, no humping, no aggression, anything people said that was a behavioral reason to neuter really did not connect with him because he had none of that. We did finally get him neutered when he was 13 months. Two months later, he hasn’t changed a bit. It was a sucky week with recovery, but then he got right back to his sweet self and I haven’t noticed any difference in him even a bit.
All that to say, I get why you wouldn’t in your case. I felt that way too. What finally got me to do it was the social judgment honestly, I was like ok I’m tired of being asked and judged, I’ll just do it. Super glad we waited as long as we did and glad we did it I guess, but literally like I said no change. |
Anonymous
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Data is pretty clear that fixing a dog has little impact on behavior, so no need to do it for those reasons. But:
1. If you ever need to board your board, you won’t be able to. Most facilities do not allow intact dogs. You don’t want to be in the middle of an emergency, need to go out of town, and no one can take your dog because he’s not fixed. 2. It’s a good practice for male dog owners to take responsibility for birth control. Dogs escape from yards and leashes. Vets are now recommending to wait a year before getting dogs fixed, which means there are now many female dogs who can get pregnant, and not through negligence. Yes, you don’t have to deal with the consequences of an unplanned litter of puppies, but someone does. And it’s always possible those puppies will end up in shelters or euthanized. So it’s the responsible thing to neuter your dog for the common good. |
Anonymous
| Reposting the link without the period that messed it up: https://www.dcurbanmom.com/jforum/posts/list/1000716.page |
Anonymous
| Maybe this is a weird way to think about it, but I can’t imagine living a life with sexual urges that I couldn’t fulfill. |
Anonymous
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Spaying and neutering is PRIMARILY to avoid making more unwanted puppies and euthanasia, OP. An accidental pregnancy can happen in a few seconds. Practically, it’s much easier to board your dog if they’re fixed. I own an un-neutered stud who is supposed to better his breed and contribute to lines free of heritable genetic disorders. It’s a ton of responsibility that most people are not prepared for. Get your dog neutered at 2, when they’re fully adult. Early spay and neuters is very bad for dogs’ long-term health. |
Anonymous
| Did you rescue this doodle? Most breeders require you to neuter. |
Anonymous
OP here and no, he is not a rescue. Yes, the breeder did "request" that we neuter, although I'm not sure how that could ever be checked up on, let alone enforced. Regarding day care or boarding, as noted, I don't anticipate a need for that. We have plenty of family here who would keep him when we go out of town. I'm interested in the comment from the poster about waiting until he is two years old; maybe that is a compromise. So far, every reason posted here has to do with what is best for pet owners, and their convenience. I haven't seen anything that indicates that this is in any way what is best for the dog. |
Anonymous
Glad you mentioned show dogs, because unless OP is going to put the same level of training and accommodation into their dog as the typical show dog, this is the exception that proves the rule. Show dogs go through hours and hours of training, grooming, etc. They are essentially working dogs. They are not typical family pets. Show dogs are also bred for certain traits and only developed as show dogs if they demonstrate those traits at birth. OP is talking about failing to neuter a standard family pet, without any special training or treatment. This dog will go to dog parks, walk on city sidewalks, be in a house with children, etc., and OP has zero experience handling a dog when sex hormones start to alter their behavior and personality. So dumb. Just neuter your dog. I sometimes think you shouldn't even be allowed to adopt a family cat or dog until they are neutered or spayed. Because people cannot be trusted to do the right thing. |
Anonymous
Most cats are required to be spayed or neutrered. To have your pet licensed in the city you live in (and every pet owner should do this), it's usually required. My cat was neutered at 9 weeks, right before I adopted him. A year later, he's the sweetest, most playful, cuddly thing. Don't be dumb OP. If your dog ever leaves the locked, closed 4 walls of your home, it should be neutered. But you sound like the kind of jerk who probably uses retractable leashes. |
Anonymous
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https://topdogtips.com/benefits-of-spaying-and-neutering-your-dogs/
Here is an article about the benefits for the dog to neuter and spay. It isn't just for the convenience of the owners. |
Anonymous
It's for both, this is a symbiotic best practice. Listen, you're almost definitely going to wind up neutering your dog. Because what's going to happen is that at some point, his sex hormones are going to start driving aggressive or unwanted behavior. You might take your dog to a trainer and you know what they'll say "oh, neuter him." So you're going to wind up neutering him. Do it now, when he's still young, and that means that you can eliminate those hormones from the equation and keep developing your relationship to the dog without as much stress and drama. Better for everyone, including your dog. Or whatever, you can wait until it's a problem, and waste months of everyone's life trying to deal with the problem, only to have to neuter the dog anyway. There is a reason this is best practices. You are arrogantly thinking your dog is different, your situation is different. It isn't! Just neuter your dog like you should. |