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Personally, I know WHY S/N became a big deal. But it's just been overdone to the extreme. I support keeping the numbers of strays and accidental dogs down, and have for more than 50 years. But enough is enough, and too much is too much.
I have long said neutering a male had negative personality affects. Spaying a female does not seem to have a similar impact. I found it nice to see that scientific studies validated my real life observations. And actually carried it a bit farther.
And you don't need every dog s/n to keep the population down. What you do need is careful owners.
My dogs, for the past few decades, have been rescues, and therefore s/n. I don't know what I will do next time. But I tend to think I won't be looking for rescues any more. Nor dealing with a breeder who insists on s/n in a contract. But that is crystal-balling, and who knows for sure what I will do when the time comes.
What about if your male puppy is showing dominance and even "humping" everything (me, the other dog and the cats) as early as 11 weeks?
Anyone have an opinion on that? My puppy is maturing early as he is already getting some adult teeth in at just over 4 months and my vet feels early neutering will eliminate at least 1/2 of his negative behavior.
What about if your male puppy is showing dominance and even "humping" everything (me, the other dog and the cats) as early as 11 weeks?
Anyone have an opinion on that? My puppy is maturing early as he is already getting some adult teeth in at just over 4 months and my vet feels early neutering will eliminate at least 1/2 of his negative behavior.
Um what! Train your dog not to hump, your puppy isn't trying to dominate you. My female early spay Boxer would hump, you can correct it.
Currently my (intact) female Pit attempted to hump someone on 2 occasions and her daughter tried this once with me at 4 or 5 months old. It's not likely to be solved by neutering and it probably isn't even that usuall.
"Maturing early" dogs usually start teething around 3-4 months, so this isn't unusual at all or early. They loose baby teeth and get new ones in. Last dog show I went to the puppies in my dogs class were missing teeth or had mix of baby / adult teeth.
Your pup so you will have to do what's best, but I'd be concerned about health issues especially orthopedic ones and increased risk of serious cancers. Those are severe, where problem behaviors can be trained against and managed.
Um what! Train your dog not to hump, your puppy isn't trying to dominate you. My female early spay Boxer would hump, you can correct it.
Currently my (intact) female Pit attempted to hump someone on 2 occasions and her daughter tried this once with me at 4 or 5 months old. It's not likely to be solved by neutering and it probably isn't even that usuall.
"Maturing early" dogs usually start teething around 3-4 months, so this isn't unusual at all or early. They loose baby teeth and get new ones in. Last dog show I went to the puppies in my dogs class were missing teeth or had mix of baby / adult teeth.
Your pup so you will have to do what's best, but I'd be concerned about health issues especially orthopedic ones and increased risk of serious cancers. Those are severe, where problem behaviors can be trained against and managed.
Believe me I am trying but he is relentless. I feel it's half sexual as he is worse with my 2 female spayed cats than me or my neutered male dog.
See, my vet is saying the opposite and that certain cancers (of course testicular/prostate in nature) will be eliminated with neutering. Years ago he even neutered a 12 yr old male stray I found for preventative reasons.
I am bringing this up as I am sure LOTS of people are being told this by their vets too. Will starting him early on ortho supplements help prevent future problems, you think? The only thing my vet mentioned is I could stop the puppy food and switch to regular after. He said the puppy food just adds more calories he won't need.
What about if your male puppy is showing dominance and even "humping" everything (me, the other dog and the cats) as early as 11 weeks?
Anyone have an opinion on that? My puppy is maturing early as he is already getting some adult teeth in at just over 4 months and my vet feels early neutering will eliminate at least 1/2 of his negative behavior.
Humping everything - don't sweat it. It passes. I would mildly discourage it, but it's not a panic item. The cats will either teach him what-for, or they will avoid him. And if your vet wants to neuter a dog at 4 months, and if he were my vet? He would not be my vet any more. I would be looking for a different vet. Your vet probably has his mind made up, I wouldn't even try to change it - not worth the effort. I see vets all the time who think one way or another - they are just people - like you and me. Even though some of them want us to think they come from Mount Olympus. They don't. I respect their opinion, but I do not have to agree with it - and sometimes I don't.
If you still want to neuter a young male dog at 4 months - it's not going to kill them - soon, anyway. I think the research showing they may be susceptible to certain cancers as a result of neutering is as compelling as the research showing they may be susceptible to other cancers if they DON'T undergo neutering. Neutering a dog that young DOES change their adult behavior, and I personally do NOT like the changes one gets from that. But you may not care.
As far as a preventative for cancer - women are more prone to breast cancer. How many have their breasts removed to prevent it? Some women who come from high risk families actually do this, but percentage-wise the number is less than tiny. There is a reason for that, eh? I think your doctor is either not aware of the research into negative side effects of neutering, or he disagrees with their findings. So your vet thinks "Let's do something that is no risk, to rule out a small risk". Except that neutering is not "no-risk". It has real consequences, and they are finally being officially recognized.
The dominance? I would strongly suggest reading 2 out of 3 of the following books, soon, before you make up your mind that "dominance" is really what the dog is showing. They will also help you know how to handle it.
The Culture Clash - Jean Donaldson
The Other End of the Leash - Patricia McConnell
Before and After Getting your new Puppy - Ian Dunbar
I think the first two are more oriented towards problem behavior, but Dunbar is so widely recognized I threw him on the heap.
Humping everything - don't sweat it. It passes. I would mildly discourage it, but it's not a panic item. The cats will either teach him what-for, or they will avoid him. And if your vet wants to neuter a dog at 4 months, and if he were my vet? He would not be my vet any more. I would be looking for a different vet. Your vet probably has his mind made up, I wouldn't even try to change it - not worth the effort. I see vets all the time who think one way or another - they are just people - like you and me. Even though some of them want us to think they come from Mount Olympus. They don't. I respect their opinion, but I do not have to agree with it - and sometimes I don't.
If you still want to neuter a young male dog at 4 months - it's not going to kill them - soon, anyway. I think the research showing they may be susceptible to certain cancers as a result of neutering is as compelling as the research showing they may be susceptible to other cancers if they DON'T undergo neutering. Neutering a dog that young DOES change their adult behavior, and I personally do NOT like the changes one gets from that. But you may not care.
The dominance? I would strongly suggest reading 2 out of 3 of the following, soon, before you make up your mind that "dominance" is really what the dog is showing - and how to handle it:
The Culture Clash - Jean Donaldson
The Other End of the Leash - Patricia McConnell
Before and After Getting your new Puppy - Ian Dunbar
I think the first two are more oriented towards problem behavior, but Dunbar is so widely recognized I threw him on the heap.
Good luck.
Thanks for the info. I will check those out. I got the puppy at 10 weeks and he was very socialized and great with people (still is at 18 weeks) At 11 weeks he started the humping and aggressive behavior. (I have NEVER seen this with such a young puppy) At least one time I KNOW it was aggressive toward me. This is a beagle puppy by the way and my 10 year old beagle was putting up with his puppy growling and aggressive play quite well up to that point.
I think early on he was testing boundaries as a week after I got him he attacked my leg (I was correcting him each time he did this prior) but this time he REALLY growled at me. I don't think I am exaggerating based on my other beagle's reaction. My older beagle ran across the room, threw the puppy to the ground and sat on him and growled in his face till he calmed down. It happened so fast it seemed to be instinctual protection toward me on his part. Also, just want to mention that this is the first time I have heard my 10 yr old beagle growl his entire life.
The puppy never did that again, but still tries to hump with no growling.
The cats unfortunately won't give them the "what-for" or even defend themselves, though they have claws. Kind of glad; though it's making my life harder, as the #1 reason dog's get eye injuries (many permanent) is from cats. The smallest cat (barely more than a kitten) wants to play with him but is only 7 lbs. I am constantly monitoring for safety. Early on, I even kept puppy on a leash in the house. It's getting better, but not perfect.
Just wanted to give more info about my situation. Small dogs also mature earlier. They are almost full sized at 6 months, so that may factor in with my vet's advice about neutering early.
Do you think in my case the change will be positive? I would LIKE a more docile puppy. All my dogs were neutered (not necessarily early - some were strays over 1 yr) and they all lived 13-17 yrs with no cancer period or any health issues till old age.
Last edited by motownnative; 05-19-2018 at 12:54 PM..
My now deceased male GSD was humping my female GSD at two months. I never thought anything of it and if he irritated her enough, she corrected him. He stopped as he got older.
What about if your male puppy is showing dominance and even "humping" everything (me, the other dog and the cats) as early as 11 weeks?
Anyone have an opinion on that? My puppy is maturing early as he is already getting some adult teeth in at just over 4 months and my vet feels early neutering will eliminate at least 1/2 of his negative behavior.
That is pretty normal behavior. My male pup certainly tried it. That is a training issue. I let my pup know that was NOT acceptable behavior, just like I taught him barking, chewing inappropriate things, and eliminating inside were not allowed. If he even looked like he was thinking about it, I told him to knock it off.
I've have had dogs as an adult for more than 50 years.
Some were purebreds that I bought.
Some were purebreds that I rescued.
Some were mixes of all sorts that I rescued ----- including a Pit Bill mix.
They ALL got spayed or neutered. I NEVER had an agressive dog --- NEVER --- much less having someone try to lay the folderol on me that S/N makes a dog that way. That is the most asinine thing I ever heard.
I rather think dogs become agressive because the person getting them doesn't know how to handle them ---- especially if the dog has a strong-willed personality and was bred for guard duty or such.
What about if your male puppy is showing dominance and even "humping" everything (me, the other dog and the cats) as early as 11 weeks?
Anyone have an opinion on that? My puppy is maturing early as he is already getting some adult teeth in at just over 4 months and my vet feels early neutering will eliminate at least 1/2 of his negative behavior.
Your vet is correct. He has the medical knowledge to determine this. Untrained people do not. Your dog deserves a healthy and happy life.
Just wanted to give more info about my situation. Small dogs also mature earlier. They are almost full sized at 6 months, so that may factor in with my vet's advice about neutering early.
Do you think in my case the change will be positive? I would LIKE a more docile puppy. All my dogs were neutered (not necessarily early - some were strays over 1 yr) and they all lived 13-17 yrs with no cancer period or any health issues till old age.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Normashirley
--- much less having someone try to lay the folderol on me that S/N makes a dog that way. That is the most asinine thing I ever heard.
. . .
A beagle, eh? Well, as you may know, that will make things a little more difficult! Pretty independent breed. I pretty much agree with other folks posting replies about the humping - although Otto sounds a little harsh, he/she also tends to write things that sound a bit more dramatic than what I think he/she does in actual life.
Now, as for the changes I've observed as a result of neutering. Neutering will make for a more docile puppy, but that also translates into a more submissive/subservient adult. I will have to take the scientists' word about more aggressive, but I do think it can make them snappier as adults - not as calm and confident in daily life. More likely to handle things in a snippy sort of fashion. This is not hard and fast - it is trends. The neutered dog is more likely to avoid conflict, IMO, which is great as a pup, but less desirable as an adult. I want my adult dogs to stand up to challenges, not run away. I don't want an aggressive dog, but I DO want a calm and confident dog. (BTW, the words I am finding to describe this are woefully inadequate.)
The changes I've noticed are less likely to be seen if the dog is older than 1 yr when neutered.
As for normashirley's comment - maybe its right, but I'll give the scientific studies the benefit of the doubt for now.
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