Neuter or Not

[GSDog]

I use to have Dobermans and werent neuter and now I have a German Shepherd only 3.5months old and already weighs 51lbs anyhow I believen in neutering if you dont plan to have pups with the dog but hubby doesnt want him neuter and I do..my dog is still going to get neutered..i was just wondering if anyone out there didnt see a big difference in character...like i said i never had problems with my doberman but a german shepherd is kind of new to me as a breed...yes a dog is a dog but i believe some breeds can have a bit of differences among other types of breeds...

cheers

[Tommysmom]

Growing up we always had shepherd mixes and lab mixes... my grandparents had purebred shepherds... and I now have a terrier... and I've never noticed a difference in character after neutering. For the dogs that tended to spray it did usually stop that, but they always stayed pretty much the same doggies they were before neutering (except when around females in heat, of course!). They do sometimes say that the change in hormones can lead to less aggression/dominance, but I've never really experienced that. I firmly believe that the health benefits are important enough to get all my dogs spayed or neutered, and I've never encountered any negative personality changes.

[luckypenny]

Our Lucky is a Chow/Shepherd mix we think....and having him neutered made a difference where it mattered IMO. After his neuter, he no longer marked in our home (was neutered as an adult), nor in the homes of our friends who have dogs . He is now able to focus on me when we go out rather than the scent of females in heat (he used to go nuts, foaming at the mouth and uncontrollable on the leash). It did not change his personality in the least. He's still the same dog as he was pre-neuter. There are also possible health benefits of neutering that we considered as well, not to mention that we did not want to be responsible and add to the pet overpopulation that unfortunately exists today.

[TeriM]

YES, YES, YES you should definately neuter. Here is a good article on some reasons.

It is a myth that every dog should keep its testicles to maintain its "manliness". Dogs do not need to breed. It doesn't make a dog any better if it does breed, and it certainly doesn't make its owner a better person either! And it certainly can make that dog much more difficult to manage if it is not neutered.

The reality is that unless there is a specific reason to breed your dog, it should be neutered at an early age to prevent unwanted pregnancies, minimise agressive male behaviour, and to lessen the chance of some forms of cancer.

My recommendation is that the dog gets neutered between 2 and 6 months old. In fact, when we place puppies, we will neuter them before they go and include this as part of the purchase price. We strongly encourage other breeders to do the same. Yes, there is always a small risk associated with any sort of surgery, but there is far greater risk associated with owning and managing a dog with an aggressive sex drive. There is significant evidence showing that younger pups manage through the surgery option much better than older dogs. Indeed, the surgery is quite simple and can be performed in a matter of minutes. We recommend that you seek a couple of quotes from different vets as prices can differ enormously.

If your dog is not neutered, you will often see the following:


they will pee on everything and anything - including all furniture, curtains, shoes, and handbags in your house.
a major change of behaviour around bitches "in season". Once a dog has actually had sex, this behaviour can be magnified significantly on future occasions when coming in contact with fertile bitches.
many dogs will actively seek fertile bitches breaking out of seemingly secure fences. Indeed we have a friend whose dog broke his chain, then broke out of a shed, then chewed through fences, and got into the house where the bitch was housed, and was able to breed with her producing pups 9 weeks later.
sometimes dogs will be aggressive to other dogs and may hump any other dog (males included) that he finds. This behaviour can go on for some time.
often dogs not neutered will seek out neutered males to hump. You can imagine the outcomes that this can have in terms of aggressiveness (not to mention your embarrassment)
sometimes the dog will refuse to eat whenever they smell a fertile bitch
male dogs can sometimes be quite aggressive to a female in season
male dogs seeking to fulfil their sexual drive will often hump anything or anyone that moves
male dogs can howl and cry for weeks while a bitch is in season within smelling distance of them (and believe me, this will drive you nuts)
often males will exude a smell related to the sex hormones when a bitch is in season. This smell is appalling, and you will be doing your best to figure out how to get rid of it. (good luck - we haven't figured out a way yet).

It is surprising just how major the behaviour change in dogs can be when bitches are in season. Before I got my toy poodle neutered he would actually attack my old neutered boxer when bitches were in season. Naturally, a toy poodle cannot do a heck of a lot of damage to a boxer, but in one instance the boxer decided he'd had enough and turned on the poodle. Luckily I was there to stop any damage. However, when involved with stud dogs on other occasions, I have been damaged (bitten) by aggressive stud dog behaviour - and by dogs who normally had the most superb temperament. As an old-timer mentor said to me recently - "a male will actually attempt to kill any male who he thinks will mate a bitch near him."
When a male dog is after a fertile bitch, that is the only thing on his mind. He will do anything that he can think of to get at bitches. This includes scaling fences, breaking down doors, mating through fences, and physically harming and even killing other dogs, etc. Additionally, as the owner of the male dog, you are as responsible as the owner of the bitch, for any puppies that are born. This means you have a ethical responsibility for life to rescue any of those pups if they ever end up in the pound. (as a note: it is likely in future that legally as well as morally you will have this responsibility).

When you get to this point, you really need to ask yourself, "is this really worth it?"

Frankly, in the 99.99% of cases, it is not worth it. Do yourself, your family, and your neigbhours a favour by getting your dog neutered.

Don't wait until your dog starts getting sexual drives before you neuter him. In many cases, once the dog starts the mis-behaviour associated with attempting to breed, that behaviour can stay after the neutering has taken place.

[Harley's_Mom]

I just had my dog Harley neutered and it was the best thing we could've done. My neighbors have an unspayed female and when she went into heat over Christmas it drove Harley (who hadn't had his surgery yet)nuts. He started marking all over my house and constantly whined to get outside. Everyone was miserable. Since his surgery he has stopped marking inside and outside. Any changes to his personality were for the better. He's much calmer in the house and he's not nearly as vocal.

[the gang]

i agree with everbody, i have one that still marks grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr and been fixed from a pup, but in the long run better for your pup ,good luck brenda and the pins.

[mona_b]

Actually,if this pup came from a reputable breeder,then you would have been put on a neuter contract.


I grew up with the GSD,and have raised 3.My current is 11.All my boys were neutered at 6 months..This was stated on my contract.

Please please neuter him.

Also,I have never noticed a difference in different neutered breeds.

None of my GSD's acted any different then my sisters Sibe,my cousins Golden,AmSaff or pointer.My friends Dane.My neighbors Bouv's,my nieces Black Russian...The list goes on..........

Since this breed is new to you(old to me...lol)something you need to watch.At this age please don't have him going up and down the stairs alot.Doing this "can" cause Pano(panosteitis)...This happened to one of my cousins GSD.It started showing up at 5-5 1/2 months of age.Yes pano is a form of "growing pains"..It starts usually in the front legs and can go into the back.Once it got into the back,he ended up with a fevor,wouldn't eat/drink and lost weight.There were many xrays taken,medication and more vet visits.It was stated by the vet that with this breed(and I'm sure others)that they shouldn't be doing alot of stairs.I'm thinking it has to do with the pups having weeker bones...

[GSDog]

thank you for your inputs....dont know what happen or how it happen this post got into the food thread...sorry about that...

i am planning to neuter him no matter what...i was just wondering for character wise...

and Teri, where you posted "if you dont get him neuter the following happens... well the dobermans I had never whatsoever did what the info said...either i was lucky im sure its because i didnt tolerate misbehaving from any dogs...

hes a very good puppy, hes only 3.5months old and already knows to sit, stay, heel, come, with or without a lease...

again thanks