Denise,

So glad you had a chance to get a variety of insight - no one can make the decision for you, but it sure feels better when you can proceed from an educated standpoint. I never thought I'd be doing so much research on the kinds of things I have since getting Oscar - but it's so important to know as much as you can before you take a leap and do something irreversible. And even when you think you've got it right, these dogs can throw you for a loop!

Sounds like you're ready for a challenge (more power to you!), and as long as you feel comfortable with that I think you've made a good decision in waiting for your pup to mature - he may be feeling macho now, but he's sill got a LOT of growing to do. So let him fill his britches, keep him in check, and before you know it you'll have a wise, well trained adult dog who is the perfect sporting partner for you.

Cheers,
Natalya

Denise
Your boy is SO GORGEOUS!!! If you ever want to re-home him email me! Seriously, it sounds like you're right on track.....Ed's articles and DVD's are just plain workable....step by step and common sense. I have used some of them to integrate a rescue GSD we got in Jan. into our 3-cat-2-girl-dog-household and I have never had a smoother transition. Not to say my boy is perfect but the Groundwork article and the Basic Obedience DVD have been life-savers. As far as the nuetering goes, I wish I'd had the info on this site years ago......it could have saved me a lot of frustration. Good luck and congrats to you and Natalya on your beautiful boys!

Saffron,

Out of curiosity, can you elaborate on your "frustrations" regarding neutering? I'm always interested in hearing other people's experiences and what sort of decisions they made based on their particular situations.

Would love to hear more.

-Natalya

There is also a plethora of info out there that points to the health benefits of NOT neutering...do more than your fair share of research before you decide. I say keep the dog under supervision, and you won't have "accidents." Too often, the removal of an entire body system is a matter of convenience, and this is very wrong, IMO. 2 should be the earliest, if you feel you must neuter.

Don't expect any behavioral changes at all, or at least any positive ones. Usually, it's only if neutered VERY young, before the behaviors are present, that neutering has any effect at all.

I will only neuter for health reasons, ever. Testicular cancer is not usually fatal, and can be cured by neutering; prostate cancer, which some studies have found are much more prevalent in neutered males (some say they're more than 4x as likely to develop it), is often fatal, and has no cure. Unfortunately, I feel that like vaccinations, is a "bread and butter" procedure for vets, and they don't trust the general public with the truth on neutering, because of the homeless animal crisis. I feel their pain, but still; it's OUR responsibility to do what's best for OUR particular animal's health-not the vet's. We should have ALL the info before making an INFORMED decision, and too often, we don't get it.

You did say you wanted other opinions, lol:-)

Thank you Jenni. I actually have seen lots of research on the health benefits of leaving dogs intact, and I don't refute them for a minute (if you read my original post, you know that I've been having some doubts about what I chose to do). All those arguments were part of the reason we waited as long as we did. I suppose if I were more sure of myself and my abilities to handle my dog, maybe I would have chosen differently (he's my first big dog - live and learn). However, for me, what's done is done. I was also hoping to hear from people who DID decide to neuter, what was behind their decision, and if they thought that it had helped or hurt their situation.

I'm very much enjoying the thread so far... and all opinions are of course welcome.

Natalya, my response wasn't directed at you;-). The board posts responses in the order they were received, but you can look at the top line (subject) to see who the post was regarding (RE. You can reply to a particular post by clicking "reply" at the bottom of that post-you don't have to do it in your own previous post. :-)

Thanks! (still figuring out the whole "forum" thing)

not to be graphic here, but it's a proven fact that sexually active men have far lower rates of prostate/testicular cancer than men who are not...I'd guess and say the same holds true for dogs. Plus, as others have stated, without a certain amount of testosterone in a young male dog, it will never develop parts of its masculinity/attitude if it's neutered.

Yes, pervert, you are correct.

I really need to find where I stored this info. I had a false alarm HD scare w/a dog and started doing all this research on neutering, and decided NO WAY. I forwarded it to the breeder, and she agreed, not only adding the info to her website, but also saying that if I wanted a replacement pup, I could get him a vasectomy instead of neutering. There is definitely weight to this argument.

I neutered my Chi at 5yrs b/c he was cryptorchid. My vet said it really only becomes an issue as the dog gets older, as far as cancer goes, so I thought 5 was a good compromise. Within 4-6 weeks, his body composition had deteriorated horrendously. He went from a very sleek, thin, muscular little guy to a soft dog that I have to constantly struggle to keep thin. That was really all I needed to see to know that I'd never do that to another dog again unless medically unavoidable.

ouch! pervert? I hope you were joking, Jenni

anyway, the only reason why I know this tidbit of information was I used to work on a live radio show on Salem Radio Network that did a piece on that topic...

I understand why rescues and adoption places want to do it, but isn't a vasectomy just as inexpensive? I would think it's less expensive, actually...

retreating to my pervert corner...