hi everyone
my gsd had only one testicle down at 3 months old,the vet said at the time he didnt think the other would come down and advised castration at 8 months old.
The vet was right and i went ahead and had him castrated as he told me there was a higher risk of cancer and if he was bred he might pass it on to any litters he sired.
I have read recentfly if you castrate a dog before they are 2 years old they remain juvenile for the rest of there lives,this is what my dog is like and he is now 4 years old.
Has anyone had this with there dog,what does the forum think.
Testosterone is what causes the growth plates to close. Early neutering stops the testosterone and so the growth plates are late in closing. Usually you will get a tall, long-legged, lanky dog. Not sure exactly what you mean by "juvenile". In looks or in behavior?
Connie Sutherland Moderator Reg: 07-13-2005
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Loc: North-Central coast of California
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Well, Ed recommends early neutering in only very specific (and very few) situations, and this is one of them.
In fact, this is in his article on neutering:
"Every pet with a retained testicle (a monorchid) should be neutered at a young age."
What problems are you seeing? If this were my dog, I'd address what I could and ignore anything else, enjoying the dog (who I may well have saved from cancer) for who his is.
Thanks for the advice and i take on board what your saying about possible saving the dog from cancer.
Its his behaviour that is juvinile,he is 4 now and still the same,perhaps thats just him and the way he would be anyway.
thanks
I believe that you did the correct thing in neutering your dog because the risk of cancer or other retained testicle problems is huge.
But IME personality development CAN be affected too, I think that's real as well. IMO tend to be more easy going, a little less macho, slower to anger, a little less serious. I think(JMO) early castrated dogs have less drive, less ambition. For a pet, that works for me. I castrated my dog at 4 months in hopes of modifying his developing personality in this direction. A side benefit is that he does not urine mark at all.
If your dog can't "do his job" to your standards w/o the drive that hormones can add, supplementation could be considered. Testosterone is cheap. Dosing would be absolutely critical, you'd have to work closely with a vet in contact with a veterinary endocrinologist to work that out. THese drugs affect lots more than behavior, you'd have to be smart about supplementation. But, I think it could be tried.
Kristel Smart Webboard User Reg: 10-03-2006
Posts: 1548
Loc: Vermont
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Quote: robert bruce
Thanks for the advice and i take on board what your saying about possible saving the dog from cancer.
Its his behaviour that is juvinile,he is 4 now and still the same,perhaps thats just him and the way he would be anyway.
thanks
I had my dog neutered at 6 months to avoid the male/male aggression so prevalent in his line. I wanted this fellow to be primarily a companion, and secondarily to do AKC sports with. He is my first NEUTERED male Doberman.
He did take longer to mature mentally, but he did mature, and it was right around four years old. Like Betty says, he is less 'serious' and I've found him to be a bit less intense. However, I'm pleased to say his drive and ambition are all there and I have no trouble at all getting focused, quality work from him (keeping in mind that I don't do any of the protection sports).
Perhaps some of your dog's behaviour is just who he is, and part of it is just needing a bit more time. I had just resigned myself to dealing with ongoing puppy-like behaviour, and then just like that it was gone.
Maybe you can work on the individual aspects of his behaviour that you don't like with marker training, like encouraging calm, focus, etc?
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