Netuering Your Male Dog

[littlejuniata]

good or bad?, we like his actions and personality just fine as he is, will that change? Thanks in advance

 

[mattd]

Neutering male dogs is not as important as spaying females. I have a male and female lab and only had the female fixed. If anything he may be a little more lazy and settled down afterwards but in my experiances there isn't too much of a change. There is alot of health benefeits to having your dog fixed but it is more important with females.

If you like the way he is and you don't need to worry about him knocking up the neighborhood pooches I say let him keep his junk.

 

[sandfly]

If you make sure you use a very sharp knife and good strong thread... :-D

 

As Sandfly said.......... "use a sharp knife and good, strong thread". If you don't use a knife, then when you bite down, make sure you bite all the way through on the first go-around. Otherwise, you can get a jagged incision.

I have to stop following Sandfly's postings, sorry.

Every canine breed is different, in how it responds to becoming a choir boy. But, for the most part, the health dangers that you instantly eliminate by neutering, far and away offest any of the changes you may see in your Fur Kid.

Testicle cancer, is on a current upswing in America right now. If your buddy should contract this awful disease, it won't show in him until it's usually too late and then nothing can be done. No one is exactly sure "why", but heartworm is found to be less prevalent in fixed male dogs.

More protein, from your pal's food, is used to keep his bones strong and healthy, as well as muscle and nerve strength when before, this same protein was being used to keep his "Saturday Night Wandering Gear" in top shape. When no longer needed, it's used for better overall health.

Of course, too, the obvious stops after a short period............. "marking territory, wandering, any excess aggressiveness, and quite often, even a dog's appetite will reduce per feeding.

"Being more laid back", CAN happen, in some dogs but it can also be reverted with plenty of exercise and/or, even a daily vitamin supplement sprinkled onto his food once a day.

You may even find, that your buddy becomes more obedient, more responsive to your commands, etc.after being fixed. NOT, that he may not be that way, NOW, but you may even see it MORE SO, once his "other interests" have been eliminated.

Again, every single, dog is different, even within the same blood lines, even from the same littler. So, nothing is "concrete" when it comes to canines, the same said for humans, too. But, the only "sure thing" is, there's never been a health "risk or determent" when having a dog neutered!!

 

[littlejuniata]

Thanks for the input folks, flybinder, I didn't realize the health issues you mentioned, that will be a big factor. Thanks a bunch

 

[FarmerDave]

I’ve been told a small rubber band will work, but if it is a house dog, you might find a nasty little black package on the floor after a couple weeks. :lol:

Right now I have two Brittany. The two year old was fixed at about 5 or 6 months, and he still hasn't figured out he is a make. He still squats to pee. He is still extremely high strung. I normally wouldn't have had him fixed, but he had a retained T. Based on the other Brit, the one that did drop didn't seem to be developing very well. He is still very high strung, eats like a horse, and is getting wide. Not fat, just very wide in the chest. Not a mean bone in his body.

The second Brittany right now is between 5 or 6 months old (best guess). I didn't get papers yet, but I might try to get them. I need to track down the breeder. Long story, but I got the dog third hand. He is very laid back, and a great dog. For the life of me, I can’t understand why this dog did not sell. Smart, laid back, great markings, not gun shy… Supposedly, he has some champions in his bloodlines which is why the breeder didn’t give up the papers when he gave the dog away. Something about them not wanting anyone to get a show dog for free. They must show dogs, I don’t. Vet pointed out the health advantages, but I think he is impressed with this dog's temperament, because the last visit, he didn't push the issue like he did the earlier visit. If I can get the papers on the dog, I might just keep him intact. He might make a good breeder. Based on what I was told, the breeder might sell the papers for quite a bit less than the cost of having him fixed. Of course if I get him fixed, I don’t need papers. :-?

I'll probably try to get the papers.

 

[Chaz]

If you don't plan on breeding your dog they should be neutered! Yes the dog will likely show a slight shift in personality, much more calm with other dogs, less likely to act out, less likely to be aggressive, less likely to push the limits of wanting to be top dog in the pack. Male dogs always strive to be leader of the pack and if they perceive that they are you’ll have a lot of trouble with him. That being said, they are much less likely to push the envelope to be top dog.
Also when walking your dog you’ll notice that he won’t hold back pee to mark every darn tree along the way, he’ll be much happier and so will you, especially on a cold winter night. For more information there are dozens of books on the subject of dog behavior and why they do what they do. Also on Nat. Geographic there is a show if you haven’t seen it already called the” Dog Whisperer.” Very good show on how dog go bad, some of this stuff is frightening.
For teh record, my male Boston is neutered, and he's so calm most of the time you don't even know he's there.

 

[littlejuniata]

Farmer Dave, Love those Brittanys, they are spunky little guys. Appreciate the input, how does a vet do this operation? When a was a lad I worked for a hog farmer and there was a guy who came around and sanitized all the little boars, didn't take him long, he did a boar once and that didn't talke long either.

 

[littlejuniata]

Chaz: No intention of breeding the little guy, you are absolutely right about them wanting to be the boss, our dog bosses the wife around but not me. He is a spunky little guy, always wants attention. Helps me put my shoes on every morning, it is a little bit of a pain sometimes, but he loves it.

 

[FarmerDave]

littlejuniata wrote:
Farmer Dave, Love those Brittanys, they are spunky little guys. Appreciate the input, how does a vet do this operation?

How does he do it? Very carefully I hope. :-o

The way he explains it, he basically puts the dog under, and just makes a small incision and removes them both through the one hole. He then stitches up the hole. Pretty simple. However, you will have to keep the dog calm for about a week afterwards, and he may have to wear one of those goofy collars to keep him from licking or messing with the area. That didn't work so well with my dog. When he wasn't flipping out from the collar, he was using it as a ram against us and the furniture. He was really a nut case (pun intended). We had to resort to chemistry. Even with that, the dog removed all but one of the stitches by himself within the week, but luckily the incision didn’t re-open. Since the vet only had to remove one stitch, I tried to get a discount, but that didn't work.

If you are going to get it done, I'd say get it done early before the male hormones start kicking in. Just an opinion. Some people wait until a year old, or say they should be bred once 9even for the males), but that's a load. The vet says they can remove them pretty early with no problems.

I don't remember what it cost. Didn’t have to pay for it because I had a guarantee from the breeder and they covered it.
I heard they charge by the pound. That would be the dog’s gross weight, not his nut weight. :-D

The new pup is quite laid back with people, but loves to play rough with the 2 year old dog. Other than that, the only time he is not laid back is when he has to ride in a car. He doesn’t really act up, he just starts foaming at the mouth and throws up within 10 minutes. The car doesn’t even have to be moving or even running. Come to think of it, he is also scared of my ATV. It makes me wonder what happened to him before we got him. The funny thing is for the other Brits that I have owned, riding in the car is the only time they are/were laid back. they love/loved to ride. This 2 year old isn’t afraid of the ATV either. The meathead even plays chicken with me, but he also likes to ride on it (it’s a side by side).

On a side note. I just talked to my wife. She let the dogs out to run and play while she worked on some things inside. The pup likes to dig and was filthy (rain and snow mix today), so she brought him in first and took him to the basement to clean him up. When she went to get the other guy, there was blood all over the deck, and all over his feet. Se cleaned him up and found a pretty good cut between the pads on a back foot. She couldn’t stop the bleeding, so she wrapped and taped it and off to the vet they went (again). Vet says he needs a couple stitches, so he is keeping him for a little while. Something to do with can’t use the anesthesia for a certain time after the dog eats.

There is no such thing as a free puppy.

 

Being, a dog breeder, we always tell our new adoptive families to "NOT", fix the boys, until "The Goods" drop and are visible, on the puppy. This varies with breed and age of course.

We mention this "drop factor', because one of our families took their new pup into their vet, for a check up. The vet talked them into having the puppy neutered, while there, and he was only 11 weeks old, no goods showing yet.

Since the good weren't, showing, the vet went into the body cavity, after them. She nicked the inside of the left thigh tendon in her ignorant quest to get an extra few bucks and now, these folks have a $800.00 dog that will limp all its life and cannot run more than a feeble "trot'.

Also, don't expect a real sudden change in behavior, when your male's been fixed. When the testicles are removed, all of that "reserve testosterone" HAS to go "somewhere" and it stays in the male's system for up to 2-3 weeks, after neutering.

One, other, thing then I promise to shut up............... make SURE, that your vet KNOWS what they're dealing with!! Just because someone has a Vet school plaque on their waiting room wall, does NOT mean that they're well versed in ALL breeds and types of dogs!
Or, for that matter, even that good with ANY breed of canine.

The one that ruined the puppy's leg, was an admitted "Cat Vet" primarily. Others, are, "large breed vets", "smaller breeds specialists", etc. Of course, like the 3 vets we use, for our kennels, there are vets that; "can do it all and do it all, very well". Just check them out, a little bit, before going! And, YES...... that IS "a load", about "waiting and breeding them, once, before having then fixed"!

In fact, with FEMALE dogs, if they are bred only one time, then NOT fixed and yet, are not ever bred again, they run an 85% risk of contracting cancer, within the next 3 years, following that once only, breeding.

Sorry, for the long rant/post!! "Dogs Rule" as the ad campaign touts and they really do, relay solely on we humans, for their health and well being.

 

[dsleader]

Two things that I learned/was told/or heard somewhere along the line:

1.) waiting for 6 months to a year will enable your dog to see it's full potential physically. In other words, the size of his head, some other physical attributes or just size in general

2.) it's mental maturity

I'm not sure either one of these is true, but I am interested in other's opinions

Dale

 

[littlejuniata]

Farmer Dav, bummer about your dogs foot, they bleed like crazy don't they, my little punk is about 11 months so do you think that that is about right, he definately displays his hardware, so no problms from that end? How long is the recovery for the guys? Chaz I believe you said you had your terrier neutered. Nice topic. Thanks to all

 

Sorry, meant to mention this earlier, in my other post on Neutering....
The safest, quickest, cleanest and simplest way to stop any cut on your dog, from bleeding, is to pour CORN STARCH, right on the injury!!

It's a fantastic coagulant and stops most bleeding within seconds. It won't hurt the dog, or cause any infections, either.

Just the regular, every day, "box with the ear of corn and the Indian Girl on the front", is the stuff to use. Works, excellent, too if you clip a dog's toenails too close and they bleed. (And, usually bleed like crazy!)

Of course, on deep cuts, requiring stitches, take your fur kid to the vet, right away too. But, the corn starch will keep the blood flow to a minimum, and off you and your car until you get there!

Also, naturally, works on cats. Unless, of course, your cat is already covered in plasti-coat, like Cambyses cat is.


DsLeader: If you're talking about "Not neutering a dog, until 6 months to a year, so it can/will, develop to maturity correctly", that's not true. Not, in the case anyway, of "body size, mental capacity, or overall physical attributes".

A dog's genetic outcome are not governed by whether or not, "he has his goods, or not". These things are all contained in the canines entire genetic make up, not in his testicles.

 

Farmer Dave:
Should have added this, to my last, long winded post, sorry.
But, wanted to just say, that I hope your fur kid is okay and quickly recovers fully!

 

SORRY!!! SORRY!!! SORRY!!
The above post on "Corn STARCH, I should have written, "CORN MEAL"!!
It is, CORN MEAL, that stops bleeding right away and NOT corn STARCH, I screwed up!
Corn STARCH, will will not stop bleeding and will only make your dog crave biscuits and bark with a southern drawl. Sort of like; "woo'yall, woo'yall", it sounds awful.

 

[littlejuniata]

flybinder, you posted a lot of great information for all dog guys, a great big THANKS and good fishing

 

Your welcome!
Sorry, though, that my posts are a bit long, (and, perhaps too frequent as well!?), but obviously, with being a dog breeder, posts like you started, concerning dogs, sort of "wind me up and get me going"!

 

[FarmerDave]

DsLeader: If you're talking about "Not neutering a dog, until 6 months to a year, so it can/will, develop to maturity correctly", that's not true. Not, in the case anyway, of "body size, mental capacity, or overall physical attributes".

A dog's genetic outcome are not governed by whether or not, "he has his goods, or not". These things are all contained in the canines entire genetic make up, not in his testicles.

I agree 100 percent, but I interpreted his post as ... wait until you see if he will develope into a quality dog suitable for breeding.

Like I said, I had my one dog fixed when he was about 5 or 6 months old. By then the hardware was developing, or at least half of his hardware.

Flybinder, here is one thing i noticed with that dog. Both testicles were there when he was at about 8 meeks (or the vet would have said something during the initial exam). They are just so tiny I couldn't find them. Then, a month or so later, I noticed there was only 1. At that point it was just large enough for this untrained person to find. The vet confirmed that there was only one and checked his notes, and found no reference to that. He wanted to go ahead and remove then at that point, but he confirmed there was still a chance that the other would drop and there is no harm in waiting up to a year, as long as I get it done if it doesn't drop. By the time I got home, both were there. the next morning, still there. Over the next couple weeks ... one day they would be both there, then next, maybe not. I should have named him yoyo. If he was a black lab, i might have. :-o Eventually, it quit showing itself, and once the single was developing, I knew there was no more chance for the other to re-appear.

The way i understand it, the testicles usually drop about the time they are born or shortly before or after (something like that). They are just too small on a dog for most people to find. Sometimes they will go in and out of the "hole" like my dog did because the "cord" is short. But if they both haven't dropped and moved into place after about 10 or 12 weeks, they probably won't. There are exceptions, but rare. If they don't drop, they have to be removed because they will more than likely develope cancer in the one that didn't drop within the next few years.

Thanks for the corn meal suggestion. owever, I haven't seen how bad it was. He got a couple stitches, so the corn meal might have just made it a mess for the vet. He'll be alright. Just have to keep him calm and keep his bandage dry for the next couple days.