Castration - yey or ney?

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sloulou

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Just interested to hear opinions on this...

I have a 14 week old lab dog puppy...

Books I have read recommend getting your dog castrated.
The Vet said she would recommend getting the dog castrated (at 6-9 months of age)

Dog experts (more than one) that I have met over the last few weeks (Including a breeder, the woman that runs our puppy classes who is doing obedience at crufts this week and a dog behaviourist/ trainer) - have said that if we are set on castration - wait till about 14 months old.. but if your dog is manageable, you can control him etc - don't do it...

If left uncut he would never be used for breeding.

Any thoughts / opinions? or experiences of people who have had their dogs castrated or left them entire?

I think it would be different with a bitch... just really talking about dogs.
 
Personally, if you never intend to use him for breeding I would go ahead and have him castrated. Never having had a young dog fixed I can't comment on the best age but would just go on my Vets advice.
 
I had mine done at 2 1/2 ish- it's chilled him out loads, his coat is the same and he hasn't gained any weight.
 
I only have one male dog, he's a whopping great big Mastiff so we always knew we wanted him castrated. If memory serves we had him done at around 9-10 months, possibly a bit older.

Didn't change him a bit, he's a good healthy weight, glossy coat. I do wonder how easy he would be to manage if he wasn't done now though
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If you aren't going to breed from him I would get him snipped.
 
don't have him castrated too early-he needs to mature both physically and mentally first about 18 months is probably the best age and be prepared to cut down on his food and up his excercise or he most certainly will gain weight and become one of those lethargic HUGE labs often seen waddling round the park
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Entire dogs can be a nuisance - particularly with marking and establishing their dominance over other males but it really depends on your boy's nature - if he's the easy going sort you may have no problems keepng him entire - I have 3 males here - all entire - and rarely have any problems.
 
I can't really help except to say I agree with milor to leave him until 18 months.

He may not be a problem. I also have 3 entire males, one is a terrier, the terrier and 1 of the others are also experienced stud dogs and still live fine together and there are no issues.
 
My old vet always recommended leaving them entire unless they were aggressive or showing unwanted behaviour. I had to have my Tibetan Terrier castrated because one testicle hadn't dropped... he was done at 6 months but only because he had broken his leg and had to go under anasthetic anyway so it was less stress for him to only be put under once.

I know have new puppy and a new vet (having moved areas). When I took puppy for first vaccination last week the vet recommended castration at 5/6 months. But I think I will leave him and if I get him done wait until 18 months as people on here have recommended.
 
If you don't plan to breed from a dog, it's worthwhile having him castrated - I had a labrador cross that was entire and he ended up getting benign tumours on his testicles, if he had been castrated when he was younger, then we wouldn't have needed to have them removed later.

It also calmed him down and he wasn't always trying to run away when our backs were turned! Plus it's good to stop indiscriminate breeding.
 
Windsor was never castrated (He did sire 2 litters) and he was bull headed, opinionated and you couldn't have him near any male dogs! Very stubborn and had his own ideas about how he wanted to be trained. Although when he hit about ten, he chilled out a lot more.
 
Thanks Milor - that is what I was thinking - leave him for a year (so will be about 15 months) then think about it again.

I agree that you don't want indescriminate breeding, but I hope that my cues will be strong enough to call him back ifhe runs after a bitch.

I hope he will turn out to be manageable as an entire male. I do realise you just need to look at each case and see..

Thanks for opinions all!
 
If you not going to breed get him castrated. My 1st dog wasn't as he was manageable, till he hit 10yrs then was a nightmare (kept straying), never again my JR was done at a year old. There are couple of dogs up the yard who aren't done, but I feel so sorry for them as every time there is a bitch in season, they drop weight and get so frustrated (one owner has seen the light and her dog will be done soon).
 
ive decided to keep my 2yr old male dane intact. reason being he is such a wimp, god knows what hed be like without testosterone. i also have a female dane who has been spade, hes not sexual at all never humps things. has been around other females with no problems.

x
 
If you are not going to breed from him it would prob be best to castrate him.
My cocker got really aggressive for no real reason and was grumpy all the time - pent up agression. We had him done about two months ago after he actually went for me. He is so much better and is so much calmer.
My mum owns the father though who is not castrated and he is a lovely character. Although can be stubborn and ignore your commands he is a really loving and brill with people and other dogs. Mums older cocker however got cancer around that area and the vet did explain that we should of had him castrated after 7 if we were not going to breed from him and it would of saved the cancer problem.
I think you just have to go by his character and see how you get on. If you are not breeding from him then it might be an idea.
 
I would say castrate, all of my dogs are neutered, both sexes. I am also heavily involved with Boxer Rescue and it is our policy to neuter all of our rescues unless for medical reasons and the advice of our vet. My youngest male, Cody, Dobermann, was neutered at 6 months, as soon as his plums were well and truly there!!!
 
Yes.............That is one very good reason to castrate early to prevent testicular tumours/cancer, I work in a vet hospital and I see many cases of this, sometimes with a very sad outcome
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......which if undetected can spread to other parts of the body..............I would advise anyone to castrate when testicles are big enough normally between 9-12 months.
It is the same with bitches the longer the sex organs/mammary glands/testicles/reproductive system are left to mature the bigger the risk
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