I have always said I would get Murphy castrated once he's turned one. Now he turned one 2 weeks ago, but I just keep wanting to put it off. I don't have any reason for not doing it other than just being nervous about it, but at the moment my vets has got 30% off neutering until the end of June, so I'm thinking I might as well do it and make the most of the discount but something stops me making the call and booking it :/ don't know what to do
Re: Do I bite the bullet and get him done? My old Yorkshire grandad had a saying " If in doubt, do nowt " I think its a very personal choice , both of my dogs are neutered but I wouldnt ever try to influence anyone either way , just go with what the little voice is telling you
Re: Do I bite the bullet and get him done? Does he need to be done? Any problems with other dogs or general behaviour? I don't know what to advise but maybe ignore the 30% off offer; take that out of the equation and think of the procedure on its own. What do the articles say on the Labrador Site? You could always make the appointment for the end of June and then cancel it if you feel that way later.
Re: Do I bite the bullet and get him done? I would agree, listen to your little voice of doubt. Make sure you know why you do or don't want to do it and plan accordingly
Re: Do I bite the bullet and get him done? Thanks everyone. There aren't really any behavioural issues that would make me do it, apart from him running off to say hi to every dog he can even if it is on the horizon! Although he isn't quite as bad. He does hump various dogs quite a lot but I know that can be dominance and the worst and grossest thing (sorry) is that we are getting a few stains and marks on things around the house from his ahem stuff. So I suppose they are reasons to get him done now, but do you think it's worth waiting until he's a bit older?
Re: Do I bite the bullet and get him done? If you definitely, without any doubt, intend to get him desexed at some point then now is as good a time as any. There is no real value in waiting till he's older, now that he's turned 1. But I would wait if you're genuinely unsure that it's something you want to do. What are the main arguments for and against, in your personal view?
Re: Do I bite the bullet and get him done? I would have a word with the vet and make sure that the discharge is a normal one, and not due to an undiagnosed infection. I had two un-neutered boys. Like yours, their behaviour was never such that I felt it warranted an operation. But it is a very personal thing, and depends on you, your family, your dog, your situation. I agree with the 'go with your gut feeling' advice. Ignore the 30% off - that is inconsequential in comparison to the health and well-being of your dog. Good luck with what is not, and never should be, an easy decision. You will do the right thing!
Re: Do I bite the bullet and get him done? The *ahem* stains you mention is why Riley isn't allowed on the furniture or bed ;D I agree with Rachael, if you're sure then there's not much point in waiting. If you're unsure most of the things you mention can be dealt with through training and will probably need some training on regardless of whether he loses his boy bits or not. The biggest problem I find (apart from the leakage thing) is when there are bitches near or in season when Riley turns into a completely deaf, bitch-obsessed ninny!!! It makes him slightly less relaxing to be around than a neutered dog but as we do a lot of training when we're out I'm pretty focussed on him anyway so I'd like to think an unplanned mating is not on the cards Good luck with your decision, you will work it out
Re: Do I bite the bullet and get him done? I think two is a good age to have them done. They are mature but fit for the op. I had my Cavaliers done aged six. They suddenly started marking everywhere indoors when a person down the road got a bitch and it came in season. After the op they never did it again. But I would have had them done earlier if I had known they would one day need it.
Re: Do I bite the bullet and get him done? I will definitely be getting him done at some point. The pros would be possibly sorting out the 3 things i mentioned. And the other reason for getting him done is just because it seems like the right thing to do and the social norm. I cant really give a reason why I wouldnt get him done, apart from my husband is worried it will change his personality. I will def ring the vet about the discharge.
Re: Do I bite the bullet and get him done? Frankie, re the change of personality, it simply doesnt happen . Whilst not a behaviour changer , castration can sometimes calm an over excited dog but thats about it, the character remains just as it was before .
Re: Do I bite the bullet and get him done? [quote author=Fwhitt246 link=topic=6372.msg84447#msg84447 date=1401722819] I cant really give a reason why I wouldnt get him done, apart from my husband is worried it will change his personality. [/quote] I don't think this is a worry. There is a good overview here: http://www.associationofanimalbehaviorprofessionals.com/effects_of_neutering.html And if you are interested you can trace back the several good references to the original research. I've only read of two possible frequent behaviour changes around reducing some types of reactivity and aggression (although of course there may be many studies I haven't looked at).
Re: Do I bite the bullet and get him done? I have had three dogs castrated and it didn't change their character one iota. The only reason I had them done is that the discharge from the penis was making marks up the walls and doors (and they are still stained - yuk) and I had no intention of using them for stud, though several people wanted to use my one dog. I feel if they have no opportunity to mate it is rather unfair to keep them entire and have them frustrated. Plenty of other good things in life. I must admit to feeling that I didn't want my last one castrated, probably influenced by anti-castraters! I was concerned about the risks of the anaesthetic but went ahead anyway. I do not regret it.
Re: Do I bite the bullet and get him done? Thanks stacia, i like your reason off them being frustrated if left entire when no chance of mating. That makes me feel better
Re: Do I bite the bullet and get him done? If it were me, the reasons you have outlined above would be enough for me to get him castrated - the humping behaviour and the stains on the furniture. Now that he has learned to hump however that behaviour may never fully go away, although castration will lessen it. I think anything over the age of a year is old enough to be neutered, but thats really personal opinion.
Re: Do I bite the bullet and get him done? If you love your dog which has a short life of 14 years why deny it a bit of fun? Roger
Re: Do I bite the bullet and get him done? [quote author=Fwhitt246 link=topic=6372.msg84447#msg84447 date=1401722819] apart from my husband is worried it will change his personality. [/quote] Frankie,Kate's advice is right, she said the same to me and she was right ;D Dexter is exactly the same,just as energetic,lively,curious .....there are also occasionally a couple of humping issues but I usually see the signs and stop him before he starts : We were very much in the wait and see camp.....but I had a shocker in the park when he dragged my on my knees speedboat style to get to a beagle bitch in season.His strength and power frightened me he was about 8 months.Wed always said if we had it done we wanted to wait until he was 18 months.I rang the very the next day and she told me to wait until after the Summer as most dogs got ear infections from wearing the cone in the summer temperatures we have here.we didn't have another scare so I was wavering again but in the end he had to have his tail operated on in October when he was 13 months and we opted to have him neutered then too to take advantage of him only having to undergo one GA.... Its not made one bit of difference to our boy except that I feel safer when I'm out with him and have him off lead....living in a country where that's not allowed,an unplanned coupling would be catastrophic x
