[Airborne]

Thank you Catherder for doing that write up. That took some time and I learned a lot! Much appreciated :grin:

 

[FULLHOUSE]

I had a great chocolate lab a few years back what a good friend and bird dog she was. She got pyometra, what a terrible thing to see her go through. I never had her bred so I wish I would have had her spayed.If so she probably would have lived a full life. She was one of my best bird dogs.

 

[taxidermist]

FULLHOUSE, I feel for ya!!! I also lost a great dog & companion. That was 15 years ago. I'm now getting another pup the 22nd of March.

 

[widget22]

I have an 11 month old German Shorthair Pointer and have yet to fix him. I was told by a dog trainer I know that he recommends waiting until your dog is mentally mature. With a GSP that is between 18-24 months. If we think about a castrated buck here, they typically dont lose velvet or shed antlers and dont rut the way intact males do. The hormones in the testes/ovaries dictate a lot of the physical and mental phases animals go through as they mature. Im not sure if theres any research to back up his next claim, but he also claims that fixing a male dog before he mentally matures essentially renders you with a physically full grown dog with the mind of a juvenile which may cause behavioral problems that are harder to correct later on. (however, my last dog was a chocolate lab I fixed at 7 months and he was a great dog, although I will admit he had the temperment and behaviors of a puppy most of his 13 yr life).
I'm not sure if all this is true or not, but regardless, I have a couple people who want to breed their dogs with mine before I snip him so he will most likely be around 18 months before I have the procedure done.

 

[ZEKESMAN]

My males are intact. They mark (pee) on everything and it drives me crazy. My understanding is that neutering a male dog befre their nuts drop helps eliminate this. I'm guessing Veterinarians suggest neutering earlier before the hormones get started too. I just leave 'em alone, what else are they going to lick?

My dogs mark on things unless we are hunting, then they hunt. train them. Vic

 

[maverick9465]

In addition to what has been said here, I've also read about delaying neutering to ensure the dogs get the full amount of testosterone needed for development. My guy is still rocking a pair, and the only issue we've had is marking. Thankfully, he doesn't mark in the house, just every other tree, bush, mailbox, fire hydrant, etc. on a walk. Also, various shelves at Home Depot. :smile:

Good info here too: http://www.gundogmag.com/editorial/continuing-the-spaying-or-neutering-dilemma/176220

 

[Catherder]

Here is a follow-up article on spaying and neutering that was recently published. It pretty much covers what was discussed previously, but it may be of interest and add some useful insight.

https://www.theatlantic.com/science...ering-health-risks-for-certain-breeds/594355/

 

[MuscleWhitefish]

So let me toss this out there,...…………. What sex would you believe the best to have that is NOT fixed?

Male.

If you can handle the marking and have a fence, then I think they are a lot better. You don't have to worry about blood in the house.

 

[johnnycake]

Male.

If you can handle the marking and have a fence, then I think they are a lot better. You don't have to worry about blood in the house.

I'll deal with sticking a diaper on a female for a couple weeks every 6 months over dealing with the making and humping from a male.

 

[Critter]

I came to the conclusion a long time ago that if you don't plan on breeding your animal to have them fixed, male or female.

I have also come to the conclusion that there are way too many dogs and cats out there. And I am a animal lover.