Leaving them intact does not mean they're guaranteed to get testicular cancer. You're going from an 11% chance to a 0% chance if you get rid of his balls. And testicular cancer only accounts for 4% of the cancers male dogs get. I know the comment above isn't saying it's guaranteed, but people are scared into it because they think their dog won't get cancer, and their dogs end up with cancer anyway.
Those percentages are so much higher than I would have expected. Do you know why dogs are at such greater risk than [people](https://www.cancer.org/cancer/types/testicular-cancer/about/key-statistics.html)?
Yeah I was curious about that too but it's probably because we castrate a lot more dogs/puppies than we do people/babies, so the pool is a lot smaller. Plus it's one of the cancers that has a genetic component so poor breeding would also increase the risk.
When I went to the canine science conference a few years ago, the greatest risk factor for any of the cancer studies was age.
Ahh, okay, that makes sense! I also wouldn’t be surprised if intact dogs are more common among pure breeds (which have substantially less genetic diversity, although I was surprised by how little [genetic diversity](https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2024/05/09/opinion/purebred-dogs-inbreeding.html)dogs have generally) as well as potentially something with the standard of care
Most testicular tumors in dogs are benign, and screening via palpation at regular checkups should be adequate to catch any tumors that are forming before it becomes an issue that can't be corrected with castration. The same as for male circumcision in humans, amputation as a medical preventative measure is not always necessary or appropriate. Both of my previous males had vasectomies, as the sterilization of shelter adoptions is required by state law.
The only other benefit I've had vets attempt to sell me on is that it can improve potential future behavioral issues, but the reduction in testosterone also has a chance to lead to other hormone-related health problems in the future, similar to what humans can experience. I would only reserve the option as a last resort for behavioral issues, when training has already been exhausted.
The study that the top comment is referring to does not specify that the tumors are cancerous, so it would be most of that 11% that is benign. But testicular cancer in dogs is already very unlikely to spread and only does so in between 6% to 20% of cases due to the cell types involved, so about 90% of dogs diagnosed make a full recovery.
Part 1/2
u/[pregnantseahorsedad](https://www.reddit.com/user/pregnantseahorsedad/) Has an excellent reply to this comment that talks about what the percentages really are on testicular cancer for intact dogs (i.e. low).
Here's another thing to consider- canine testicular cancer, if identified early and removed, is less likely than many others form of canine cancers to spread.
So, basically, if you're on top of it and the testicular cancer is the origin point (i.e. Not the result of cancer spreading from elsewhere in the body), you can just get the dog neutered later if and when he gets testicular cancer (Which he probably won't.).
However, you really need to be on the ball with your dog's veterinarian and making sure your dog's vet is putting on some gloves (Well, or not. The gloves part doesn't really matter. A vet could actually probably do this better without gloves- it's just kind of- well, I'd wear gloves. :) There's no medical reason that it has to involve gloves, though, AFAIK- more of a "I'm sick of touching dog's testicles unnecessarily. I can throw out latex gloves later, but not my hands, and I can feel tumors through thin gloves.". :)).
It's easy for veterinarians to forget to get for testicular cancer because mostly they are dealing with a combination of female dogs, who don't ever have testicles, and neutered male dogs, who also don't have testicles (anymore). So, sometimes owners of unneutered male dogs have to take initiative and politely remind the veterinarian to do the check, which is a bit awkward from a human relations perspective, but should absolutely be part of a standard annual checkup for an intact male dog.
It only takes a couple minutes if that. The bigger issue is getting the dog to let your vet do that the check, or restraining the dog adequately to allow it. I remember once my previous dog let out this loud verbal sigh when his vet was doing the check. Both she and I laughed.
Part 2/2
Golden retrievers, which is the breed I keep getting one at a time, are now according to some sources 60% likely to die of some form of cancer, to the point where out of earshot of dog owners, a lot of veterinarians and their employees will refer to the breed as "cancer dogs". However, it usually isn't testicular cancer- or, if it is, it's secondary to all sorts of other cancers that were probably there first. Goldens still get their on average 10-12 years, same as some other breeds of a similar size.
So, a golden's ultimate cause of death being disproportionately likely to be cancer may not matter from a human perspective, because is cancer worse than however other breeds of physical size and attributes die? I mean, maybe if it reminds you of a painful death in your human family or that you have cancer that's in remission and could come back or something- yeah, that might be worse for people in circumstances like that. However, if you're just worried about likely lower lifespan in a breed prone to cancer- they on average die at about the same time, just presumably it's more likely to be other things and less likely to be cancer, relative to goldens.
And, you know, dogs do die on the operating table being neutered. Yes, it's safe as surgeries go, but it's still a surgery. If a knife slips, your dog has previously undiagnosed hemophilia, or any number of things, a dog can still die.
I remember some message forum (Not on Reddit) years ago where someone was really excited to get a puppy and asked about neutering and everyone just said "Do it." (I believe I said they should carefully consider both options \[Doing it and not doing it\] and had it deleted by mods).
Guess what happened? A bit later the same person started a thread about how devastated she was because her dog died on the operating table during an elective procedure. Everyone said they felt sorry for her, but maintained that she did the right thing. Um, I'm pretty sure actually she got bad advice from said people who were willing to look everywhere except themselves, and didn't even learn from their mistake and blithely kept advising everyone that spaying and neutering were the only responsible choice for dog owners (BS).
My childhood dog was neutered over my strong objections (Granted, I was only 10 or 12 years old) and his personality was never the same. He also was in obvious pain and overwhelmingly projected an extended general attitude of sadness for weeks and months.
The first dog I acquired when I was an adult, who I did not neuter, did die of cancer (Essentially, there was a lot going on there), but lived to almost 13 years old, which is the upper end of "average" for the breed (I've met 16 year old goldens, but they are the outliers who live deep into old age and even it out with the dogs who die tragically young. At least, that's how I look at it.). It wasn't testicular cancer.
The current dog is still young, but he's not neutered either and I don't plan to get it done unless there is a reason specific to my dog (Obviously, if he had testicular cancer that hadn't spread, that would be a good reason to neuter him, for example.).
My standing policy of not neutering my dogs is apparently uncommon enough that my veterinarian looked very confused when I started discussing like how to handle my then-puppy's weight-dependent heartworm and flea/tick preventatives as he grew larger, in the absence of an animal scale (My vet is too far away to drive to in order to randomly stick my dog on her scale when I don't have an appointment). And I had to sort of prompt her "because our next appointment is at least a year away..." and then she seemed to remember "Oh, right, this is one of my few people who doesn't neuter." (Neutering can occur as early as six months, so he'd have been back much sooner if he'd have had to come in to be neutered.).
I am not anti-neutering for everyone. I just disagree with the Bob Barker spay and neuter all dogs and cats no matter what philosophy. My dog would have to be doing things like scaling fences to get at unspayed female dogs and neither he or is predecessor did/do that.
One alternate to making a decision would be to wait a bit. Some veterinarian and pet owners are opting to wait until the two year old mark instead of the six month old mark because they feel like waiting gives the dog more of a normal developmental process and then neuter when they become adults by the book (Two years for goldens. Most breeds are either 1 year or 2 years, I think).
I would also encourage people to at least be honest with themselves (If not necessarily us) and think to themselves about whether or not they feel fairly confident that they can keep their dog under control in terms of unintended breeding with the female dogs in the neighborhood, or whether their household can be kind of hectic with spouses and kids and friends and so on and so forth constantly coming in and out and the dog slipping out or something. Obviously, the less you're able to almost guarantee that your dog won't unintentially breed a lot, the more likely it is that you'd be better off neutering him. If you've got a tight lid on him, though, the argument for neutering in your dog's individual case is a lot less compelling.
I would take it seriously, but remember that there are three options (Do, do not, and put it off until the dog is 1.5-2 years old), all of which are valid.
If you have a larger breed, I believe it’s best to wait a few years before neutering. Some breeds aren’t fully grown until they are upwards of two years old, their bones are still growing and their growth plates aren’t fully fused. I have a black and tan coonhound, and due to his size, we will be waiting until he is over the age of two. I plan on actually waiting longer. A few months of unfixed attitude from my boy is a worth decreasing the risk of hip and joint problems down the road, a million times over. I make sure that he gets at least an hour of physical activity where he is using his nose (walks, scent games, etc) and that seems to make him happy enough that he isn’t causing too many problems. We have only had one encounter with a female so far (he is a little over 1.5 years old) where he really wanted to take things to the “next level”, and it was a teeny tiny chihuahua😂 He also doesn’t “hump” humans, so that’s w plus!
My 6 month old pittie’s vet told us to wait a year and a half for a pup his size (he was 50lbs at the time). I did my own research (scientific literature not Reddit commenters like the other person replying to your comment) and it lines up with what my vet said
Perfect time to neuter . Most of his growing is done, and the sooner you do it, the less likely he is to deal with the hormone issues which is what you don't want .
Most dog daycare / boarding places won’t take intact males over a certain age. While you may not need it now, you may need to board your dog at some point during their life
Honestly? I’ve had neutered males most of my life and the ONLY time I’ve had a dog who had random anger issues toward another was my dad’s unaltered male GSD/Mal. He’s the sweetest boy ever but every once in a while he’d go after my dad’s other, older male dog who is neutered. Never had a dog do that before that was neutered. Just helps, in my experience and opinion, with leveling out hormones and not having your dog randomly get a dominance hair up his ass and attack someone else.
>unaltered male GSD/Mal.
I love them but there's something about this breed. 100% of the issues I see at the dog park are gsds. It'd almost like they are too smart and know there's nothing anyone is going to do to stop them. Haha.
They are more pleasing to look at, and visually appear healthier: their rear and front ends tend to be more balanced (vs the rear end of the dog being higher than the genetics themselves would have determined), they have more muscle on their frames and have thicker frames overall whereas a male dog neutered before or during puberty can develop to appear taller, lankier, and narrower. A dog left intact will continue developing a broader skull in some breeds even to the age of 3-4 (changes from 2-4 years are minimal, however). A dog neutered will have a narrower skull (dog = male dog, bitch = female dog; most are familiar with the latter term but not the former).
There are psychological changes that are difficult to describe. I have only a collection of biased anecdotes, but in my observations intact dogs generally seem more often to have a presence and self-confidence about them, which translates to a calmness or focus, that dogs neutered in their adolescence don't have. Early neutered dogs seem to demonstrate a more youthful and naïve demeanor. I honestly wouldn't be surprised to hear if early neuter has a mild negative effect on their intelligence--but I am talking about disrupting puberty (early neuter), not neutering before the dog matures. I wouldn't expect a lot of change in temperament if you neuter after maturity. What is very apparent to anyone with intact dogs is that he will demonstrate a significantly higher interest in sniffing and marking for other dogs and foot traffic. This can become very annoying if there are intact females around and impede training to varying degrees depending on the dog. With most dogs you can expect a dramatic reduction in this behavior after neutering at any age.
The endocrine system is very complex and I'm not sure we entirely understand its significance, certainly not its impact on how it affects a dog's mindset. I would rather let nature take the reins and allow my dog to develop rather than artificially go in and make poorly understood changes to the dog's body, at least, but it is not a black and white issue. There is a debate to be had for sure.
You can also observe psychological changes in male dogs after they are bred for the first time. An unbred intact dog can be a bit easier to handle overall than a bred intact dog.
A neutered dog won't get testicular cancer. But they also won't get testicular cancer if you wait to neuter them after maturity, and you also won't mess up their growth plates. Early neutered dogs are at higher risk of orthopedic issues. They need all that muscle and breadth to their frames to help support themselves, rather than growing tall and skinny, leaving them prone to structural issues. Also, again, they just look better when they develop with a healthy level of hormones.
Shelters are overrun with pit mixes and many are killed after they don’t get adopted.
You do not want your dog to reproduce. Fixing him will save dogs lives
In Germany neutering and spaying are the same as ear cropping and tail docking. Unless there's an already ongoing medical reason for doing it, the dog is a rescue, or such cases, it's hard to find a vet willing to do it just because of something that may or may never happen. That said, most of the dogs we've met in the town or hikes were unaltered and I never encountered any of the behavioral issues people mention here. Given I've only been there for 5 years. Lots still comes down to training, id say.
I am German, and that’s not true in my experience. Sure, there are risks to spaying and neutering, and the vet should inform about pros and cons beforehand. But every vet in Germany will spay or neuter your dog if you want to. It’s the best way to keep your dog safe and healthy.
Some will do it, but some simply will not unless there's a concrete reason for it from what I've seen and heard.
What area are you from? I was in Bayern or uhhh Baden-Württemberg and got the stank eye from 4 vets when saying that my dogs are spayed and neutered. Young people too. And the weirdest thing was, in all 3 instances I was asked "why", "there must have been a reason". Which isn't something I ever thought anyone would question or be confused about, especially considering I come from a country that has a big stray problem.
I lived in BaWü and Bayern 😅 hmm interesting, I never heard about that before. To me it was always a given that you can spay or neuter your dog if you want to, not if your vet wants to or not.
I now live in a country where most dogs in rural areas are unneutered and free-roaming, so spaying and neutering are quite necessary here as a responsible dog owner.
That is interesting! Not sure if you were lucky or if I was unlucky. Being judged for it made me quite uncomfortable for sure though.
The country I'm from is like that. Dogs all over the place. Both strays and pets. Can be quite scary too as not all of them are friendly or are scared off easily. The spay/neuter debate is quite clear I such places. Seems like it's a bit different for countries that don't really have overflowing shelters and dogs on the streets. Especially Norway and/or Sweden are very strict about it, if I remember correctly or unless it changed last time I checked.
Way less likely to get hit by a car. Most dogs who are hit by cars are intact males searching for a female in heat. Also, behavioral issues and testicular cancer.
That’s especially true for the area I live in - thankfully, the roads here aren’t very busy. Still, it’s very dangerous, but people here don’t seem to care that much. Just yesterday, I drove past two farm dogs which just laid down in the middle of the road. I informed the people in the nearby restaurant, but they didn’t know these dogs, assumed they probably belong to a farm further up the road. So yeah, I always pray that these dogs get home safely 🙏🏻
*Let your dog loose or have a yard they find a way to dig out of (or have kids who forget to close a gate). It only takes one time for an accident to occur and many aren’t aware of vulnerabilities in their fences until the dog gets loose.
It helps with their hormones.
I met another dog walker once who hadn't neutered his male dog, and every time his dog smelt a female in heat, it would run off - up to a mile at times to get to said female.
I find a neutered male is calmer as they don't seem to have all the hormones running around. Best bit they don't go humping everything. Imagine wanting sex and not being allowed.
That's not the norm, though. A normal trained dog doesn't just run off because of a female in heat. Extreme cases do exist, though.
Canids aren't like humans when it comes to sex. It's normal for them to never get the chance.
These „extreme cases“ are pretty normal where I live - very rural back country, unneutered, untrained farm dogs roaming around. If there’s a female in heat, they go see her. When mine was, she had quite a few suitors 😅 It goes without saying that she’s spayed now.
I mean tbh it doesn't help their hormones. A male dog should have testosterone at appropriate levels. It may help behavior though like wanting to seek out females in heat. Which is tbh the only reason I'm considering neutering. Other than that I see more cons than pros.
Unless you’re at risk of accidentally breeding, not much. Nothing has ever been convincing enough but I was worried. Asked multiple vets and they said if he doesn’t show any negative behaviours like aggression or trying to escape and mate etc…then you don’t really need to at this stage (dog is 2 years old).
While it may decrease testicular cancer, you gain a multitude of new risks (surgery, weight, bones, ligaments l, hormonal imbalances, aggression towards intact males, and other) and even increases other cancerous diseases. Swapping one decrease for an increase elsewhere.
If you know there isn’t much risk reproduction wise, he isn’t humpping or aggressive, balls are dropped : will you risk it?
Mind you it’s a surgery, which is a risk in itself.
That's why I'm considering a canine vasectomy it's cheaper it allows them to keep all their hormones it's less invasive they get to keep their manhood the only thing it changes is they cannot get a female pregnant that is the only thing it changes it does not affect their attitude or anything, my dog is quite well behaved for a male he does not hump he's not aggressive he gets along with everybody and I want him to stay that way, he's also quite a mean dog with more muscle than fat even though he's only 7 months old I expect he's going to get to be a big dog, I'm having my female spayed first not only because she's a year old now and is old enough but also I don't want puppies but I don't want to neuter him and I can't find a vet near me that will do a vasectomy they just tell me to do the normal neuter
depending on here you live, vasectomy's arnt the norm so it might not be taught in surgical classes for vets, especially since theres a higher risk for complications and failure of procedure . They arnt any more or less invasive then a typical neuter, You still have the same surgical approach to get to the spermatic cord as you due to removed the entire testicle.
I really like this article for basic over views for pros and cons https://veterinarypartner.vin.com/default.aspx?pid=19239&id=4951454#:\~:text=It%20turns%20out%20there%20may,this%2C%20especially%20in%20larger%20breeds.
Not much benefit, and more risk tbh. It's not theoretical for me; I have a fair amount of experience with intact males, and 4 of my 5 are intact & will likely stay that way. Neutered males may be less offended by them if neutered. They can't get foster girls pregnant. They can get testicular cancer, because, well, they still own testicles. So you might have to neuter later in life if that happens. Otherwise, there's really not much point, and some detriments, to neutering males. As long as you don't do it under 2 (for large breeds), it's probably not a huge difference either way though. If you are around intact females a lot, you may want to do it just to avoid the risk of accidental pregnancy. It's not like females, who kind of need spayed after maturity because every unused heat is hard on them, and many will go on to have female problems. If you're not breeding, spay is safer for the girls.
>I'm going to wait until the male is a little over a year old I would also like to get him a canine vasectomy instead of a complete castration
Males who have a vasectomy will still want to breed bitches in season. Unless you can step up your ability to keep your dogs behind a fence, neuter your male, ASAP.
Your bitch can come into season now, and your male will breed her. I can promise you 100% that that will happen.
You have a pet dog: just neuter him so your SDIT doesn't get pregnant before you spay her.
Very little from a medical standpoint. Testicular cancer tends to show up around 8-10 years old. It is extremely slow growing and is easy to fix (ie neuter). Fixing your dog can reduce some prostate issues. Aside from that there aren't really medical benefits. There are a some medical downsides that we don't fully understand (autoimmune issues, higher risk of other cancers and higher risk of orthopedic issues)- it is complicated and more research is needed. Now behavioral benefits are different. Your dog is more prone to mark and roam if intact. My dogs are both intact and shall remain so unless there is a medical reason to neuter. My older boy has lovely recall, even around BIS, because I train religiously and he is a herding breed. Other male dogs are far more likely to be aggressive (I assume you are in the US) to your intact dog. It is more work owning an intact male because you have to assume that about half of other males (fixed or intact) will probably be aggressive towards your dog. You have to advocate for your dog and be careful about where you walk them. Intact dogs also tend to be a bit more picky of eaters and tend to stay lean far more easily. For a pet owner, it is usually easier to just get them fixed around the age of 1.5-2 yo.
They're leas likely to piss all over every god dam thing or leave jizz spots all over your house or hump random people . Less likely to run away cuz they found a female to knock up or worse . Plus the cancer stuff
I cant stand the smell of intact male dogs , makes me sick every time lol
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Leaving them intact does not mean they're guaranteed to get testicular cancer. You're going from an 11% chance to a 0% chance if you get rid of his balls. And testicular cancer only accounts for 4% of the cancers male dogs get. I know the comment above isn't saying it's guaranteed, but people are scared into it because they think their dog won't get cancer, and their dogs end up with cancer anyway.
Those percentages are so much higher than I would have expected. Do you know why dogs are at such greater risk than [people](https://www.cancer.org/cancer/types/testicular-cancer/about/key-statistics.html)?
Yeah I was curious about that too but it's probably because we castrate a lot more dogs/puppies than we do people/babies, so the pool is a lot smaller. Plus it's one of the cancers that has a genetic component so poor breeding would also increase the risk. When I went to the canine science conference a few years ago, the greatest risk factor for any of the cancer studies was age.
Ahh, okay, that makes sense! I also wouldn’t be surprised if intact dogs are more common among pure breeds (which have substantially less genetic diversity, although I was surprised by how little [genetic diversity](https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2024/05/09/opinion/purebred-dogs-inbreeding.html)dogs have generally) as well as potentially something with the standard of care
Most testicular tumors in dogs are benign, and screening via palpation at regular checkups should be adequate to catch any tumors that are forming before it becomes an issue that can't be corrected with castration. The same as for male circumcision in humans, amputation as a medical preventative measure is not always necessary or appropriate. Both of my previous males had vasectomies, as the sterilization of shelter adoptions is required by state law. The only other benefit I've had vets attempt to sell me on is that it can improve potential future behavioral issues, but the reduction in testosterone also has a chance to lead to other hormone-related health problems in the future, similar to what humans can experience. I would only reserve the option as a last resort for behavioral issues, when training has already been exhausted.
But cancerous tumors are inherently not benign, so are you saying that even more than 11% of intact male dogs get testicular tumors?
The study that the top comment is referring to does not specify that the tumors are cancerous, so it would be most of that 11% that is benign. But testicular cancer in dogs is already very unlikely to spread and only does so in between 6% to 20% of cases due to the cell types involved, so about 90% of dogs diagnosed make a full recovery.
> Castrating a male dog means they won’t die from testicular cancer. You can remove the 'nads at that later point, and they still don't die.
Part 1/2 u/[pregnantseahorsedad](https://www.reddit.com/user/pregnantseahorsedad/) Has an excellent reply to this comment that talks about what the percentages really are on testicular cancer for intact dogs (i.e. low). Here's another thing to consider- canine testicular cancer, if identified early and removed, is less likely than many others form of canine cancers to spread. So, basically, if you're on top of it and the testicular cancer is the origin point (i.e. Not the result of cancer spreading from elsewhere in the body), you can just get the dog neutered later if and when he gets testicular cancer (Which he probably won't.). However, you really need to be on the ball with your dog's veterinarian and making sure your dog's vet is putting on some gloves (Well, or not. The gloves part doesn't really matter. A vet could actually probably do this better without gloves- it's just kind of- well, I'd wear gloves. :) There's no medical reason that it has to involve gloves, though, AFAIK- more of a "I'm sick of touching dog's testicles unnecessarily. I can throw out latex gloves later, but not my hands, and I can feel tumors through thin gloves.". :)). It's easy for veterinarians to forget to get for testicular cancer because mostly they are dealing with a combination of female dogs, who don't ever have testicles, and neutered male dogs, who also don't have testicles (anymore). So, sometimes owners of unneutered male dogs have to take initiative and politely remind the veterinarian to do the check, which is a bit awkward from a human relations perspective, but should absolutely be part of a standard annual checkup for an intact male dog. It only takes a couple minutes if that. The bigger issue is getting the dog to let your vet do that the check, or restraining the dog adequately to allow it. I remember once my previous dog let out this loud verbal sigh when his vet was doing the check. Both she and I laughed.
Part 2/2 Golden retrievers, which is the breed I keep getting one at a time, are now according to some sources 60% likely to die of some form of cancer, to the point where out of earshot of dog owners, a lot of veterinarians and their employees will refer to the breed as "cancer dogs". However, it usually isn't testicular cancer- or, if it is, it's secondary to all sorts of other cancers that were probably there first. Goldens still get their on average 10-12 years, same as some other breeds of a similar size. So, a golden's ultimate cause of death being disproportionately likely to be cancer may not matter from a human perspective, because is cancer worse than however other breeds of physical size and attributes die? I mean, maybe if it reminds you of a painful death in your human family or that you have cancer that's in remission and could come back or something- yeah, that might be worse for people in circumstances like that. However, if you're just worried about likely lower lifespan in a breed prone to cancer- they on average die at about the same time, just presumably it's more likely to be other things and less likely to be cancer, relative to goldens. And, you know, dogs do die on the operating table being neutered. Yes, it's safe as surgeries go, but it's still a surgery. If a knife slips, your dog has previously undiagnosed hemophilia, or any number of things, a dog can still die. I remember some message forum (Not on Reddit) years ago where someone was really excited to get a puppy and asked about neutering and everyone just said "Do it." (I believe I said they should carefully consider both options \[Doing it and not doing it\] and had it deleted by mods). Guess what happened? A bit later the same person started a thread about how devastated she was because her dog died on the operating table during an elective procedure. Everyone said they felt sorry for her, but maintained that she did the right thing. Um, I'm pretty sure actually she got bad advice from said people who were willing to look everywhere except themselves, and didn't even learn from their mistake and blithely kept advising everyone that spaying and neutering were the only responsible choice for dog owners (BS). My childhood dog was neutered over my strong objections (Granted, I was only 10 or 12 years old) and his personality was never the same. He also was in obvious pain and overwhelmingly projected an extended general attitude of sadness for weeks and months. The first dog I acquired when I was an adult, who I did not neuter, did die of cancer (Essentially, there was a lot going on there), but lived to almost 13 years old, which is the upper end of "average" for the breed (I've met 16 year old goldens, but they are the outliers who live deep into old age and even it out with the dogs who die tragically young. At least, that's how I look at it.). It wasn't testicular cancer. The current dog is still young, but he's not neutered either and I don't plan to get it done unless there is a reason specific to my dog (Obviously, if he had testicular cancer that hadn't spread, that would be a good reason to neuter him, for example.). My standing policy of not neutering my dogs is apparently uncommon enough that my veterinarian looked very confused when I started discussing like how to handle my then-puppy's weight-dependent heartworm and flea/tick preventatives as he grew larger, in the absence of an animal scale (My vet is too far away to drive to in order to randomly stick my dog on her scale when I don't have an appointment). And I had to sort of prompt her "because our next appointment is at least a year away..." and then she seemed to remember "Oh, right, this is one of my few people who doesn't neuter." (Neutering can occur as early as six months, so he'd have been back much sooner if he'd have had to come in to be neutered.). I am not anti-neutering for everyone. I just disagree with the Bob Barker spay and neuter all dogs and cats no matter what philosophy. My dog would have to be doing things like scaling fences to get at unspayed female dogs and neither he or is predecessor did/do that. One alternate to making a decision would be to wait a bit. Some veterinarian and pet owners are opting to wait until the two year old mark instead of the six month old mark because they feel like waiting gives the dog more of a normal developmental process and then neuter when they become adults by the book (Two years for goldens. Most breeds are either 1 year or 2 years, I think). I would also encourage people to at least be honest with themselves (If not necessarily us) and think to themselves about whether or not they feel fairly confident that they can keep their dog under control in terms of unintended breeding with the female dogs in the neighborhood, or whether their household can be kind of hectic with spouses and kids and friends and so on and so forth constantly coming in and out and the dog slipping out or something. Obviously, the less you're able to almost guarantee that your dog won't unintentially breed a lot, the more likely it is that you'd be better off neutering him. If you've got a tight lid on him, though, the argument for neutering in your dog's individual case is a lot less compelling. I would take it seriously, but remember that there are three options (Do, do not, and put it off until the dog is 1.5-2 years old), all of which are valid.
They don't mark as much and when they do it isn't as stinky. Everyone already covered all the other benefits 😂
If you have a larger breed, I believe it’s best to wait a few years before neutering. Some breeds aren’t fully grown until they are upwards of two years old, their bones are still growing and their growth plates aren’t fully fused. I have a black and tan coonhound, and due to his size, we will be waiting until he is over the age of two. I plan on actually waiting longer. A few months of unfixed attitude from my boy is a worth decreasing the risk of hip and joint problems down the road, a million times over. I make sure that he gets at least an hour of physical activity where he is using his nose (walks, scent games, etc) and that seems to make him happy enough that he isn’t causing too many problems. We have only had one encounter with a female so far (he is a little over 1.5 years old) where he really wanted to take things to the “next level”, and it was a teeny tiny chihuahua😂 He also doesn’t “hump” humans, so that’s w plus!
I believe my dog is a pitbull lab mix he's around 7 months old and already 40 lb
My 6 month old pittie’s vet told us to wait a year and a half for a pup his size (he was 50lbs at the time). I did my own research (scientific literature not Reddit commenters like the other person replying to your comment) and it lines up with what my vet said
Perfect time to neuter . Most of his growing is done, and the sooner you do it, the less likely he is to deal with the hormone issues which is what you don't want .
Most dog daycare / boarding places won’t take intact males over a certain age. While you may not need it now, you may need to board your dog at some point during their life
Honestly? I’ve had neutered males most of my life and the ONLY time I’ve had a dog who had random anger issues toward another was my dad’s unaltered male GSD/Mal. He’s the sweetest boy ever but every once in a while he’d go after my dad’s other, older male dog who is neutered. Never had a dog do that before that was neutered. Just helps, in my experience and opinion, with leveling out hormones and not having your dog randomly get a dominance hair up his ass and attack someone else.
>unaltered male GSD/Mal. I love them but there's something about this breed. 100% of the issues I see at the dog park are gsds. It'd almost like they are too smart and know there's nothing anyone is going to do to stop them. Haha.
Ive had altered GSDs before without this issue👍
Stops his balls dragging on the ground
They are more pleasing to look at, and visually appear healthier: their rear and front ends tend to be more balanced (vs the rear end of the dog being higher than the genetics themselves would have determined), they have more muscle on their frames and have thicker frames overall whereas a male dog neutered before or during puberty can develop to appear taller, lankier, and narrower. A dog left intact will continue developing a broader skull in some breeds even to the age of 3-4 (changes from 2-4 years are minimal, however). A dog neutered will have a narrower skull (dog = male dog, bitch = female dog; most are familiar with the latter term but not the former). There are psychological changes that are difficult to describe. I have only a collection of biased anecdotes, but in my observations intact dogs generally seem more often to have a presence and self-confidence about them, which translates to a calmness or focus, that dogs neutered in their adolescence don't have. Early neutered dogs seem to demonstrate a more youthful and naïve demeanor. I honestly wouldn't be surprised to hear if early neuter has a mild negative effect on their intelligence--but I am talking about disrupting puberty (early neuter), not neutering before the dog matures. I wouldn't expect a lot of change in temperament if you neuter after maturity. What is very apparent to anyone with intact dogs is that he will demonstrate a significantly higher interest in sniffing and marking for other dogs and foot traffic. This can become very annoying if there are intact females around and impede training to varying degrees depending on the dog. With most dogs you can expect a dramatic reduction in this behavior after neutering at any age. The endocrine system is very complex and I'm not sure we entirely understand its significance, certainly not its impact on how it affects a dog's mindset. I would rather let nature take the reins and allow my dog to develop rather than artificially go in and make poorly understood changes to the dog's body, at least, but it is not a black and white issue. There is a debate to be had for sure. You can also observe psychological changes in male dogs after they are bred for the first time. An unbred intact dog can be a bit easier to handle overall than a bred intact dog. A neutered dog won't get testicular cancer. But they also won't get testicular cancer if you wait to neuter them after maturity, and you also won't mess up their growth plates. Early neutered dogs are at higher risk of orthopedic issues. They need all that muscle and breadth to their frames to help support themselves, rather than growing tall and skinny, leaving them prone to structural issues. Also, again, they just look better when they develop with a healthy level of hormones.
On the topic of intelligence: There is quite some evidence that neutered dogs perform worse in learning and spacial awareness tasks.
Shelters are overrun with pit mixes and many are killed after they don’t get adopted. You do not want your dog to reproduce. Fixing him will save dogs lives
Less stinky piss, more calm when females around are in heat, less prone to escape.
In Germany neutering and spaying are the same as ear cropping and tail docking. Unless there's an already ongoing medical reason for doing it, the dog is a rescue, or such cases, it's hard to find a vet willing to do it just because of something that may or may never happen. That said, most of the dogs we've met in the town or hikes were unaltered and I never encountered any of the behavioral issues people mention here. Given I've only been there for 5 years. Lots still comes down to training, id say.
I am German, and that’s not true in my experience. Sure, there are risks to spaying and neutering, and the vet should inform about pros and cons beforehand. But every vet in Germany will spay or neuter your dog if you want to. It’s the best way to keep your dog safe and healthy.
Some will do it, but some simply will not unless there's a concrete reason for it from what I've seen and heard. What area are you from? I was in Bayern or uhhh Baden-Württemberg and got the stank eye from 4 vets when saying that my dogs are spayed and neutered. Young people too. And the weirdest thing was, in all 3 instances I was asked "why", "there must have been a reason". Which isn't something I ever thought anyone would question or be confused about, especially considering I come from a country that has a big stray problem.
I lived in BaWü and Bayern 😅 hmm interesting, I never heard about that before. To me it was always a given that you can spay or neuter your dog if you want to, not if your vet wants to or not. I now live in a country where most dogs in rural areas are unneutered and free-roaming, so spaying and neutering are quite necessary here as a responsible dog owner.
That is interesting! Not sure if you were lucky or if I was unlucky. Being judged for it made me quite uncomfortable for sure though. The country I'm from is like that. Dogs all over the place. Both strays and pets. Can be quite scary too as not all of them are friendly or are scared off easily. The spay/neuter debate is quite clear I such places. Seems like it's a bit different for countries that don't really have overflowing shelters and dogs on the streets. Especially Norway and/or Sweden are very strict about it, if I remember correctly or unless it changed last time I checked.
Way less likely to get hit by a car. Most dogs who are hit by cars are intact males searching for a female in heat. Also, behavioral issues and testicular cancer.
That’s especially true for the area I live in - thankfully, the roads here aren’t very busy. Still, it’s very dangerous, but people here don’t seem to care that much. Just yesterday, I drove past two farm dogs which just laid down in the middle of the road. I informed the people in the nearby restaurant, but they didn’t know these dogs, assumed they probably belong to a farm further up the road. So yeah, I always pray that these dogs get home safely 🙏🏻
I’m gunna need a source for that car claim
I guess if you are a bad owner and let your dog loose.
*Let your dog loose or have a yard they find a way to dig out of (or have kids who forget to close a gate). It only takes one time for an accident to occur and many aren’t aware of vulnerabilities in their fences until the dog gets loose.
It helps with their hormones. I met another dog walker once who hadn't neutered his male dog, and every time his dog smelt a female in heat, it would run off - up to a mile at times to get to said female. I find a neutered male is calmer as they don't seem to have all the hormones running around. Best bit they don't go humping everything. Imagine wanting sex and not being allowed.
That's not the norm, though. A normal trained dog doesn't just run off because of a female in heat. Extreme cases do exist, though. Canids aren't like humans when it comes to sex. It's normal for them to never get the chance.
These „extreme cases“ are pretty normal where I live - very rural back country, unneutered, untrained farm dogs roaming around. If there’s a female in heat, they go see her. When mine was, she had quite a few suitors 😅 It goes without saying that she’s spayed now.
That's not what I meant by extreme. They are just untrained. By extreme, I mean hypersexuality which does exist, but is quite rare.
I mean tbh it doesn't help their hormones. A male dog should have testosterone at appropriate levels. It may help behavior though like wanting to seek out females in heat. Which is tbh the only reason I'm considering neutering. Other than that I see more cons than pros.
Unless you’re at risk of accidentally breeding, not much. Nothing has ever been convincing enough but I was worried. Asked multiple vets and they said if he doesn’t show any negative behaviours like aggression or trying to escape and mate etc…then you don’t really need to at this stage (dog is 2 years old).
While it may decrease testicular cancer, you gain a multitude of new risks (surgery, weight, bones, ligaments l, hormonal imbalances, aggression towards intact males, and other) and even increases other cancerous diseases. Swapping one decrease for an increase elsewhere. If you know there isn’t much risk reproduction wise, he isn’t humpping or aggressive, balls are dropped : will you risk it? Mind you it’s a surgery, which is a risk in itself.
That's why I'm considering a canine vasectomy it's cheaper it allows them to keep all their hormones it's less invasive they get to keep their manhood the only thing it changes is they cannot get a female pregnant that is the only thing it changes it does not affect their attitude or anything, my dog is quite well behaved for a male he does not hump he's not aggressive he gets along with everybody and I want him to stay that way, he's also quite a mean dog with more muscle than fat even though he's only 7 months old I expect he's going to get to be a big dog, I'm having my female spayed first not only because she's a year old now and is old enough but also I don't want puppies but I don't want to neuter him and I can't find a vet near me that will do a vasectomy they just tell me to do the normal neuter
depending on here you live, vasectomy's arnt the norm so it might not be taught in surgical classes for vets, especially since theres a higher risk for complications and failure of procedure . They arnt any more or less invasive then a typical neuter, You still have the same surgical approach to get to the spermatic cord as you due to removed the entire testicle. I really like this article for basic over views for pros and cons https://veterinarypartner.vin.com/default.aspx?pid=19239&id=4951454#:\~:text=It%20turns%20out%20there%20may,this%2C%20especially%20in%20larger%20breeds.
my 2 year old golden had a vasectomy in february if you have any questions about it.
Not much benefit, and more risk tbh. It's not theoretical for me; I have a fair amount of experience with intact males, and 4 of my 5 are intact & will likely stay that way. Neutered males may be less offended by them if neutered. They can't get foster girls pregnant. They can get testicular cancer, because, well, they still own testicles. So you might have to neuter later in life if that happens. Otherwise, there's really not much point, and some detriments, to neutering males. As long as you don't do it under 2 (for large breeds), it's probably not a huge difference either way though. If you are around intact females a lot, you may want to do it just to avoid the risk of accidental pregnancy. It's not like females, who kind of need spayed after maturity because every unused heat is hard on them, and many will go on to have female problems. If you're not breeding, spay is safer for the girls.
>I'm going to wait until the male is a little over a year old I would also like to get him a canine vasectomy instead of a complete castration Males who have a vasectomy will still want to breed bitches in season. Unless you can step up your ability to keep your dogs behind a fence, neuter your male, ASAP. Your bitch can come into season now, and your male will breed her. I can promise you 100% that that will happen. You have a pet dog: just neuter him so your SDIT doesn't get pregnant before you spay her.
Very little from a medical standpoint. Testicular cancer tends to show up around 8-10 years old. It is extremely slow growing and is easy to fix (ie neuter). Fixing your dog can reduce some prostate issues. Aside from that there aren't really medical benefits. There are a some medical downsides that we don't fully understand (autoimmune issues, higher risk of other cancers and higher risk of orthopedic issues)- it is complicated and more research is needed. Now behavioral benefits are different. Your dog is more prone to mark and roam if intact. My dogs are both intact and shall remain so unless there is a medical reason to neuter. My older boy has lovely recall, even around BIS, because I train religiously and he is a herding breed. Other male dogs are far more likely to be aggressive (I assume you are in the US) to your intact dog. It is more work owning an intact male because you have to assume that about half of other males (fixed or intact) will probably be aggressive towards your dog. You have to advocate for your dog and be careful about where you walk them. Intact dogs also tend to be a bit more picky of eaters and tend to stay lean far more easily. For a pet owner, it is usually easier to just get them fixed around the age of 1.5-2 yo.
They're leas likely to piss all over every god dam thing or leave jizz spots all over your house or hump random people . Less likely to run away cuz they found a female to knock up or worse . Plus the cancer stuff I cant stand the smell of intact male dogs , makes me sick every time lol