Reasons To Desex A Male Dog

[Gayle.]

Cats are different. They can have kittens as young as 4-5 months and their whole being is geared towards mating. If a female cat doesn't mate by about her 3rd call, she has a very high chance of developing pyometra.

[Greytmate]

I wish I had come into this thread earlier.

I have had dozens of adult male dogs desexed (and assessed their behaviour), and before that I was an instructor who sometimes advised handlers to desex their make dogs.

Desexing takes away the strong motivation for a dog to display sexual behaviour or to challenge some other dogs due to sexual competition. Some dogs may still have behavioural habits afterwards, but these are usually very easily trained out of the dog.

The urine of a desexed dog does not have the strong odour of the urine of an entire dog.

A desexed dog loses the urge to mark as often and even as an adult will tend to lose that habit.

An entire dog is more likely to want to escape. The hormones do give dogs strong urges.

An entire dog is more of a target for other dogs challenging.

This person, an older man, struggling a little to control his dog, who may not have thought about the benefits of desexing before, is exactly the type of person I would be encouraging to desex. Have done before, will do again. It's nice when they come and thank you later for helping them calm down their naughty dog - through training advice and desexing advice.

Why do they geld stallions? Same reason they desex dogs. Except that dogs are not going to kill somebody when they want some sexy-time.

[Kaffy Magee]

I had 15 puppies sterilised from my last litters(vasectomies, tubal ligations and spays) before rehoming. All bounced back instantly and was like it had never happened. I have also had older puppies and adults done and they always take longer to recover.

[Guest DBT]

I wish I had come into this thread earlier.

I have had dozens of adult male dogs desexed (and assessed their behaviour), and before that I was an instructor who sometimes advised handlers to desex their make dogs.

Desexing takes away the strong motivation for a dog to display sexual behaviour or to challenge some other dogs due to sexual competition. Some dogs may still have behavioural habits afterwards, but these are usually very easily trained out of the dog.

The urine of a desexed dog does not have the strong odour of the urine of an entire dog.

A desexed dog loses the urge to mark as often and even as an adult will tend to lose that habit.

An entire dog is more likely to want to escape. The hormones do give dogs strong urges.

An entire dog is more of a target for other dogs challenging.

This person, an older man, struggling a little to control his dog, who may not have thought about the benefits of desexing before, is exactly the type of person I would be encouraging to desex. Have done before, will do again. It's nice when they come and thank you later for helping them calm down their naughty dog - through training advice and desexing advice.

Why do they geld stallions? Same reason they desex dogs. Except that dogs are not going to kill somebody when they want some sexy-time.

This is pretty much what i was wanting to say ^

The vast majority of rescue dogs that i have dealt with (as in both male & female) are entire, and usually between 6 months to 3 yrs......... and my feeling is it's got a lot to do with sexuality, and the things outlined above.

Yes i know training & socialisation also play a role in developing a healthy problem free dog....but i REALLY believe that most of these entire animals would have a better success rate of retaining the initial home if they were desexed at an early age, as any problems that develop would perhaps be easier to manage/control/fix in the desexed animal.

Edited April 8, 2011 by DBT

[LDR]

Because dogs don't have opposable thumbs and therefore cannot put on condoms.

[perfect partners]

Except that dogs are not going to kill somebody when they want some sexy-time.

Neither do well trained stallions!

[_PL_]

Because dogs don't have opposable thumbs and therefore cannot put on condoms.

If they did have opposable thumbs we wouldn't be needed at all!

[arjay]

Havent owned a dog yet, but will soon in few weeks time. and will be getting a rottweiler pup. from my research and talking with the breeder, I wont be desexing, I might think about it after when the pup is 2 yrs old, but if there isnt any problems with its behavior or health than there is no need to. The breeders had bred many rotts in the past and recommends us not to do it unless there is a health issue, all his dogs are tamed and never had problems with other entires and from other buyers. I say let them have their natural systems inside them and lots of obedience trianing.

[Inevitablue]

Neither do well trained stallions!

Ahhh but just what is the percentage of the population that can train a stallion, and maintain and manage one? Not alot, so same applies with dogs. In general the average pet dog owner is going to find a desexed male easier to manage. Also, not being male myself I wonder just how much an undesexed male dog thinks about sex? Poor things.... Sex on the brain and it's 14 years between drinks... If he ever even got a first taste either!

[hortfurball]

The vast majority of rescue dogs that i have dealt with (as in both male & female) are entire, and usually between 6 months to 3 yrs......... and my feeling is it's got a lot to do with sexuality, and the things outlined above.

Yes i know training & socialisation also play a role in developing a healthy problem free dog....but i REALLY believe that most of these entire animals would have a better success rate of retaining the initial home if they were desexed at an early age, as any problems that develop would perhaps be easier to manage/control/fix in the desexed animal.

Which came first, the chicken or the egg? I'd say the majority of dogs that end up in rescue are entire because the sort of people who don't train their dog, and give up on it as soon as it shows one or two common puppy traits are the sort of people who wouldn't take the responsibility of desexing their dog. I know what you are saying, and yes it is possible, but the same argument could be used for vaccinating a dog. Most rescue dogs are not vaccinated, therefore not vaccinating must contribute to making them the sort of dog likely to end in rescue. Unfortunately I think it is the nature of the humans, rather than the dogs, which is the problem when dogs end up abandoned at the pound. Except for the unwanted litters of puppies, and the dumped pregnant female (like that was SO her fault) most are 6 months to 2 years, that age the rest of us tear our hair out as we attempt to shape our dog into what we want. The people who dump seem to think that a dog should be perfect from the day they get it and behavioural problems are solely the dog's fault.

[Dogsrawesome]

I think he should desex him.

[faytiges]

I would always advise anyone without a show dog to desex them immediately.

I am in a horse racing syndicate, and we have a young colt who is just an absolute nuisance, to everyone, himself included. As he has an impeccable pedigree they dont want to geld him... It is so hard to manage him on race days, and the decision will have to be made soon. This was the example on this thread...a stallion, how hard to manage... Exactly that. If the horse is not going to be used for breeding, you will geld him. If you are not going to breed with your male (or female to that extent) they should be desexed. We would not have all these dogs at The Lost Dogs homes, rescue places etc., it just stands to reason. You are being very selfish if you dont desex. The dogs are not going to be bred with, except for accidents ... now how often do they occur !!!! If breeders would just sell puppies that are given a desexing certificate that MUST be honoured... we wouldnt see the thousands of dogs PTS each year.. Please think about this before you think I am maybe overreacting. The only reason these poor dogs are there is exactly the above !!!!

Please think about things, others may be able to advise further, but usually a desexed dog is easier to manage etc., for obvious reasons. Why on earth would you keep a dog or bitch entire for 2 years..??? Sadly this is why we have so many poor dogs PTS because of backyard breeders who just have no idea.

[poodlefan]

I would always advise anyone without a show dog to desex them immediately.

I am in a horse racing syndicate, and we have a young colt who is just an absolute nuisance, to everyone, himself included. As he has an impeccable pedigree they dont want to geld him... It is so hard to manage him on race days, and the decision will have to be made soon. This was the example on this thread...a stallion, how hard to manage... Exactly that. If the horse is not going to be used for breeding, you will geld him. If you are not going to breed with your male (or female to that extent) they should be desexed. We would not have all these dogs at The Lost Dogs homes, rescue places etc., it just stands to reason. You are being very selfish if you dont desex. The dogs are not going to be bred with, except for accidents ... now how often do they occur !!!! If breeders would just sell puppies that are given a desexing certificate that MUST be honoured... we wouldnt see the thousands of dogs PTS each year.. Please think about this before you think I am maybe overreacting. The only reason these poor dogs are there is exactly the above !!!!

Please think about things, others may be able to advise further, but usually a desexed dog is easier to manage etc., for obvious reasons. Why on earth would you keep a dog or bitch entire for 2 years..??? Sadly this is why we have so many poor dogs PTS because of backyard breeders who just have no idea.

Most entire male dogs are not difficult to manage. The horse = dog analogy doesnt' work for me and yes, I've had both.

I'd say its not just entire dogs that contribute to unwanted pups. Bitches have something to do with it.

I'm not anti desexing but the issue needs to be thought through, particularly with regard to timing.

[Staranais]

You are being very selfish if you dont desex.

Think before you type. This is offensive, and in many cases, just plain wrong.

[hortfurball]

I would always advise anyone without a show dog to desex them immediately.

I am in a horse racing syndicate, and we have a young colt who is just an absolute nuisance, to everyone, himself included. As he has an impeccable pedigree they dont want to geld him... It is so hard to manage him on race days, and the decision will have to be made soon. This was the example on this thread...a stallion, how hard to manage... Exactly that. If the horse is not going to be used for breeding, you will geld him. If you are not going to breed with your male (or female to that extent) they should be desexed. We would not have all these dogs at The Lost Dogs homes, rescue places etc., it just stands to reason. You are being very selfish if you dont desex. The dogs are not going to be bred with, except for accidents ... now how often do they occur !!!! If breeders would just sell puppies that are given a desexing certificate that MUST be honoured... we wouldnt see the thousands of dogs PTS each year.. Please think about this before you think I am maybe overreacting. The only reason these poor dogs are there is exactly the above !!!!

Please think about things, others may be able to advise further, but usually a desexed dog is easier to manage etc., for obvious reasons. Why on earth would you keep a dog or bitch entire for 2 years..??? Sadly this is why we have so many poor dogs PTS because of backyard breeders who just have no idea.

Faytiges, regarding most of your post, in particular the bit I bolded above, this is such an emotive issue that it's hard to see the wood for the trees sometimes. I understand your passion, but your idea is only part of the solution. Puppy farms and unethical 'suppliers' (the big puppy distribution warehouses like PP and some pet shops) are the main reason for the thousands of unwanted dogs that end up PTS every year. Accidental BYB litters and breeders selling pets without a desexing certificate would be such a small drop in the ocean as to be almost irrelevant. The real culprits are the puppy farms and INTENTIONAL BYB's, and these people will never willingly desex their dogs. Getting responsible owners to desex their male dog is somewhat pointless when it comes to lessening the numbers of unwanted dogs but it can help with three things - behaviour (in some cases), accidental litters and it will make the chances of testicular cancer impossible.

[Nekhbet]

training controls a dog, not desexing. I can tell you the horniest dog in the house was desexed years ago whereas the entire male has learned to keep his mouth shut during seasons.

If he doesnt want to then you cannot make him. If the dog is an adult, unless there is a massive testosterone problem fuelling behaviour it wont cause that much difference in general, maybe to sexual behaviours. I dont see why we push absolutely everyone to desex - if the dog is contained and controlled then why? What makes registered breeders immediately more responsible and knowledgable then the average dog owner? Sometimes its the other way around in fact.

The old arguments are getting just that ... old. If you absolutely cannot handle an entire dog, fine, desex it within a time frame that is healthy for the breed. Most of the time people who cannot handle an entire male can't handle a larger dog at all so really testicles simply become an excuse.

I have my dogs entire except the rottweiler. I dont have problems, my 60kg male doesnt drag anyone or rip palings off fences to get out and mate - this year he decided to try braying like a donkey but thats as far as it went. My bitch when she comes in heat knows the routine and all is (reasonably) quiet. Not everyone likes desexing, but if they're willing to put in the effort and be responsible I dont see why anyone elses opinions should be shoved down their throat.

ETA as for gelding, my horse was an ex-racer who was gelded due to an attitude problem. I can tell you it didnt fix it, he was still a big, violent and nasty piece of horse flesh 10 years off the track. His attitude never changed. Personality is not only hormone fueled, genetics has a lot to contribute to temperament.

Edited April 11, 2011 by Nekhbet

[~Anne~]

Faytiges, regarding most of your post, in particular the bit I bolded above, this is such an emotive issue that it's hard to see the wood for the trees sometimes. I understand your passion, but your idea is only part of the solution. Puppy farms and unethical 'suppliers' (the big puppy distribution warehouses like PP and some pet shops) are the main reason for the thousands of unwanted dogs that end up PTS every year. Accidental BYB litters and breeders selling pets without a desexing certificate would be such a small drop in the ocean as to be almost irrelevant. The real culprits are the puppy farms and INTENTIONAL BYB's, and these people will never willingly desex their dogs. Getting responsible owners to desex their male dog is somewhat pointless when it comes to lessening the numbers of unwanted dogs but it can help with three things - behaviour (in some cases), accidental litters and it will make the chances of testicular cancer impossible.

Well said.

[jacqui835]

training controls a dog, not desexing. I can tell you the horniest dog in the house was desexed years ago whereas the entire male has learned to keep his mouth shut during seasons.

If he doesnt want to then you cannot make him. If the dog is an adult, unless there is a massive testosterone problem fuelling behaviour it wont cause that much difference in general, maybe to sexual behaviours. I dont see why we push absolutely everyone to desex - if the dog is contained and controlled then why? What makes registered breeders immediately more responsible and knowledgable then the average dog owner? Sometimes its the other way around in fact.

The old arguments are getting just that ... old. If you absolutely cannot handle an entire dog, fine, desex it within a time frame that is healthy for the breed. Most of the time people who cannot handle an entire male can't handle a larger dog at all so really testicles simply become an excuse.

I have my dogs entire except the rottweiler. I dont have problems, my 60kg male doesnt drag anyone or rip palings off fences to get out and mate - this year he decided to try braying like a donkey but thats as far as it went. My bitch when she comes in heat knows the routine and all is (reasonably) quiet. Not everyone likes desexing, but if they're willing to put in the effort and be responsible I dont see why anyone elses opinions should be shoved down their throat.

ETA as for gelding, my horse was an ex-racer who was gelded due to an attitude problem. I can tell you it didnt fix it, he was still a big, violent and nasty piece of horse flesh 10 years off the track. His attitude never changed. Personality is not only hormone fueled, genetics has a lot to contribute to temperament.

This is a very good post. My dog meets other entire males for the first time almost every weekend and from hearing people on these forums, you'd think this should mean we would be having dog fights every week. We've had a total of none... How many times has he run away? None. How many times has he met entire females? Too many to count. How many puppies has he sired? None. But he has an awesome can do won't give up attitude, keeps himself trim and muscular and has a fantastic figure with proportional legs and head - there's no way I'd desex him because there's just no need.

I advocate desexing for the masses because most people don't bother to train their dogs and wouldn't stop them from escaping and breeding. They don't satisfy their dog's need for a leader and boundaries.Plenty of people back at Centennial Park who would bring their puppies, desex them at or before 6 months wouldl have uncontrollable dangerous animals (and typically they stopped coming at about 7 months). Plenty of people with entire males who came to the park every day and caused no problems. You tell me what the most relevant factor was.

[Greytmate]

What makes registered breeders immediately more responsible and knowledgable then the average dog owner? Sometimes its the other way around in fact.

There are plenty of breeders that are not able to prevent their dogs having accidental litters. You don't need to prove knowledge or responsibility to register as a breeder. I don't see how that point is an argument for or against desexing.

The old arguments are getting just that ... old. If you absolutely cannot handle an entire dog, fine, desex it within a time frame that is healthy for the breed. Most of the time people who cannot handle an entire male can't handle a larger dog at all so really testicles simply become an excuse.

This is a person that is having trouble handling their dog. That person, that dog. It isn't an old argument for that person.

The arguments are getting old. And yet there seems to be very little research showing that desexing has any disadvantages at all for dogs that are pets. Why aren't there any new arguments?

Until some compelling or relevant arguments are put forward, other than to scoff at people that do have trouble or have had trouble with the hormone fuelled behaviour of entire animals, I'm going to keep on the desexing bandwagon. No matter how old it gets. This dog is an ideal candidate for desexing. It won't do any harm, and will probably help a lot. The topic wasn't started to ask what people here do with their own dogs, it was about the advantages of desexing.

An argument in favour of desexing is not an open invitation for people like you to make negative comments about our handling skills. That is what is getting really old around here.

[poodlefan]

Until some compelling or relevant arguments are put forward, other than to scoff at people that do have trouble or have had trouble with the hormone fuelled behaviour of entire animals, I'm going to keep on the desexing bandwagon. No matter how old it gets. This dog is an ideal candidate for desexing. It won't do any harm, and will probably help a lot. The topic wasn't started to ask what people here do with their own dogs, it was about the advantages of desexing.

An argument in favour of desexing is not an open invitation for people like you to make negative comments about our handling skills. That is what is getting really old around here.

It may well be. Rightly or wrongly, its owner doesn't want to desex it. Suggesting that desexing it will make it any easier to handle was what triggered the dissenting views in the first place. Desexing alone won't make it any smaller, any less strong or any less likely to pull.

As I said in my first post, desexing is not a substitute for training and shouldn't be sold as such. Those arguing for desexing (and I am often one of them) need to come up with legitimate arguments or hold their tongues. They also need to be well informed about what desexing will and won't mean for an individual animal.

A friend of mine got the third degree from a vet nurse not long ago. "your dog is old enough now to be desexed" she was told. "Yes" she said "but I'm showing this dog". "oh that doesn't matter, you can still do that when he's desexed". Ah, no.. or not for a title anyway.

It's not "selfish" to keep a dog entire if you can responsibly manage its behaviour and prevent it from siring unplanned litters. Plenty of people manage to do just that and plenty of folk have legitimate reasons for delaying or not having a dog desexed at all. I can't see what the problem is with that view.

Edited April 12, 2011 by poodlefan